Levon Michael Khachigian

Qualifications: BSc (Hons I) PhD DSc UNSW MIP Law UTS. Research Interests: Cardiovascular disease and cancer remain the most prevalent causes of morbidity and mortality. Wet age-related macular degeneration can cause severe loss of central vision and disability. The pathogenesis of these and a myriad of other proliferative, migratory, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases are underpinned by molecular and cellular changes in our blood vessels. Professor Levon Khachigian's research is uncovering key networks of transcriptional control and inducible gene-regulatory circuits that lead to vascular disease. Building on these mechanistic insights, his group is developing new experimental drugs and approaches that have the potential to treat various health problems, from cancer and arthritis through to eye and heart disease. Levon heads the Vascular Biology and Translational Research Laboratory in the School of Biomedical Sciences, UNSW Faculty of Medicine & Health. His research program sits within the Faculty's Thematic Areas of Cardiovascular and Cancer Biology, and has two major objectives: 1. To better understand how potentially harmful genes are controlled in vascular cells. This arm investigates signalling and transcriptional mechanisms of growth factor- and/or pro-inflammatory cytokine-dependent gene expression, post-translational mechanisms that modify protein behaviour, characterization of genes that are induced or repressed by acute vascular cell injury, and molecular control in vascular cell migration and proliferation. The group has considerable expertise in preclinical models of cardiovascular disease, inflammation and cancer; 2. To develop novel vascular therapeutic agents for cardiovascular and inflammatory disease, tumour growth and metastasis. The lab is harnessing the outcomes of its fundamental research by pioneering the development of novel anti-gene, gene-therapeutic and small molecule pharmacological strategies targeting regulatory genes in experimental vascular diseases. These agents may be applied to conditions such as wet age-related macular degeneration. The strategy involves interdigitating in-house laboratory research with national and international collaborations with a range of clinical and preclinical specialists, global contract research organisations, leading industrial medicinal chemists and drug development consultants. Levon received his PhD from UNSW in 1993 and after postdoctoral training in vascular pathobiology at Harvard Medical School returned to the UNSW Centre for Vascular Research (CVR) in 1996 where he established an independent research group. He was appointed Professor in 2004 and Director of CVR in 2009. If you are a PhD or Hons student interested in a research project, scroll down to the bottom of this page for a list of projects. Broad Research Areas: Cardiovascular Disease, Inflammation, Cancer, Cell Biology and Gene Regulation, Pathology. Specific Research Keywords: Cardiovascular and inflammatory disease, Oncology, tumour growth and metastasis, Molecular and cellular mechanisms, Signalling and transcription, Transcriptional regulation. Teaching Interests: Drug discovery, Molecular pathobiology, Molecular biology, signalling and transcriptional control, Atherosclerosis and post-angioplasty restenosis, Inflammation, Angiogenesis, Cancer. Funding Sources: National Health and Medical Research Council, National Heart Foundation of Australia, NSW Health, Cooperative Research Centre-Project. Prizes and Distinctions: 2025 Fellow, Royal Society of New South Wales; 2021 Distinguished Research Fellow, Australian Cardiovascular Alliance; 2017 NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellowship; 2016 Scopus Eureka Prize for Excellence in International Scientific Collaboration (FANTOM5 consortium); 2012 Distinguished Researcher Award, Australian Vascular Biology Society; 2010 The Royal Society of Victoria Medal for Excellence in Scientific Research; 2010 Premier’s Award for Excellence in Translational Cancer Research; 2010 Business Events Sydney Ambassador; 2009 NHMRC Australia Fellowship; 2009 Rotary International Vocational Excellence Award; 2009 Fellow, National Academy of Sciences, Armenia; 2007 OSMR Eureka James Callachor Prize for Medical Research; 2006 GlaxoSmithKline Award for Research Excellence; 2006 Wakefield Medal for Research Supervision; 2005 Khwarizmi International Award for Science and Technology; 2005 NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellowship; 2004 Australasian Science Prize; 2003 C'wealth Health Minister's Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research; 2003 Gottschalk Medal, Australian Academy of Science; 2003 Eureka Prize for Scientific Research; 2003 Alumni Award for Achievement; 2002 NHMRC Principal Research Fellowship; 2002 RT Hall Prize, Cardiac Society of Australia & New Zealand; 2001 Eppendorf Award for Young Australian Researcher (now Millennium Science Award); 2001 AMGEN Medical Researcher Award; 2001 Young Tall Poppy Award; 1999 NHMRC Research Fellowship; 1997 Glaxo-Wellcome Australia Research Award (NSW); 1997 NHMRC R. Douglas Wright Research Fellowship; 1993 NHMRC C.J. Martin Fellowship; 1993 J. William Fulbright Award; 1993 Rotary Foundation International Ambassadorial Award; 1988 Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Trust Award for Young Australians. Society Past Presidencies: Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR), Australian Vascular Biology Society (AVBS). Conference Organization: Chair, 15th International Vascular Biology Meeting, Sydney; Vascular Biology Section Chair & Conference Treasurer, 20th Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Sydney. Cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, cancer, transcriptional control, scientific method. Cardiovascular disease and cancer remain the most prevalent causes of morbidity and mortality. Wet age-related macular degeneration can cause severe loss of central vision and disability. The pathogenesis of these and a myriad of other proliferative, migratory, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases are underpinned by molecular and cellular changes in our blood vessels. Professor Levon Khachigian's research is uncovering key networks of transcriptional control and inducible gene-regulatory circuits that lead to vascular disease. Building on these mechanistic insights, his group is developing new experimental drugs and approaches that have the potential to treat various health problems, from cancer and arthritis through to eye and heart disease. Levon heads the Vascular Biology and Translational Research Laboratory in the School of Biomedical Sciences, UNSW Faculty of Medicine & Health. His research program sits within the Faculty's Thematic Areas of Cardiovascular and Cancer Biology, and has two major objectives: 1. To better understand how potentially harmful genes are controlled in vascular cells. This arm investigates signalling and transcriptional mechanisms of growth factor- and/or pro-inflammatory cytokine-dependent gene expression, post-translational mechanisms that modify protein behaviour, characterization of genes that are induced or repressed by acute vascular cell injury, and molecular control in vascular cell migration and proliferation. The group has considerable expertise in preclinical models of cardiovascular disease, inflammation and cancer; 2. To develop novel vascular therapeutic agents for cardiovascular and inflammatory disease, tumour growth and metastasis. The lab is harnessing the outcomes of its fundamental research by pioneering the development of novel anti-gene, gene-therapeutic and small molecule pharmacological strategies targeting regulatory genes in experimental vascular diseases. These agents may be applied to conditions such as wet age-related macular degeneration. The strategy involves interdigitating in-house laboratory research with national and international collaborations with a range of clinical and preclinical specialists, global contract research organisations, leading industrial medicinal chemists and drug development consultants. Broad Research Areas: Cardiovascular Disease, Inflammation, Cancer, Cell Biology and Gene Regulation, Pathology. Specific Research Keywords: Cardiovascular and inflammatory disease, Oncology, tumour growth and metastasis, Molecular and cellular mechanisms, Signalling and transcription, Transcriptional regulation. Teaching Interests: Drug discovery, Molecular pathobiology, Molecular biology, signalling and transcriptional control, Atherosclerosis and post-angioplasty restenosis, Inflammation, Angiogenesis, Cancer.

Li Y, Andrews MV, Humphreys DT, Lam E, O’Keeffe CJ, Albao MN, Jafri Z, Raftery MJ, Zhong L, O’Meara CH, Slapetova I, Kasherman M, Janbandhu V, Bhindi R, Libby P, Khachigian LM. Preemptive cardioprotection with a small molecule in rodents that suppresses genes predictive of heart failure. Science Advances 2026;12:eaea0220 Khachigian LM. Health and medical research in Australia I: A long-term investment that drives innovation and endogenous growth. Drug Discovery Today 2026;31:104692 Khachigian LM. Health and medical research in Australia II: A golden egg opportunity too valuable to underfund. Drug Discovery Today 2026;31:104693 Nand PK, Croucher D, Khachigian LM. Challenges in triple negative breast cancer treatment and therapeutic potential of the mitogen activated protein kinase pathway.