The University of Queensland’s Dr Carlos Salomon Gallo has won the prestigious 2020 Gábor Than Foundation Award in Placentology for his outstanding contributions to the field of placentology.
Awarded by the International Federation of Placenta Associations (IFPA), Dr Salomon Gallo has been recognised for his research focussed on preventing risks to mothers and their foetuses during pregnancy.
Dr Salomon Gallo said it was a great honour to receive this award from the international placenta community.
“I am humbled that my work has been recognised,” Dr Salomon Gallo said.
“This award is not only for me, it’s for all the people who have helped me in my research across the years.”
Dr Salomon Gallo has made significant progress identifying new pathways for fetal-maternal communication.
He’s established that extracellular vesicles secreted from the human placenta as liquid biopsy biomarkers are useful for identifying complications of pregnancy including gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, preterm birth and fetal growth restriction.
Gestational diabetes is the fastest growing type of diabetes in Australia, affecting 14 per cent of pregnant women.
Dr Salomon Gallo hopes his research will lead to an early detection test to improve health outcomes for both mothers and babies.
“Early detection of women with a predisposition to these pregnancy issues is the first step in developing, evaluating and implementing an effective treatment,” Dr Salomon Gallo said.
“I believe we can develop a useful antenatal screening test that could be used globally one day soon.”
The Gábor Than Award acknowledges researchers across Europe, Asia, the Americas, Australia and New Zealand, who are making significant developments about the health of the placenta and its relationship to women and foetuses.
As part of the award, Dr Salomon Gallo has been invited to present a lecture at the upcoming IFPA meeting in Amsterdam next year.
At the UQ Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR), Dr Salomon Gallo is developing biomarkers to detect complications in pregnancies and is the recipient of a 2020 National Health and Medical Research Council investigator grant.
Media: Dr Carlos Salomon Gallo, c.salomongallo@uq.edu.au, Faculty of Medicine Communications, med.media@uq.edu.au, +61 7 3365 5133, +61 436 368 746.
