25 Feb 2016 Central Clinical School Honours group getting their group photo taken in Fawkner Park, flanked by
Honours coordinators A/Prof Margaret Hibbs (Immunology) and Dr Justin Hamilton (Human Pathology). Please welcome all our new students (29 BSc and BBiomedSc)! Next week, 20 BMedSc(Hons) students come on deck. See more about our Honours program:
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26 Feb 2016
Photo of the week: 2016 CCS Honours students coming on board
Forthcoming CCS events: Seminars, public events, general notices
Jessica Anania, Burnet Institute, at the 2015 CCS GR symposium |
CCS staff & students can see details of both public and local events (including professional development courses, trade fairs and Graduate Research Student calendars) and deadlines, at the Intranet's Announcements page.
Various departments have their own calendars. See CCS seminar index: www.med.monash.edu.au/cecs/events/seminars.html
What's on for this coming week: 29 Feb-4 Mar 2016
Mon | ► | 29-Feb | 11:30 | BMedSc Honours orientation |
Tue | ► | 1-Mar | 14:00 | PhD Confirmation Seminar: Ms Liriye Kurtovic |
Tue | ► | 1-Mar | 15:30 | PhD Confirmation Seminar : Ms Beverly Giam |
Wed | ► | 2-Mar | 11:30 | PhD Confirmation Seminar : Dr Jyotika Devi Prasad |
Thu | ► | 3-Mar | 12:00 | Cutting Edge Journal Club - Dr Evelyn Tsantikos |
In the Future
- 15 Mar Graduate Research student orientation
Monash research reveals aspirin is safe for heart surgery patients
Professor Paul Myles, lead author on the ATACAS study. |
Published 25 February in The New England Journal of Medicine,
the collaborative research study led by Professor Paul Myles, Head of the Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine in the Central Clinical School and Alfred Health, investigated whether stopping or continuing aspirin before
coronary artery surgery posed more risks or benefits.
Most patients with coronary artery
disease receive aspirin for prevention of heart attack, stroke, and death. However
aspirin poses a bleeding risk for patients undergoing surgery, and prior to
this study it was unclear whether aspirin should be stopped before coronary
artery surgery.
Identification of a mutation in red blood cells that can worsen sickle cell disease
By Dr Jodie Abramovitch
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic condition in which
red blood cells (RBC) have an abnormal bowed or sickle shape due to a mutation
of haemoglobin. These RBC are unable to travel
well through small blood vessels, often becoming trapped and subsequently dying.
This leads to a low red blood cell count (anaemia) which is why this disease can also be known as sickle cell anaemia. The trapped RBC can lead to occlusion of blood vessels leading to lack of oxygen and tissue death in many organ systems - producing extreme pain and organ failure.
L-R: Dr Fiona Brown, Prof. Stephen Jane, Ms Loretta Cerruti, A/Prof David Curtis |
A recent study by researchers from the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases (ACBD), led by Associate Professor David Curtis and Professor Stephen Jane with collaborators from the Florey Institute and Walter and Eliza
Hall Institute, identified a mutation within a K-Cl co-transporter known as Kcc1
in a mouse model. This mutation increased the activity of the K-Cl co-transporter leading to smaller RBC.
When the mutation in Kcc1 was introduced into a mouse model
of SCD that mimics human disease, it was shown that disease was worsened. A
higher proportion of RBC were sickle shaped which led to blocked small blood vessels and more extensive tissue
damage. It was concluded that the mutation
in Kcc1 was directly linked to a more serious presentation of SCD.
This research highlights the potential therapeutic use of targeting
K-Cl (and other electrolyte) co-transporters to inhibit their activity in
diseases such as SCD.
Reference: Brown FC, Conway AJ, Cerruti L, Collinge JE, McLean C, Wiley JS, Kile BT, Jane SM, Curtis DJ. Activation of the erythroid K-Cl cotransporter Kcc1 enhances sickle cell disease pathology in a humanized mouse model. Blood. 2015 Dec:126;2863-70.
doi: 10.1182/blood-2014-10-609362
Immune system 'patrolling' cells further understood
By Dr Jodie Abramovitch
Within the immune system there are patrolling cells that are
constantly scanning the body for signs of infection. They are known as antigen
presenting cells. Dendritic cells (DC) are the most efficient example of an
antigen presenting cell. When DC find an infection, they are able to alert other
cells of the immune system to attack and destroy the infection. Therefore the
functions of DC are really important in an effective immune response.
Associate Professor Mark Wright, Head of the Leucocyte Membrane Protein Group and senior author of this study |
In a recent study published by the Leucocyte Membrane Protein laboratory from the Department of Immunology and Pathology, in
collaboration with Melbourne University and international colleagues, the roles
of CD37 and CD82 in co-ordinating DC function in response to infection was assessed.
By studying activated DC, it was found that CD82 appeared to
have an opposing function to CD37. Whereas CD37 expression was down-regulated
following activation of DC, CD82 was up-regulated and restrained DC migration to
lymph nodes. DC that were deficient in either CD37 or CD82 were unable to
become fully functional and DC that were deficient in CD82 were able to spread
much further than CD37 deficient DC. Thus, unactivated DC were observed to have
high CD37 expression and low CD82 expression leading to a highly mobile cell
that is able to travel easily around the body. Activated DC (DC that have
sensed an infection) have low CD37 expression and high CD82 expression which limits
mobility of the DC but is able to efficiently signal to immune cells that an
infection is present.
This study has detailed a biology of DC that was not previously
known and highlights the importance of tetraspanins in coordinating DC
function.
Reference: Jones EL, Wee JL, Demaria MC, Blakeley J, Ho PK, Vega-Ramos J, Villadangos JA, van Spriel AB, Hickey MJ, Hämmerling GJ, Wright MD. Dendritic Cell Migration and Antigen Presentation Are Coordinated by the Opposing Functions of the Tetraspanins CD82 and CD37. J Immunol. 2016 Feb: 196; 978-87.
doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1500357
Monash awarded $1.1M grant to support development of revolutionary type of insulin
L-R: Ms Shweta Jagdale (Lab manager) & Dr Christoph Hagemeyer in the lab |
The grant is part of a joint research initiative between the JDRF, leading global organisation funding and advocating for type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, and Sanofi US Services Inc., a subsidiary of Sanofi, one of the leading insulin manufacturers and a global pharmaceutical company. The grant will provide up to USD4.6 million to four research projects taking different approaches to developing glucose responsive insulin (GRIs) therapies for treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes.
Dr Hagemeyer, who is a research group leader in the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, will work in collaboration with Dr Frank Caruso (University of Melbourne), Dr Jonathan Shaw, Dr Mark Copper and Dr Terri Allen (from Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute) to develop glucose-sensing nanoparticles.
Medical student mentoring at Central Clinical School/Alfred Health
by Robert Gillies, Year 5D MBBS student
The Academic Mentor Program is a student-run initiative that was
established long before I started studying at Monash. It involves final
year medical students volunteering an hour of their time per week to
tutor and mentor an assigned group of third year students.
The tutes are unique in that they can be exam-focused, and are peer-driven; so they are less formal and can be more flexible, which facilitates a different kind of learning. Though the tutorials aren't compulsory for third year medical students, I remember them being a great networking opportunity.
There's so much more than medicine that you can learn from older students - you can learn how to cope with difficult patient interactions, how to balance study and life commitments, about research or extracurricular activities, and everything in between.
The tutes are unique in that they can be exam-focused, and are peer-driven; so they are less formal and can be more flexible, which facilitates a different kind of learning. Though the tutorials aren't compulsory for third year medical students, I remember them being a great networking opportunity.
There's so much more than medicine that you can learn from older students - you can learn how to cope with difficult patient interactions, how to balance study and life commitments, about research or extracurricular activities, and everything in between.
Call for 2017 CCS Honours and Graduate Research projects
AMREP Information Night 2015 |
- Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours)
- Immunology and Human Pathology Honours
- Graduate Research (Masters and PhD)
Perspectives: Call due 26 Feb 2016 for Submissions to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Prohibition of Live Imports of Primates for Research)
We need monkeys for life saving research to be done. The Australian capacity to undertake this research is under threat from a proposed legislative amendment. Today is the last day you can put in a submission. | . |
There is a call for submissions to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Prohibition of Live Imports of Primates for Research). A senate committee will meet on 1 March to go through the submissions, so today (26 Feb) is the last day you can put your submission in.
See
- Outline of the proposed amendment and all the necessary links to further information, the current submissions and how to make your submission. (Ignore the 18 Jan due date there): www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/EPBC_Live_Primates_Bill
- A/Prof James Bourne's 5 Feb video presentation to the Senate committee
- An excellent University of Edinburgh web page, "Animal Research" for proactive education of the community about their use of animals in research. They are on the front foot!
- 16 Feb 2016 AusSMC Briefing: Do we need to use animals in research? Speakers: Doug Hilton, James Bourne, Malcolm France. Link
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