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| 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. |
(Formerly known as Central Clinical School)
14 Dec 2018
Photo of the week: CCLabs group
What's on at CCS 17-20 Dec 2018
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| Have a good holiday |
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
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| Newly promoted, A/Prof Eric Chow is featured twice in this week's publications. |
- Diabetes
- Infectious Diseases
- Neuroscience
- Melbourne Sexual Health Centre
Getting inside the RAGE
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| 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 |
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
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| Lead author, Dr Zhibin Chen, Neuroscience Department, CCS, Monash. |
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!
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| Dr Ting-Yi Wang |
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| Dr Jess Borger |
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!
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| Dr Benedict Costello |
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| Mr Nik Kocovski |
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!
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| Your blood at work in the lab. A/Prof Justin Hamilton & colleague |
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!
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| A/Prof Kat Holt |
Monash University as a whole has been awarded almost $76 million in the latest round of NHMRC funding.
Novel test may transform stroke treatment
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| Profs Rob Medcalf (left) & Geoffrey Cloud (right) are lead investigators on improving stroke treatment |
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
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| Dr Andrew Stewardson |
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
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| A/Prof Nigel Jones in the lab |
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
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| Professor Karin Jandeleit-Dahm has won two NHMRC project grants |
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.
Scientists take new approach to tackle chemo-evading blood cancer
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| Professor David Curtis works on acute leukaemia |
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
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| Dr Vilija Jokubaitis is working on multiple sclerosis in pregnancy |
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
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| Professor David Tarlinton in the lab with a student |
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
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| A/Prof Andrew Wei investigates AML |
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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