8 October 2025
Dr Jingni He receives coveted 2025 Illumina Neurogenomics Research Award for Multiple Sclerosis research using multi-omic technologies
MELBOURNE, Australia, 1 October 2025/ -- Illumina Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) Melbourne’s Dr Jingni He has been awarded the 2025 ANS Illumina Neurogenomics Research Award for groundbreaking research that could transform how Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is diagnosed and treated worldwide.
The award, presented by the Australasian Neuroscience Society (ANS) in partnership with Illumina, supports research that uses advanced multiomics technologies to uncover greater insights in neuroscientific research.
Dr He, a research fellow at the Department of Neuroscience, School of Translational Medicine at Monash University, was selected for the coveted award to investigate the role of B Cells in pregnancy-related remission of MS.
MS is an incurable chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system, that affects 2.8 million people worldwide (and more than 33,000 people in Australia*), yet its exact cause remains a mystery. While symptoms often ease during pregnancy, researchers still don’t know why – Dr He’s research aims to find out.
“This study will address key gaps in our understanding of the molecular drivers of disease activity during pregnancy in Multiple Sclerosis (MS).,” said Dr Jingni He. “Illumina’s technology allows us to generate high-resolution, multi-layered data on DNA methylation and gene expression, supporting the development of a scalable, integrative multi-omics pipeline that can be expanded to larger studies and provide insights into the mechanisms driving pregnancy-related MS remission.”
The ANS Illumina Neurogenomics Research Award includes access to Illumina’s Innovation Collective laboratory in Melbourne, up to $30,000 of reagents and consumables, expert consultation and data analysis support.
Nilesh Shah, Head of Region, AMEA at Illumina said: “Pregnancy offers a unique window into immune tolerance and brain protection. Dr He’s study fills a critical gap in understanding how MS symptoms ease during pregnancy – benefiting both patients and the neuroscience field.”
“Multi-omics is changing the way we understand health and disease. We’re proud to support researchers like Dr He who are using these tools to unlock new insights into diseases and ultimately improve outcomes for patients.”
Previous winners of the award include Dr Andrew Gibbons (2024), for research into genomic predictors of response to psychedelic-assisted therapy for anxiety; Dr Alex Cristino (2023); and Associate Professor Rachel Hill (2022).
To learn more about the ANS Illumina Neurogenomics Research Award,
visit: https://www.ans.org.au/awards/ans-illumina-research-award.
About Illumina
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Media contact
Sam Shen, sam.shen@illumina.com