Research Team

Research Team

Professor Allison Cowin

Chief Scientific Officer

Professor Allison Cowin is a leader in wound healing, internationally renowned for her work on the cytoskeletal protein Flightless I and how it negatively impacts on tissue repair. She is an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow and Professor of Regenerative Medicine at the Future Industries Institute UniSA, leading a group of 10 research scientists and students investigating all aspects of wound healing and regenerative biology. Her research on the cytoskeletal protein Flightless I has resulted in over 130 research articles, editorials and book chapters. She was made a Fellow of Wounds Australia in 2014, was an SA finalist in the Telstra Women’s Business awards in 2015 and was recognised internationally for her Contribution to Clinical and Preclinical research in 2016. She was the founding President of the Australasian Wound & Tissue Repair Society, is the Editor-in -Chief of Wound Practice and Research, Associate Editor for US Journal Wound Repair and Regeneration, and is a Board member of the Australian Society for Dermatology Research. She is the key innovator and inventor of AbRegen’s intellectual property portfolio with patents granted in the USA, Europe, Australia, Canada and Japan.

Dr Zlatko Kopecki

Research Fellow

Dr Zlatko Kopecki is a Foundation Fellow at the Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia. He is an emerging research leader in area of wound healing and skin blistering. His research has focused on understanding the mechanisms involved in wound healing, scar formation and fragile skin syndromes and identifying novel therapeutic targets in inflammatory skin conditions and skin cancer. In 2012, he was awarded the NHMRC early career fellowship focused on development of novel antibody-based therapies for the treatment of chronic and blistered wounds. His research led to him being named “Young Investigator of the Year” in 2016 by the Australasian Wound and Tissue Repair Society and his public outreach and science communication resulted in a Tall Poppy Award in 2017. Dr Kopecki is a past Vice-President of the Australasian Wound and Tissue Repair Society and a current Editorial Board Member for Wounds Australia Journal “Wound Practice and Research”. He is a Member of the Board of both the National and International Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Associations. His latest work is focused on identification of novel therapeutic targets in skin cancer and development of therapies aimed at combating wound infection