Get to know Prof Ravi Savarirayan: Our Australian Partner!
Who is Prof Ravi? Let’s find out!
Prof Ravi Savarirayan recently sat down with fellow MCDS-Therapy consortium partner, Findacure, to discuss his role within the MCDS-Therapy clinical trial. Prof Ravi works at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) in Melbourne, Australia, which is the largest children’s health institute in the southern hemisphere! Below is his interview with Findacure.
Hi, Prof Ravi! Thank you for sitting down with us to discuss your role within the MCDS-Therapy clinical trial.
Can you tell us about your role and work at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) in Melbourne, Australia, to get us started?
Yes, I’m a consultant clinical geneticist and translational scientist and have worked at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute for the past 20 years. I’m a group leader of Skeletal Therapies at the Institute and my team conduct clinical trials into new medications to decrease complications of skeletal dysplasias.
I’m the world lead Principal Investigator (PI) on the new trial of vosoritide to treat achondroplasia, the most common form of human dwarfism. I’m also an active clinician and trained as a paediatrician and clinical geneticist before undertaking my doctorate in the field of skeletal dysplasias. I’m a Professorial fellow at the University of Melbourne and am passionate about teaching the value of curiosity to my students.
Fascinating! What is your role within MCDS-Therapy?
I will lead the work conducted at the MCRI site, which will involve:
- Trial study design
- Recruitment of patients
- Analysis and interpretation of the data from the trial
We’re thrilled to have you on the MCDS-Therapy team. What got you interested in MCDS-Therapy?
MCDS has been a keen topic of interest for me and was one of the subjects of my doctoral thesis. My team and I manage patients and their families with this condition and it is my hope that this new therapy will decrease their need for surgery and improve their quality of life.
That’s the MCDS-Therapy consortium’s hope as well. Your final question is this Prof Ravi: What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Outside of work I enjoy playing football, which I try to play 3 times per week!
I’m also passionate about social justice. Myself and three fellow social justice advocates started an educational charity called, Yatra Foundation Australia, which is currently providing access to quality education for the poorest children in rural India.
Read Prof Ravi’s full bio on the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute website.
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