Professor Carola Vinuesa investigates the genetic and cellular basis of autoimmune diseases. Her group discovered a family of genes important for immune regulation, which led to a better understanding of how the quality of antibodies is controlled. Carola’s team is now working to identify the genetic mutations that cause diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis in individual patients. CRISPR-Cas9 technology has greatly accelerated her research, through the ability to generate precise mouse models of human disease, in which the pathogenic pathways can be dissected and new drugs trialled. Carola was made a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2015.