Gemma Sharp finalist for Bupa Emerging Health Researcher Award

Dr Gemma Sharp is a tireless community advocate,
and is also a co-host for 3RRR "Radiotherapy"

Congratulations to Dr Gemma Sharp who is an NHMRC Early Career Fellow and clinical psychologist in the Central Clinical School's Department of Psychiatry. She was one of only five national finalists for the Bupa Emerging Health Researcher Award. 

Dr Sharp was nominated by her supervisor and Head of Psychiatry, Professor Jayashri Kulkarni, for her significant contribution to the field of body image and eating disorder clinical research in her short career. 

Controlling AML maturation can reduce disease relapse

AML group led by A/Prof Ross Dickins. Authors on the paper on AML therapy are bolded. L-R: Mr Max Garwood, Ms Jade Jowett-Crociani, Dr Katharine Goodall, A/Prof Ross Dickins, Dr Steven Ngo, Mr Ethan Oxley, Ms Skye Ho

Associate Professor Ross Dickins and colleagues have discovered a promising approach to the treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). 

AML is a type of cancer that affects immature progenitor cells (which haven't yet differentiated into a specialised white blood cell type) living in bone marrow. 

Neuroscience researchers receive $1.45M from US Department of Defense for research on Post-Traumatic Epilepsy

Dr Idrish Ali (left) & Dr Pablo Casillas-Espinosa (right)

by Dr Loretta Piccenna

International funding totalling $1,450,575 from the US Department of Defense (DoD) Epilepsy Research Program has been awarded to early career researchers - Dr Idrish Ali (EP200033) and Dr Pablo Casillas-Espinosa (EP200022) - within the Department of Neuroscience, to each individually advance translational research on Post-Traumatic Epilepsy. This will further efforts to improve detection and minimise related health risk factors in individuals affected, especially Service members and Veterans. 

Viertel award to drive research on optimising care for people with new-onset or first seizures

Dr Emma Foster has been awarded a
Viertel Clinical Investigator Award

Congratulations to Dr Emma Foster, who has been awarded a Viertel Clinical Investigator Award from The Sylvia & Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation, for $90,000. 

Dr Foster is a practising neurologist at Alfred Health and an Early Career Post-doctoral Research Fellow, in the Epilepsy and Personalised Medicine (Kwan) research group in the Department of Neuroscience at the Central Clinical School. She recently completed her PhD on the Optimisation of First Seizure Management. 

MS Australia incubator grant for investigating effect of pregnancy on MS onset

L-R: Dr Michael Zhong, Ms Maria (Pia) Campagna and Dr Vilija
Jokubaitis have won an MS Australia incubator grant

Congratulations to Dr Michael Zhong, Dr Vilija Jokubaitis and Ms Maria (Pia) Campagna on the award of an incubator grant of $25,000 from MS Australia for their research project, 'The effect of foetal cells in maternal blood on MS during pregnancy'. Dr Zhong is a Neuroimmunology Fellow at the Alfred, and both he and Ms Campagna are PhD students in Dr Vilija Jokubaitis's group. Dr Zhong is leading the research, and Ms Campagna and Dr Jokubaitis are co-investigators.

From their MS Australia project description, they write:

9-15 Nov 2021 Central Clinical School recent publications

Rats' spacial cognition is not affected by a high sugar diet: Study

Recent publications featuring research as notified by PubMed during 9-15 Nov 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.

Using models to help predict seizure freedom in people with epilepsy

L-R: Dr Hugh Simpson (first author), Professor Patrick Kwan
(senior author) and Dr Ben Chen (co-corresponding author)
on a paper modelling the probability of a person with
epilepsy achieving future freedom from seizure. Study

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterised by seizures that are caused by a disruption of electrical activity in the brain. Over 14,000 new cases of epilepsy were reported between 2019 – 2020. Epilepsy is the second most burdensome neurological condition after dementia and costs the Australian economy $12.3 billion per annum. People with epilepsy often experience depression, anxiety, suicide, migraine or stroke at significantly higher rates than that of the general population. 

No cure exists for epilepsy. However, medication-based treatment to control seizures is relatively effective in approximately 70% of patients. The focus of treatment is to both achieve and maintain ‘seizure freedom’ for patients in order to reduce associated health complications, and maximise quality of life and productivity.

A study published recently in the influential neuroscience journal, Brain, led by senior author Professor Patrick Kwan, has developed and validated models capable of predicting the probability that a person with epilepsy will achieve future seizure-freedom. These models may be used to inform treatment decision making.