Helen Abud

Professor Helen Abud is a developmental biologist who is interested in how organs form and the environmental influences that regulate stem cells in normal tissues and tumours. She utilises patient-derived organoids to investigate the role of stem cells in repair of the lining of the bowel, how infection can impact stem cells and personalised chemotherapy approaches for the treatment of bowel cancer.
Professor Abud is currently Head of the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Co-head of the Development and Stem Cells Program and Director of the Organoid Program at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute. She is also President of the Australian Society for Stem Cell Research.
Professor Abud initially trained at WEHI before undertaking her doctorate at Oxford University in Developmental Biology. This was followed by postdoctoral training in the Department of Anatomy (Oxford), Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (Melbourne) before establishment of her research program at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute where she combines teaching with research.