14 Dec 2018

Photo of the week: CCLabs group

CCLabs group. Back row: Andrew Doherty (Electronics Engineer); Aquiles da Silva (Full Stack Web Developer); Chaminda Galagedara (Finance and Operations Manager); Amitesh Gaurav (Embedded Engineer).
Front row: Dr Chew Ling Linda Lau (Chief Scientific Officer/Laboratory Head); Dr Hon Weng Chong (CEO); Andy Kitchen (Head of AI (Artificial Intelligence)); Michela Benedetti (Software Engineer)

We welcome Dr Hon Weng Chong and his team from the start up Victoria biotechnology company, CCLabs, who have been embedded with our Department of Neuroscience from 8 October 2018 for an initial period of six months. CCLabs are developing innovative neuroinformatics technology (Biocomputing) based on neuronal cultures. The work that CClabs is doing is closely aligned with research developing in our Department of Neuroscience using electrophysiology of iPS derived neuronal stem cells and neuronal cultures and to better understand epileptogenic brain networks, and to screen for novel therapies. As the researchers from CClabs will be alongside our research groups, we anticipate mutual advantage from research, collaboration and infrastructure leverage opportunities that this will provide.

Please welcome Hong and his team to our Department and School. 

What's on at CCS 17-20 Dec 2018

Have a good holiday
This is the final week of Central Clinical School (CCS) operation before University close down on Friday 21 December 2018. So the main event for this week is that for University staff, the School is closed on Friday.

We wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas and New Year break. First day back from the close down is Wednesday 2 January 2019.

13 Dec 2018

Recent CCS publications: 7-14 December

Newly promoted, A/Prof Eric Chow
is featured twice in this
week's publications. 
Recent publications for Central Clinical School affiliated authors in the following departments. Note, browse down this entry for complete publications list. Linked headings for each section are to the departments' home pages.
  • Diabetes 
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Neuroscience
  • Melbourne Sexual Health Centre

Getting inside the RAGE

All the RAGE: L-R Ms Alex Dimiropoulos, Dr Raelene Pickering,
Dr Chris 
Tikellis, Dr Carlos Rosado, Professor Merlin Thomas
Ms Maria Alejandra Zuniga-Gutierrez
Monash researchers have discovered a new way to block the effects of RAGE. No, not the angry (incredible hulk) kind of rage. But it may be just as important.

The Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products (known as RAGE) is an important player in many diseases, from atherosclerosis and diabetes to cancer and neurodegenerative disease.

High percentage of newly diagnosed epilepsy patients go untreated

Lead author, Dr Zhibin Chen,
Neuroscience Department,
CCS, Monash. 
A collaborative study between Monash University and Western Australia has highlighted that, despite the wide availability of anti-epileptic drugs, almost one third of patients who are newly diagnosed with epilepsy do not receive immediate treatment.

The study was recently presented at the 2018 American Epilepsy Society where Dr Chen was interviewed for an online publication, Medscape.

Read the full interview here: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/905942?src=wnl_edit_tpal&uac=92129FR&impID=1821041&faf=1

Congratulations to our CASS Foundation grant winners!

Dr Ting-Yi Wang
Dr Jess Borger
Congratulations to Dr Jess Borger and Dr Ting-Yi Wang (pictured), who have won CASS Foundation grants.

Dr Ting-Yi Wang is a Research Fellow at the Australian Centre of Blood Diseases. She has been awarded a $55,000 grant by the CASS Foundation for her research project, titled "Antibody directed cell targeting for the treatment of stroke".

Dr Jess Borger is a Research Fellow in the Department of Immunology and Pathology, and has likewise been awarded a $55,000 grant for her research project, "Designing superior killers for cancer immunotherapy".

See more:
Ting-Yi Want: research.monash.edu/en/persons/ting-yi-wang
Jess Borger: research.monash.edu/en/persons/jessica-borger

Congratulations to Nik Kocovski and Benedict Costello on higher degree completions!

Dr Benedict Costello
Mr Nik Kocovski
Congratulations to our recently completed graduate research students, Mr Nikolce Kokovski and Dr Benedict Costello!

Nik Kocovski completed a Master of Philosophy and his thesis was titled "Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies to Snake Venom". Nik was supervised by Professor David Tarlinton (Department of Immunology and Pathology), Dr Steven Rockman (University of Melbourne) and Prof Andrew Lew (WEHI).

Dr Benedict Costello completed a PhD through the Baker Institute and his thesis was titled, "Non-Invasive Assessment of Central Haemodynamics and Cardiac Performance". He was supervised by  Professor Andrew Taylor and Dr James Hare.

Thanks to all our blood donors!

Your blood at work in the lab.
A/Prof Justin Hamilton & colleague
To our valued blood donors,

Our Heartfelt thanks to you all for your continued support this year!

We hope that 2018 has been a fulfilling year for you.  It certainly has been for us, largely due to you – our valued blood donors, who allow our continued push to improve the diagnosis and treatment of blood-based diseases.  Much of our work at the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases is vitally dependent on the use of freshly collected human blood.  Which means every time you generously come in and donate, you have supported our Centre’s scientists to continue our fight against some of the most prevalent diseases in our communities.

So, from all of us here, a huge thanks for this essential contribution to our research effort.

12 Dec 2018

Congratulations to our NHMRC project grant recipients!

A/Prof Kat Holt
Congratulations to our 2018 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) project grant recipients in Central Clinical School (CCS), see table below.

Monash University as a whole has been awarded almost $76 million in the latest round of NHMRC funding.

Novel test may transform stroke treatment

Profs Rob Medcalf (left) & Geoffrey Cloud (right)
are lead investigators on improving stroke treatment
Series about National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Project Grant recipients in Central Clinical School (CCS) starting in 2019

by Anne Crawford

Stroke is one of Australia’s biggest killers and a leading cause of disability. Australians are struck down by stroke at a rate of one person every nine minutes, mostly by acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) when blood flow to the brain is interrupted by a clot.

Project casts net wide to tackle hospital bug spread

Dr Andrew Stewardson
Series about National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Project Grant recipients in Central Clinical School (CCS) starting in 2019

by Anne Crawford

The spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the Australian healthcare system is a major public health concern. Yet despite the fact that this spread occurs between hospitals, as well as within them, infection control has traditionally been considered something to be handled by individual institutions.

Scientists probe links between anti-depressant drugs and epilepsy onset

A/Prof Nigel Jones in the lab
Series about National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Project Grant recipients in Central Clinical School (CCS) starting in 2019

Associate Professor Nigel Jones has been awarded two NHMRC grants for projects investigating:
antidepressants in epilepsy and brain waves in schizophrenia.

by Anne Crawford

A Monash University researcher has been funded more than $1million over four years to investigate the possibility that anti-depressant drugs contribute to the onset of epilepsy in people with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Funding drives new directions in oxidative stress research for diabetes and heart disease

Professor Karin Jandeleit-Dahm
has won two NHMRC project grants
Series about National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Project Grant recipients in Central Clinical School (CCS) starting in 2019

Professor Karin Jandeleit-Dahm was awarded two project grants for research on:
  • Targeting Nox5 to prevent atherosclerosis and aneurysm formation
  • Lipoxins protect against diabetes associated atherosclerosis.
by Anne Crawford

Scientists take new approach to tackle chemo-evading blood cancer

Professor David Curtis works on acute
leukaemia
Series about National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Project Grant recipients in Central Clinical School (CCS) starting in 2019

by Anne Crawford

Acute leukaemia is an unusually lethal cancer. Despite achieving complete remission after intensive chemotherapy, 80% of patients will be dead within five years of diagnosis.

Professor David Curtis, clinical haematologist and head of blood cancer research at the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases (ACBD) at Monash University's Central Clinical School, is investigating the mechanisms behind the cancer’s ability to resist chemotherapy.

Monash study to better inform pregnant women with MS

Dr Vilija Jokubaitis is working on
multiple sclerosis in pregnancy
Series about National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Project Grant recipients in Central Clinical School (CCS) starting in 2019

by Anne Crawford

Planning a family can be a hard decision at the best of times; add to that having Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and it can be fraught. A Monash University researcher in the Department of Neuroscience at Central Clinical School is investigating the impact of pregnancy on disease outcomes in women with MS to generate information that will both deepen understanding of the disease and which can be used by clinicians to assist patients.

Dr Vilija Jokubaitis will be able to further her current research into MS, prognosis and pregnancy thanks to a $470,000 grant from the NHMRC.

Funds to help scientists probe mysteries of plasma cells

Professor David Tarlinton in the lab
with a student
Series about National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Project Grant recipients in Central Clinical School (CCS) starting in 2019

by Anne Crawford

Professor David Tarlinton’s NHMRC grant will fund research that tackles some of the fundamental questions of B-cell immunology; questions about the cells that produce the antibodies that protect us from infection.

The four-year grant will support new studies by Professor Tarlinton, who heads the Department of Immunology and Pathology at Central Clinical School, into plasma cell survival, investigating various aspects of the cell’s lifespan.

World-first trials to test new blood cancer treatment for elderly

A/Prof Andrew Wei investigates AML
Series about National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Project Grant recipients in Central Clinical School (CCS) starting in 2019

by Anne Crawford

Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) is a rapidly fatal blood cancer which, despite improvements gained through intensive chemotherapy, has a five-year survival rate in adults of around 25%. Elderly patients however have a median survival rate of less than six months.

Associate Professor Andrew Wei has been awarded a four-year $1.07M NHMRC project grant to conduct research improving outcomes for elderly people with AML.
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