Professor John Funder joined Prince Henry’s Medical Research Centre (now Hudson Institute of Medical Research) in 1973 as a Senior Research Fellow, and he later became a Senior Principal Research Fellow and Deputy Director. In 1990, he joined Baker Institute in Melbourne as Director and upon his ‘retirement’ in 2001 he rejoined Prince Henry’s Institute as a Senior Fellow.

From 2008 to 2011, Prof Funder was Director of Research Strategy at Southern Health (now Monash Health), Victoria largest health service.

For the last 40 years, Prof Funder’s research has been focused on aldosterone, the salt-retaining (mineralocorticoid) hormone, and the role of the mineralocorticoid receptor in organs such as the kidney.

His clinical and basic studies at Hudson Institute of Medical Research have demonstrated the roles of both hormone and receptor in hypertension and heart failure.

Prof Funder has served as a link between endocrinology and cardiology, and is internationally acknowledged as leading an exciting new era of hitherto unexpected roles for mineralocorticoid receptors across a spectrum of disease states. He has published more than 500 scientific papers.

 

Current Research:

Professor Funder has active research collaborations at Hudson Institute of Medical Research (especially the Cardiovascular Endocrinology and Steroid Receptor Biology laboratories), the University of Sydney, with colleagues in the US and Europe, and in the pharmaceutical sectors.

Recent Achievements:

2014 –    Degree of Doctor of Medicine honoris causa (University of Sydney)
2014 –    ISH Tigerstedt Lifetime Achievement Award at the September 2014 ISH/ESH Meeting in Athens
2013 –    Degree of Doctor of Medical Science honoris causa (University of Melbourne)
2013 –    The Endocrine Society Robert H. Williams Award for Distinguished Leadership
2010 –    Degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa (Monash University)
2010 –    Research Australia Leadership and Innovation Award
2009 –    Royal College of Physicians Fellowship (by invitation)
2008 –    Novartis Prize, American Heart Association

Service to the Scientific Community:

• 2014 –    Advisory Board, Institute of Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland; Chair, Scientific Advisory Board)
• 2014 –    Consultant, Narrow River Management LP, New York, USA
• 2013 –    Chair, Taskforce for Revision of Guidelines for Management of Primary Aldosteronism, The Endocrine Society
• 2008-2012 – Chair, Scientific Advisory Board, National Research Centre for Growth and Development, New Zealand Committee Membership (selected)
• 2010-2012 – Member, Schering Plough/Merck Science Alliance
• 2010-2011 – Chair, Commonwealth Government Working Group on Clinical Trials: 7.30 Report
• 2008-2010 – Chair, Medicine Research Infrastructure Panel, OSMR, NSW
• 2008 to present – Director, Grattan Institute
• 2004-2009 – Member Judging Panel, Victorian Premier’s Award for Medical Research
• 2002-2008 – Chair, International Taskforce, Endocrine Society, USA

 

Current Editorial Boards:

2009 –     Endocrinology
2003 –     Current Trends in Endocrinology
2002-2014 – Hypertension
2000-2014 – Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism
1998 –     Encyclopaedia of Endocrine Diseases
1995 –     NeuroImmuno Modulation
1995 –     Stress
1991 –     Current Opinion in Endocrinology
1986 –    Steroids
1983-     Journal of Endocrinological Investigation
1980-2014- Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Society Membership:

Research Australia (Board Member 2001-2004; 2004 Honorary Life Member)
Australian Endocrine Society (Treasurer 1978-80; Vice President 1980-82; President 1982-84; Honorary Life Member 2003)
Australian Society for Medical Research (Director 1974; Secretary 1975; Treasurer 1976; President 1979; Honorary Life Member 2003)
High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia
International Society of Hypertension
Endocrine Society, USA (Emertius Member 2005)
Society of Endocrinology, UK (Honorary Life Member 2005)

Selected publications

• Circulatory and humoral changes in the reversal of renovascular hypertension in sheep by unclipping the renal artery. Funder, J.W., Blair‑West, J.R., Cain, M.D., Catt, K.J., Coghlan, J.P., Denton, D.A., Nelson, J.F., Scoggins, B.A. and Wright, R.D. Circulation Research, 1970 Citations: 29 Impact Factor: 11.089

• Hormone receptors. Baxter, J.D. and Funder, J.W. New England Journal of Medicine, 1979 Citations: 259 Impact Factor: 54.42

• All really great lies are half true. – Editorial Funder, J.W. Science, 1979 Citations: Not available for editorials Impact Factor: 31.477

• Renal mineralocorticoid receptors and hippocampal corticosterone binding species have identical intrinsic steroid specificity. Krozowski, Z.S. and Funder, J.W. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences USA, 1983 Citations: 494 Impact Factor: 9.809

• Adrenal steroids: New answers, new questions. Funder, J.W. Science, 1987 Citations: 31 Impact Factor: 31.477Mineralocorticoid action: target-tissue specificity is enzyme, not receptor, mediated. Funder, J.W., Pearce, P.T., Smith, R. and Smith, A.I. Science, 1988 Citations: 1,295 Impact Factor: 31.477

• Mineralocorticoids, glucocorticoids, receptors and response elements. Funder, J.W. Science, 1993 Citations: 148 Impact Factor: 31.477

• Aldosterone Action In: Annual Review of Physiology, J.F. Hoffman, P. De Weer (eds). Annual Reviews Inc, Palo Alto, vol 55, pp 115‑130. Funder, J.W. Annual Reviews Inc. Palo Alto, 1993 Citations: 74 Impact Factor: 14.696

• Steroids, receptors, response elements: the limits of signal specificity.  Funder, J.W. Recent Progress in Hormone Research, 1991 Citations: 16 Impact Factors: 9.073

• A mutation in the HSD11B2 gene in a family with apparent mineralocorticoid excess. Wilson, R.C., Krozowski, Z.S., Li, K., Obeyesekere, V., Razzaghy-Azar, M., Harbison, M.D., Wei, J.Q., Shackleton, C.H.L., Funder, J.W. and New, M.I. Journal of Clinical

• Endocrinology & Metabolism, 1995 Citations: 184 Impact Factor: 6.31Glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors: biology and clinical relevance. Funder, J.W. Annual Review of Medicine, 1997 Citations: 165 Impact Factor: 15.478

• A transgenic model of aldosterone-driven cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. Qin, W., Rudolph, A.E., Bond, B.R., Rocha, R., Blomme, E.A., Goellner, J.J., Funder, J.W. and McMahon, E.G. Cell Research, 2003 Citations: 150 Impact Factor: 11.089

• Distinguishing the anti-hypertensive and electrolyte effects of eplerenone. Levy, D.G., Rocha, R. and Funder, J.W. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2004 Citations: 57 Impact Factor: 6.31

• Eplerenone, but not steroid withdrawal, reverses cardiac fibrosis in DOC/salt rats. Young, M. and Funder, J.W. Endocrinology, 2004 Citations: 68 Impact Factor: 4.644

• RALES, EPHESUS and redox. Funder, J.W. Journal of Steroid Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, 2005. Citations: 71 Impact Factor: 4.049

• The nongenomic actions of aldosterone. Funder, J.W. Endocrine Reviews, 2005 Citations: 107 Impact Factor: 19.358

• Case detection, diagnosis and treatment of patients with primary aldosteronism: an Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline. Funder, J.W., Carey, R.M., Fardella, C., Gomez-Sanchez, C.E., Mantero, F., Stowasser, M., Young, W.F., Jr, Montori, V.M.:

  Endocrine Society. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2008. Citations: 544 Impact Factor: 6.31

• Deletion of mineralocorticoid receptors from macrophages protects against deoxycorticosterone/salt-induced cardiac fibrosis and increased blood pressure. Rickard, A.J., Morgan, J., Tesch, G., Funder, J.W., Fuller, P.J., Young, M.J. Hypertension, 2009 Citations: 92 Impact Factor: 7.632

• The genetics of primary aldosteronism. Funder, J.W. Science, 2011 Citations: 13 Impact Factor: 31.477

• Angiotensin retains sodium by dephosphorylating mineralocorticoid receptors in renal intercalated cells. Funder, J.W. Cell Metabolism, 2013 Citations: 0 Impact Factor: 16.747