Taking 'trial and error' out of epilepsy treatment

Neural architecture of an organoid. Neuronal cell bodies are red,
dendrites are green, axons are white, blue labels the nucleus of
astrocytes and senescent cells.
Image: Ben Rollo, PERSIST Associate Investigator

Enabling innovative research that cuts across multiple scientific and clinical disciplines in order to address urgent unmet health care needs is what the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) scheme was designed to do, and is doing exactly that with its recently announced funding for a project to help patients with epilepsy.

By combining their expertise in  human stem cell biology, clinical epilepsy and artificial intelligence scientists from the University of Queensland and Monash University will identify effective treatments for people with epilepsy more efficiently.

‘Thank you for asking’: Addressing consumer priorities in respiratory medicine research

Professor Anne Holland

This year's public lecture hosted by Central Clinical School is being given by our new Head of Respiratory Medicine@Alfred, Professor Anne Holland (pictured). The lecture is titled 'Thank you for asking’: Addressing consumer priorities in respiratory medicine research. 

All welcome, register here.

Details

• Date: 29 October 2021 at 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
• Venue: Zoom webinar
• Campus: Alfred Research Alliance
• Open to: Public
• Cost: Free
• Website: https://www.monash.edu/medicine/ccs/events/2021-central-clinical-school-public-lecture
• Register here: monash.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BecSI75WSRKK0W-jP3eOaw

When negative results are positive: Monash Trauma Group researchers feature in new journal Special Collection

Dr Rhys Brady is first author on the paper

by Dr Loretta Piccenna
Research Manager, Department of Neuroscience

Research fellow Dr Rhys Brady, from the Monash Trauma Group and equal first author Stephanie Bird (Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne) published a study earlier this month in Neurotrauma Reports special collection: Null Hypothesis Initiative.

 

The study by Dr Brady and colleagues found that in mice with moderate traumatic brain injury there was an initial activation of one particular pathway which disappeared after four weeks, and they tested whether one specific compound would improve recovery.

13-26 July 2021 Central Clinical School recent publications

Liquid biopsies for diagnosis and management
of plasma cell disorders such as Multiple Myeloma
are promising. See study. Image of MM patient

provided by Prof Andrew Spencer.

Recent publications featuring research as notified by PubMed during 13-26 July 2021 from Central Clinical School affiliated researchers in the following departments. The below is not a comprehensive list. The most recent validated publications for the school and departments can be seen on their publications pages, linked to from the headings below. Otherwise, read down the entry for recent notifications.

• Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
• Australian Centre for Blood Diseases
• Gastroenterology
• Immunology and Pathology
• Infectious Diseases
• Medicine (including Alfred and Peninsula)
• Melbourne Sexual Health Centre
• Psychiatry
• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
  
• Surgery (including National Trauma Research Institute)

2 Aug talk by Prof Merlin Thomas, "More than the messenger: The disruptive technology of RNA therapeutics"

More than the messenger: The disruptive technology of RNA therapeutics

• Speaker: Professor Merlin Thomas
• Monday 2 August 12.30-1.30 pm 
• Click here to start or join. Or, go to https://monash.zoom.us/join   and enter meeting ID: 836 5090 3890  and passcode: 317325
• CCS calendar entry link
  

RNA therapeutics are a disruptive technology with the potential to actualize personalized medicine. Most RNA does not encode sequences for protein synthesis (mRNA; e.g. for vaccines). These other functions can be harnessed to selectively modulate protein expression by silencing, binding as aptamers and altering mRNA splicing. As an example, we are developing an oligonucleotide that modulates the alternate splicing of the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products (RAGE), a key therapeutic target in Alzheimer’s disease.

Congratulations to Anna Kalff and Daniel So on their PhD completions!

L-R: Dr Anna Kalff and Daniel So, recent PhD graduates

Congratulations to Anna Kalff & Daniel So on completing respectively their PhD degrees! The awards were conferred on 28 July 2021.

Anna Kalff's thesis is titled, "Multiple myeloma strategies to predict outcomes in the era of novel anti-myeloma therapies". She was supervised by Professor Andrew Spencer and Dr Tiffany Khong in the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases.

Daniel So's thesis is titled, "Translating functional characteristics of dietary fibre to clinical value in patients with irritable bowel syndrome". He was supervised by Associate Professor Jane Muir, Dr CK Yao and Professor Peter Gibson in the Department of Gastroenterology.

See more below about their work.

Participants sought: Blood donations for research in the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases

Blood donors wanted for Australian Centre for Blood Diseases 
research. Contact Nikki.Kara@monash.edu

For those of you who have donated in the past to our researchers in the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, many thanks for your donation. We couldn't do our research into blood disorders without your donations! We're now re-opening for our research programs to continue and would love to hear from you.

COVID-19 safety practices: