Gabrielle Belz

Gabrielle T. Belz is an Australian molecular immunologist and viral immunologist. She is a faculty member of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, within the Molecular Immunology division. Belz has made important contributions to the understanding of immune system function, especially in relation to the molecular and cellular signalling pathways of immune response to viruses. Her research has focused on understanding the signals that drive the initial development of protective immunity against pathogen infections, such as influenza and herpes viruses. This includes research into how cytotoxic T cells (a type of T lymphocyte that destroys virally infected cells and tumor cells) recognise and remove virally-infected cells from the body following infection. Research into the description of the specific factors and response during infection will contribute towards the long-term development of vaccines for infectious disease, and the development of better treatments for autoimmune diseases.

Education Belz trained as a veterinarian and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Queensland, graduating with a Bachelor of Veterinary Biology in 1990, then a Bachelor of Veterinary Science with First Class Honours in 1993. She completed a PhD in 1997 at the University of Queensland. Following her PhD, she took up a Postdoctoral Fellowship in viral immunology with Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Doherty at St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, USA. She returned to Australia to take up a position with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in 2000. In 2010, she received a Doctor of Veterinary Science from the University of Queensland.

Belz was Editor-in-Chief of Immunology and Cell Biology until 2016, and was subsequently a Deputy Editor of the journal for several years. She is currently a Deputy Editor for the Journal of Immunology.

Awards In 2007 Belz was awarded the Burnet Prize (recognising the Australian virologist Sir Macfarlane Burnet) for her research into how dendritic cells and cytotoxic T cells work together to defend the body from viral infections.

In 2008, Belz was awarded the Gottschalk Medal by the Australian Academy of Science for her contribution to a series of pioneering discoveries illuminating how the immune system deals with viruses. The same year, she was awarded with the Viertel Senior Medical Research Fellowship.

In 2012, Belz was awarded the NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Fellowships award (recognising the Australian-American biological researcher and Nobel Laureate, Professor Elizabeth Blackburn). In 2018 she was elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. She received an Australian Laureate Fellowship in 2024.

In 2024, Belz was awarded the Australian Laureate Fellowship by the Australian Research Council, funding her research into the role of the linings of the lungs and gut in triggering the body's immune responses.

Selected publications

Christo SN, Evrard M, Park SL, et al. (September 2021). Discrete tissue microenvironments instruct diversity in resident memory T cell function and plasticity. Nat Immunol. 22(9):1140-1151. doi: 10.1038/s41590-021-01004-1. PMID 34426691 Huang Q, Jacquelot N, Preaudet A, et al. (February 2021). Type 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells Protect against Colorectal Cancer Progression and Predict Improved Patient Survival. Cancers (Basel). 1;13(3):559. doi: 10.3390/cancers13030559. PMID 33535624 Jacquelot N, Seillet C, Wang M, et al. (July 2021). Blockade of the co-inhibitory molecule PD-1 unleashes ILC2-dependent antitumor immunity in melanoma. Nat Immunol. 22(7):851-864. doi: 10.1038/s41590-021-00943-z. PMID 34099918 Seillet C, Luong K, Tellier J, et al. (February 2020). The neuropeptide VIP confers anticipatory mucosal immunity by regulating ILC3 activity. Nat Immunol. 21(2):168-177. doi: 10.1038/s41590-019-0567-y. PMID 31873294 Soon MSF, Lee HJ, Engel JA, et al. (December 2020). Transcriptome dynamics of CD4+ T cells during malaria maps gradual transit from effector to memory. Nat Immunol. 21(12):1597-1610. doi: 10.1038/s41590-020-0800-8. PMID 33046889 Mielke LA, Liao Y, Clemens EB, et al. (July 2019). TCF-1 limits the formation of Tc17 cells via repression of the MAF-RORγt axis. J Exp Med. 1;216(7):1682-1699. doi: 10.1084/jem.20181778. PMID 31142588 Rankin LC, Girard-Madoux MJ, Seillet C, et al. (February 2016). Complementarity and redundancy of IL-22-producing innate lymphoid cells. Nat Immunol. 17(2):179-86. doi: 10.1038/ni.3332. PMID 26595889