Prince Henry’s Institute

 

John Funder

 

Appointments

• Director of Research Strategy, Southern Health

• Professor, Department of Medicine, Monash University

• Professorial  Associate, Centre for Neuroscience, The University of Melbourne

• Honorary Professor, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland

 

Profile

Professor Funder joined Prince Henry's Medical Research Centre in 1973 where he went from Senior Research Fellow to Senior Principal Research and Deputy Director. In 1990 he became Director of the Baker Institute in Melbourne and upon his ‘retirement' in 2001 he became a Senior Fellow at Prince Henry's Institute. 

In 2008 he was appointed as Director of Research Strategy at Southern Health, Victoria largest health service.

 

Research Interests

For the last 40 years, Professor Funder's area of research has been in studying aldosterone, the salt-retaining (mineralocorticoid) hormone, and the role of the mineralocorticoid receptor in organs such as the kidney.

Over the past decade his clinical and basic studies at PHI, and elsewhere, have demonstrated the roles of both hormone and receptor in hypertension and heart failure.

John has served as a link between endocrinology and cardiology, and is internationally acknowledged as leading an exciting new era of hitherto unexpected roles for the mineralocorticoid receptors, across a spectrum of disease states.

He has published over 500 scientific papers.

 

Expertise

Aldosterone, hypertension, steroid receptors, heart failure, research governance, research advocacy.

 

Current Research

Professor Funder has active research collaborations at PHI (especially the Cardiovascular Endocrinology and Steroid Receptor Biology laboratories), the The University of Sydney and with colleagues in the US and European pharmaceutical sectors.

 

Recent Achievements

• 2008 - Novartis Prize, American Heart Association

• 2002 - Sidney H. Ingbar Distinguished Service Award, Endocrine Society, USA

• 1998 - Award of Officer in the Order of Australia (AO)

• 1996 - Asia and Oceania Lectureship, Endocrine Society, UK

• 1994 - Clinical Endocrinology Trust Medal, UK

• 1987 - Wellcome Australia Award

• 1979 - Senior Organon Prize, Endocrine Societies of Australia and New Zealand

• 1984 - Eric Susman Prize, Royal Australasian College of Physicians

• 1980 - Chevalier Des Palmes Academiques of the French Government

 

Service to the Scientific Community

Committee Membership (selected)

• 2008- , Director, Grattan Institute

• 2006- , Director, Alan and Elizabeth Finkel Foundation

• 2005- , Director, Harold Mitchell Foundation

• 2004-2009, Member Judging Panel, Victorian Premier's Award for Medical Research

• 2002- , Secretary-Treasurer, International Aldosterone Conference

• 2002-2008, Chair, International Taskforce, Endocrine Society, USA

• 2002-2005, Advisor, Atlantic Philanthropic Foundation

• 2001- , Chair, Scientific Advisory Committee, Liggins Institute and Member, Liggins Institute Board, New Zealand

• 2001-2004, Chair, Hospital Admission Risk Program, Victorian Department of Community Services and Health

• 1998-2005, Board Member, Royal Women's Hospital and Royal Melbourne Children's Hospital

• 1997-2004, Chair, Victorian Health Promotion Foundation

• 1996- , Board Member, Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Memorial Foundation

•  1988-2000, Executive Committee, International Society of Endocrinology

Current Editorial Boards

• 2009- , Endocrinology

• 2003- , Current Trends in Endocrinology

• 2002- , Hypertension

• 2000- , Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism

• 1998- , Encyclopaedia of Endocrine Diseases

• 1995- , NeuroImmunoModulation

• 1995- , Stress

• 1991- , Current Opinion in Endocrinology

• 1986- , Steroids

• 1983- , Journal of Endocrinological Investigation

• 1980- , Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Society Membership

• Research Australia (Board Member 2001-2004, 2004 Honorary Life Member)

• Australian Endocrine Society (Treasurer 1978-80; Vice President 1980-82; President 1982-84; Honorary Life Member 2003)

• Australian Society for Medical Research (Director 1974; Secretary 1975; Treasurer 1976; President 1979; Honorary Life Member 2003)

• High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia

• International Society of Hypertension

• Endocrine Society, USA (Emertius Member 2005)

• Society of Endocrinology, UK (Honorary Life Member 2005)

 

Selected Publications

Wilson P, Morgan J, Funder JW, Fuller PJ, Young MJ. Mediators of mineralocorticoid receptor-induced profibrotic inflammatory responses in the heart. Clinical Science. 2009 May;116(9-10):731-9.

Funder JW, Mihailidou AS. Aldosterone and mineralocorticoid receptors: Clinical studies and basic biology. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. 2009 Mar;301(1-2):2-6.

Funder JW. The Off-Target Effects of Torcetrapib. Endocrinology. 2009 May;150(5):2024-6.

Funder JW. Trilostane, FAD286, and the role of aldosterone in the central regulation of blood pressure: focus on "Role of central nervous system aldosterone synthase and mineralocorticoid receptors in salt-induced hypertension in Dahl salt-sensitive rats". Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2009 Apr;296(4):R992-3.

Funder JW. Reconsidering the roles of the mineralocorticoid receptor. Hypertension. 2009 Feb;53(2):286-90.

Rossi GP, Sechi LA, Giacchetti G, Ronconi V, Strazzullo P, Funder JW. Primary aldosteronism: cardiovascular, renal and metabolic implications. Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2008;19(3):88-90.

Funder JW, Carey RM, Fardella C, Gomez-Sanchez CE, Mantero F, Stowasser M, et al. Case detection, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with primary aldosteronism: An endocrine society clinical practice guideline. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2008 Sep;93(9):3266-81.

Funder JW. Translational research goes both ways: Lessons from clinical studies. Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology. 2008;35(4):526-9.

Funder JW. Why are mineralocorticoid receptors so nonselective? Curr Hypertens Rep. 2007 Apr;9(2):112-6.

Funder JW. Aldosterone and mineralocorticoid receptors. In: Fink G, editor. Encycopedia of Stress. Second ed: Elsevier; 2007. p. 132-5.

Funder JW. The role of aldosterone and mineralocorticoid receptors in cardiovascular disease. American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs. 2007;7(3):151-7.

Hu X, Funder JW. The evolution of mineralocorticoid receptors. Molecular Endocrinology. 2006;20(7):1471-8.

Funder JW. Eplerenone: Hypertension, heart failure and the importance of mineralocorticoid receptor blockade. Future Cardiology. 2006;2(5):535-41.

Funder JW. Aldosterone and mineralocorticoid receptors: Lessons from gene deletion studies. Hypertension. 2006;48(6):1018-9.

Funder JW. Minireview: Aldosterone and the cardiovascular system: Genomic and nongenomic effects. Endocrinology. 2006;147(12):5564-7.

Funder JW. Mineralocorticoid receptors and cardiovascular damage: It's not just aldosterone. Hypertension. 2006;47(4):634-5.