Burns researchers make inroads into skin tissue engineering

by Anne Crawford

Monash University scientists and surgeons in the Alfred Hospital’s burns unit have edged closer to their goal of growing full thickness human skin to replace the need for skin grafts with the publication of two recent research papers.

The first paper reports on the findings of a three-year clinical study into an application of the procedure called cultured epithelial autograft (CEA). Regarded as the birth of skin tissue engineering, CEA takes skin cells from the patient needing the graft and grows the upper layer of skin (epidermis) in sheets in a laboratory.

Dementia project wins grant and advocate's vote

Congratulations to newly arrived A/Prof Michele Callisaya from Peninsula Clinical School, who has received the coveted Dementia Advocates’ Award, including funding from Dementia Australia. Her project will focus on a cognitive-mobility stress test to detect mild cognitive impairment and risk of developing into dementia.

In a show of how greatly this research is valued by the community, Michele’s project was chosen by a Dementia Australia Advocates group, who evaluated the applications according to which was most likely to yield important outcomes for people impacted by dementia. Dementia Advocate Sarah Ashton said she chose this project as more research in this area could help to understand early indicators of dementia and create a more timely diagnosis for people in the future.

“Dementia turns your life upside down, and anxiety can become a huge factor as life becomes much more uncertain. I hope this study can help to provide more clarity to those going through cognitive decline,” Ms Ashton said.

Adapted from the Dementia Australia media release accessed 14th February 2019: https://www.dementia.org.au/research/news/supporting-expression-of-sexuality-one-area-of-1-million-of-dementia-research-grants

CCS Recent Publications: 29th Dec 2018 - 11th Jan 2019

Throughout February we will be posting two backdated weeks of publications at a time, until we catch up from the Summer break.

Recent publications for Central Clinical School feature affiliated authors in the following departments:

• Neuroscience
• MAPrc
• Diabetes
• Melbourne Sexual Health Centre
• Infectious Diseases
• Surgery
• Immunology and Pathology
• Peninsula Clinical School
• Australian Centre for Blood Diseases

Beating mouse heart captured by new 9.4T MRI

Cardiac cine acquired with the CCS's new state-of-the-art  9.4T MRI showing the four chambers of a live mouse heart as it beats. Cine such as these will be used in a new collaboration investigating cardiac disease headed by A/Prof Julie McMullen from the Cardiac Hypertrophy Laboratory at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. This CINE was acquired by Dr David Wright, Head of Preclinical Imaging in the Department of Neuroscience, and Dr Daniel Donner from the Preclinical Cardiology Microsurgery and Imaging Centre at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute.

New Guidelines for Venous Thromboembolism

Credit: Media release by The MJA

Associate Professor
Huyen Tran

THE first Australasian guidelines for the diagnosis and management of venous thromboembolism (VTE) have been produced, with a summary published online today by the Medical Journal of Australia.

Led by Australian Centre for Blood Diseases researcher Associate Professor Huyen Tran, also Head of the Haemostasis and Thrombosis Unit at Alfred Health, a working group from the Thrombosis and Haemostasis Society of Australia and New Zealand developed the guidelines, which are available in full at https://www.thanz.org.au/resources/thanz-guidelines.