Monash professor urges action on epilepsy drugs

by Anne Crawford

Prof. Terence O'Brien

The Australian Government’s PBS urgently needs to update prescribing rules governing the use of anti-epileptic drugs that are putting unborn children and doctors at risk, the head of Monash University’s Department of Neuroscience has warned.

Professor Terence O’Brien said in a recent opinion piece in the Australian Medical Journal, co-authored with Professor Christian Gericke from the University of Queensland, that PBS rules for prescribing anti-epileptic drugs (AED) were 30 years old, and conflicted with those of regulatory agencies in the US and Europe.

Current PBS rules mandate that patients should be prescribed the older anti-epileptic drugs first, and only in patients in whom these fail can the newer generation drugs be prescribed. For patients with generalised epilepsies (when seizures start in both hemispheres of the brain) this means they need to be prescribed valproate first. Valproate is the most effective drug for patients with this group of epilepsies, but is associated with a high risk of birth defects, including spina bifida, and neurological development problems such as autism in babies, Professor O’Brien said.

Welcome Professor Natasha Lannin

Professor Natasha Lannin has recently joined the Central Clinical School’s Neuroscience Department from La Trobe University, running a group that researches life after neurological events. With their emphasis on rehabilitation, long-term outcomes and ongoing quality of life, the group’s work looks set to complement the Department’s current research portfolio, much of which focusses on prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Natasha  - or Tash as she is happy to be called - also has a strong research interest in the implementation of clinical trial findings into medical practice, following her own experiences as a clinical trialist frustrated by slow adoption of new evidence. This has been a focus of much of her post-doctoral work, and will emerge as a theme in the studies that the new group undertakes.

CCS Recent Publications 6th -12th August

Recent publications for Central Clinical School feature affiliated authors in the following departments:

Dr Nadine Andrew,
Peninsula Clinical School,
was first author on an
article reviewing Australian
 primary care policies.

• Neuroscience
• Medicine
• Infectious Diseases
• MSHC
• ACBD
• Diabetes
• Gastroenterology
• Surgery
• Immunology and Pathology
• MAPrc
• Peninsula Clinical School

Scientists reveal new culprit in kidney damage

by Anne Crawford 

A Monash CCS scientist has led a team that found an enzyme widely associated with a number of psychiatric and neurological disorders including depression, may also play an important role in kidney function.

The paper, a collaboration with the Baker Institute, was published recently in Frontiers in Physiology.

Old cells, new tricks - Monash led study challenges our understanding of leukaemia

media release by Tania Ewing

A/Prof Ross Dickins

Each year in Australia over 1000 people are diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), an aggressive blood cancer. Less than one third of AML patients survive 5 years beyond diagnosis. Researchers from Monash University have discovered a key reason why this disease is so difficult to treat and therefore cure. 

The study, led by Associate Professor Ross Dickins from the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, is published today(TBC) in the prestigious journal Cell Stem Cell. The paper identifies an important new concept relevant to clinicians involved in the diagnosis and treatment of AML patients. 

AML is characterised by an overproduction of immature white blood cells that fail to mature properly. These leukaemia cells crowd the bone marrow, preventing it from making normal blood cells. In turn this causes anaemia, infections, and if untreated, death. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains a significant health problem, with poor outcomes despite chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation.

CCS staff recognised in Dean's Awards for Excellence

The Dean's Awards for Excellence were announced recently and CCS is delighted to report that two staff members have been recognised for their outstanding achievement within the Faculty. Dr Rachael Borg, Senior Research Services Officer, was awarded "Excellence in Safety" and Professor Robert Medcalf, Group Leader at the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, was awarded "Excellence in Research (Postgraduate Research Supervision)". Congratulations to both!

Professor Medcalf is deeply interested in fibrinolysis - the process our bodies implement to remove blood clots. He is investigating how we can use our natural clot busting mechanisms to help treat stroke victims. His interest in the chemicals in our bodies that can help reduce the long-term damage of stroke and also in other diseases of the brain including traumatic brain injury.

CCS Recent Publications 30th July - 5th August

Recent publications for Central Clinical School feature affiliated authors in the following departments:

A/Prof Ross Dickins from ACBD
was last author on a paper about AML
that garnered coverage in the Herald Sun

• Surgery
• Medicine
• ACBD
• MSHC
• Peninsula Clinical School
• NTRI
• Immunology and Pathology
• Infectious Diseases
• MAPrc
• Diabetes