Professor John Furness
PhD, FAA, FAHMS
Location
Parkville Campus
30 Royal Parade
Parkville Victoria 3052
Research group
Digestive Physiology and Nutrition Group
Biography
Professor John Furness has held research and teaching positions at the University of Melbourne and Flinders University. He spent periods of time in research in England, Japan, France and the United States. His research has concentrated on the autonomic nervous system, particularly the control of digestive function and drug development.
He is best known for his work in unravelling the circuitry of the enteric nervous system and for the chemical coding hypothesis. His current work concentrates on digestive physiology and nutrition and on animal models of digestive diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease.
John holds dual positions at The Florey and the University of Melbourne.
Career highlights
Research projects
- Developing INSL5 analogs as colon motility regulator
- Neural control of intestinal inflammation – therapies for inflammatory bowel disease
- Gut-brain communication – how the stomach and brain communicate
- A stem cell therapy for Hirschsprung disease
- Novel heteromeric receptors: ghrelin receptors and dopamine receptors working together
Awards and achievements
- Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science
- Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences
- Australian Centenary Medal
- Davenport Award of the American Physiological Society
- Fellowship and Gold Medal, L’accademia delle scienze dell’istituto di Bologna