Professor Guillaume Lessene is a leader in academic drug discovery, working to translate Australian research into innovative new medicines. He has helped develop novel small molecules that target the processes controlling cell death, which are disrupted in many cancers. Through a collaboration between WEHI, Genentech and AbbVie, he contributed to the development of the cancer medicine venetoclax. He also led the establishment of two major national drug discovery capabilities, the National Drug Discovery Centre and MedChem Australia, which provide expertise and resources to help Australian researchers turn scientific discoveries into new treatments.