From the admirable list of Australian of the Year 2017 nominees, a fitting winner has been chosen – a man who essentially performed in what some would call a miracle, giving a disabled man the ability to walk again.
Introducing Griffith University’s Emeritus Professor Alan Mackay-Sim.
The biomolecular scientist has spent his life researching stem cells in a bid to better treat spinal chord injuries.
As reported by the ABC, in 2014, Mackay-Sim, who is the director of the National Centre for Adult Stem Research, used his knowledge to help a quadriplegic man regain mobility – a scientific breakthrough that has been dubbed as the equivalent of man walking on the moon.
Calling on his knowledge of stem cells, namely nasal stem cells he planted in former firefighter Darek Fidyka’s spinal chord (who lost feeling from the chest down after he was attacked with a knife in 2010), Mackay-Sim was instrumental in bringing sensation back to his paralysed muscles.
“Sixty years ago, Australia was one of the first countries to move away from the idea that spinal cord injuries could not be treated,” he says of his life-long research.
“Intense research in the last 20 years gives hope that future spinal cord injuries will be treated early and the effects minimised.”
“It’s an unbelievable honour [to be named Australian of the Year 2017] and in accepting it, I want to deeply thank and acknowledge all my friends and colleagues and students, the teams of people who have worked with me, their late nights, their hard work, their great ideas have led me to stand here in front of you and I dedicate this to them.”
Humble and intelligent? This is just another reason why we’re proud to say that Alan Mackay-Sim is this year’s Australian of the Year.
