Congratulations to our 2019 NHMRC Ideas and CTCS grant winners!

2019 CCS Ideas and Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies grant recipients.
L-R, upper row: Catherine Carmichael, Ross Dickins, Justin Hamilton,
Christoph Hagemeyer.  L-R lower row: Phil Kantharidis,
Marcus Robinson, Joseph Doyle, Paul Myles

Congratulations to our National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ideas/Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies (CTCS) grant recipients in Central Clinical School (CCS)!

CCS researchers have been awarded a total of $12.7 million across 8 grants (6 Ideas, 2 CTCS). CCS areas of expertise which have been funded this round range across the discipline areas of blood diseases, diabetes, infectious diseases, immunology and surgery. Funding for these grants will begin in 2020.

Monash University has been awarded more than $76 million in this round of National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funding. Link

Smart nanomaterials to revolutionise insulin delivery for diabetes

Associate Professor Christoph Hagemeyer

by Anne Crawford

Type 1 diabetes (T1D), a disease with no cure, currently affects more than 120,000 Australians.

People with T1D are dependent on insulin, a hormone, to help keep their blood-sugar levels from skyrocketing which can lead to long-term complications such as kidney and heart diseases responsible for significant morbidity and mortality.

However, if too much insulin is injected, sugar levels become dangerously low, called hypoglycaemia, resulting in coma or death.

Associate Professor Christoph Hagemeyer, a research group leader in the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases (ACBD), has been granted $944,796 from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to further research that is generating smart nanoparticles that automatically regulate the optimal amount of insulin available to the body.

Researcher awarded $5 million by NHMRC for trial into post-surgery infection drug

Tranexamic acid (TXA) is used to reduce
 excessive bleeding. There is also evidence that
 TXA has immune-protective effects.

by Anne Crawford

Professor Paul Myles, Director of the Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine in Central Clinical School and at The Alfred, has been awarded a $5.19 million Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies (CTCS) grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to conduct an international trial of a medication that could prevent infections after surgery.

Congratulations to 2019 ARC Discovery project CCS recipients Merlin Thomas and Kelly Wyres!

Dr Kelly Wyres

Professor Merlin Thomas

Congratulations to Central Clinical School's Professor Merlin Thomas and Dr Kelly Wyres on their Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery grant awards! Read more about their grants below.

• Professor Merlin Thomas, Department of Diabetes group.
  Augmenting the activity of glyoxalase-1 to increase dicarbonyl clearance, $605,000 (2020-2022). ARC ID DP200101965
• Dr Kelly Wyres, Department of Infectious Diseases group.
  Unlocking the secrets of metabolic variation in a highly diverse bacterium. $515,322 (2020-2022) ARC ID DP200103364 

Video of the week: Profs Srikanth and Gabbe on how health data informs and personalises care

Clips from the video: Belinda Gabbe (left), Velandai Srikanth (right)

How can sharing digital health data improve care delivery and support health service sustainability?

With the rollout of MyHealthRecord and other digital health platforms, Australia could have a fully integrated health information system - giving health professionals access to the right information at the right time to ensure patients receive the best care possible. Watch Professors Velandai Srikanth (CCS) and Belinda Gabbe (SPHPM) explain: Video

Monash researcher honoured by national advocacy role

Associate Professor Christoph Hagemeyer (left)
and outgoing ASMR president Dr Roger Yazbek.
Follow @cehagemeyer, @TheASMR1 

by Anne Crawford

Monash University’s Associate Professor Christoph Hagemeyer has been elected president of the Australia Society for Medical Research (ASMR), the peak professional body representing all national health and medical researchers.

A/Prof Hagemeyer, who heads the NanoBiotechnology Laboratory at the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases (ACBD), took over the presidency at the ASMR’s recent National Scientific Conference in Perth in November.

Strategy for stroke prevention recognised by award for A/Prof Anne Abbott

Associate Professor Anne Abbott

Congratulations to Associate Professor Anne Abbott on how well she did in the 2019 Bond University Sustainability of Healthcare Awards! A/Prof Abbott was finalist in all five award categories (Health Literacy, Practice, Research, Education and Policy), and won the Policy Award for her nominated project, "Reimbursement indications for carotid revascularization procedures".

AMA Victoria President's Award for Prof John Wilson

Professor John Wilson AM with AMA Victoria 

president Associate Professor Julian Rait at the

23 Nov 2019 award ceremony.

Congratulations to Professor John Wilson AM on winning the 2019 Australian Medical Association (AMA) Victoria President’s Award. The award is a recognition by the AMA President of an outstanding contribution toward furthering the objectives of the AMA through advocacy.

Recent publications from Central Clinical School: 1-15 Nov 2019

Dr Trisha Peel is first author on a study

looking at antimicrobial prophylaxis in 

joint replacement surgery

Recent publications from Central Clinical School affiliated researchers in the following departments. This is not a comprehensive list:

• Diabetes
• Infectious Diseases
• Melbourne Sexual Health Centre
• Psychiatry: Monash Alfred Psychiatry research centre
• Neuroscience
• Peninsula Clinical School
• Surgery & NTRI