Congratulations! First Australian to receive new MS grant

L-R: PhD student Jae Lee
with Dr Steven Petratos

Congratulations to Monash University’s Dr Steven Petratos, who is the only Australian recipient of the International Progressive MS Alliance first round of grants. Dr Petratos, Department of Medicine, is doing research into new therapies to stop progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a chronic condition that worsens over time disrupting the flow of information within the brain and body. Progressive MS takes away vision, mobility, cognition, and the ability to work. See Monash story. For more photos of Steven's lab group and students, see Photo gallery.

Odd spot: BMI Visualiser - scary!

This German site allows you to both calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) and visualize your 3D body shape. The rendering of the topography is pretty ugly but the idea is interesting, and will approximately answer these questions:

• How is BMI related to body shape?
• What would I look like if I lost or gained weight?

http://bmijs.is.tuebingen.mpg.de/

Recent Publications: Department of Allergy, Immunology & Respiratory Medicine (AIRmed)

Beer A, Reed RM, Bölükbas S, Budev M, Chaux G, Zamora MR, Snell G, et al.   Mechanical ventilation after lung trans‐ plantation: An international survey of practices and prefer‐ ences.   Annals of the American Thoracic Society 2014 11(4) pp 546‐553.

Bousquet J, Addis A, Agache I, Agusti A, Alonso A, Anto JM, Bachert C, Baena‐Cagnani CE, Bai C, Baigenzhin A, …..O’Hehir RE…et al. Integrated care pathways for airway diseases (AIRWAYS‐ICPs). Eur Respir J 2014; 44: 304–323.

Dr Charbel Darido awarded MCCC travel grant

Dr Charbel Darido, Department of Medicine, was awarded a 2014 MCCC travel grant to participate in the Cutaneous Biology meeting at North Stradbroke Island in Queensland. He will be giving an oral presentation about the identification of novel targets for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma in skin and head & neck.

Newsletter: Baker IDI Perspectives

The latest edition of Baker IDI Perspectives, which explores some of the challenges and opportunities that the proposed $20 billion Medical Research Future Fund presents, has just been released.

Link: http://www.bakeridi.edu.au/Assets/Files/No008%20Perspectives_FINAL.pdf. Hard copies are available at Baker IDI Reception, 75 Commercial Road, Melbourne 3004.

de Castella Run 2014 raises $80,000 for mental health research

Last week's de Castella run broke its own records,  raising close to $80,000 to help increase awareness and funds for mental health research at Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (MAPrc). Approximately 2,000 people participated.

Mental illness affects the lives of many individuals and their loved ones, and has a major impact on our community and our society, both socially and economically. New treatments are urgently needed and funds raised at this event help support that endeavour.

The money raised will also go towards a PhD scholarship at MAPrc to harness more research into mental health. 

Click here to find out more about the event. 

The AMREP research report is now available online

The annual AMREP Research Report is now available online here.

The report provides a comprehensive overview of the research programs conducted by institutions and departments at AMREP. 

AMREP is a leading centre integrating biomedical and clinical research, education and health care. AMREP is a collaborative partnership between Alfred Health, Monash University, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Burnet Institute, La Trobe University and Deakin University.