(Formerly known as Central Clinical School)
Despite great progress in understanding the medical aspects of menopause – a natural part of life that occurs when a woman has not had a menstrual period for 12 months – we are only beginning to recognise the experience and impact of cognitive changes during menopause.
See The Conversation article (December 14) by Caroline Gurvich, Chen Zu and Shalini Arunogiri.
See the video or flick through the slide deck, embedded on our CCS intranet page:
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| Dr Cheng Lo in theatre with a burns patient |
Victorian Adult Burns Centre director Adjunct Associate Professor Heather Cleland and head of the skin bioengineering laboratory Adjunct Associate Professor Shiva Akbarzadeh spoke to the Herald Sun about the cutting-edge technique. A/Prof Cleland also spoke on ABC Radio's Mornings program.
by Ms Kerrui Wong, Ms Marissa Sgro and Dr Loretta Piccenna
Adolescence is a sensitive period for bone development. Changes during this critical period may lead to significant long-term complications, for example osteopenia and osteoporosis later in life. New research from the Monash Trauma group in the Department of Neuroscience at the Central Clinical School indicates that weakening of the gut microbiome with antibiotic treatment and repetitive mild traumatic brain injury each individually stunted bone growth and volume, and did so in a sex-dependent manner during adolescence.
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| Scans of the femur bone density and volume with different treatments using microcomputed tomography |
Congratulations to Dr Tomasz Block, who has been awarded a Vanguard Grant from the Heart Foundation, for $75,000.
Dr Block is an Advanced Trainee in Endocrinology at Monash Health commencing in 2022 and a current Adjunct Research Associate, in the Diabetes and Kidney Disease (Jandeleit-Dahm) research group in the Department of Diabetes at the Central Clinical School. He will utilise this opportunity to expand on novel clinical research based on exciting preliminary results from a pilot study presented at both national and international congresses.
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Dr Warwick Nesbitt and colleague Dr Crispin Szydzik. Image: Medtech |
Congratulations to Dr Warwick Nesbitt, Australian Centre for Blood Diseases (ACBD) and Dr Gregory Stewart who are set to transform their research impact.
The MedTech Actuator Menzies Fellowship is supported by the Menzies Foundation as part of their Entrepreneurship in Science mission in partnership with the MedTech Actuator.
It gives me great pleasure and excitement to announce the recruitment of Dr Rebecca Disler to the academic Monash University appointment as Associate Professor and ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) Fellow in the Respiratory Research@Alfred section of the Department of Immunology and Pathology in the Central Clinical School.
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| Dr Joseph Kong |
Professor Terry O'Brien, Head of Central Clinical School, writes:
It is with great pleasure that I can announce the recruitment of Dr Joe Kong, MBChB, MS, PhD, FRACS to an 0.5 FTE academic appointment as a Senior Research Fellow (Level C) in the Department of Surgery, Central Clinical School, Monash University.
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| Melanie Le Page, new ARA FlowCore manager |
Welcome back to Mélanie Le Page, who has returned to Central Clinical School! She writes:
"After leaving Central Clinical School almost 10 years ago, following appointments at WEHI, oNKo-innate and Hudson Institute, I have returned as manager of ARA FlowCore and am excited to share my extensive experience in flow cytometry and operational laboratory management with the precinct.
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| Professor David Tarlinton shares his motivations for participating in the Baker Institute's EDCAD-PMS study. See video (1:09 mins) |
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| Schematic illustration of the new MOF Antibody crystals and their ability to specifically seek out cancer cells to detect them and deliver highly potent drugs with unprecedented precision. Credit: Dr Francesco Carraro and Prof Paolo Falcaro (Co-First and Co-Senior author on the Advanced Materials Paper) |
However, that is precisely what researchers from the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases at Monash University in collaboration with the TU Graz (Austria) have developed: the world’s first metal-organic framework (MOFs) antibody-drug delivery system that has the potential to fast-track potent new therapies for cancer, cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases.
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| Associate Professor Ross Dickins is one of the first two Australian recipients of The Mark Foundation's ASPIRE award. |
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| Associate Professor Yet Hong Khor starts with Central Clinical School on 1 Jan 2022, in the Department of Respiratory Research@Alfred |
It gives me great pleasure and excitement to announce the recruitment Dr Yet Hong Khor to the academic Monash University appointment as Associate Professor and NHMRC Investigator Grant Emerging Leadership Fellow in the Respiratory Research@Alfred section of the Department of Immunology and Pathology in the Central Clinical School.
Yet is an outstanding early career clinical respiratory researcher, who has a rapidly emerging research trajectory and profile for her clinical research into chronic lung disease.
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| The Scientist features Prof Nicola Harris's research on intestinal parasites in an article,"Return of the Worms" |
Professor Nicola Harris works on the complex relationship between our gut microbiome, intestinal parasites - helminths - and our immune system. Her research has been featured in The Scientist.
Catherine Offord writes:
"Increasingly seen as a mediator of human health in its own right, with hypothesized effects on everything from intestinal inflammation and immune development to cancer progression and mental health, the gut microbiome could also be an important piece of a worm’s relationship with its host.
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| Is the FODMAP diet more than just a symptomatic therapy? BMJ commentary by Peter Gibson and Emma Halmos |
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| Professor Patrick Kwan commenting on the SenTiva device: 7News |
SenTiva is a small device developed by LivaNova PLC which will now be available at comprehensive epilepsy centres across the nation in both public and private medical facilities, including The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. Epilepsy sufferer Morgan Adams describes the positive effect it has had on her life since its implantation in September 2020.
See more: 7News and the Herald Sun.
See full story: www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients/awards/1422
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| Laura McArthur, Basic Physician Trainee at Alfred Health, has won a Rhodes Scholarship |
by Shelly Scott
Program Manager, Physician Education, Alfred Health
In September 2022 one of The Alfred’s very own, Basic Physician Trainee (BPT), Laura McArthur will leave our shores to take up residence in the hallowed halls of arguably the most prestigious University in the world, Oxford University in England.
Laura has been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and will be leaving us next year to take up this life-changing opportunity. Our hopes are that she returns to BPT training with tales of snowy winters, brilliant minds and international inspiration.
We had a chat with Laura and asked her about what this opportunity may bring.
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| Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) of Xenograft Mouse by Ms Jurie Tashkandi |
Congratulations to the winners: Ms Jennifer Tinston (PhD student in the Epilepsy and Behaviour group, Department of Neuroscience), Ms Jurie Tashkandi (PhD student in the Nanotheranostics group in the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases), Dr Bianca Jupp, Dr Karen Alt and Dr Chao Suo.
View the winning entries on the MBI website with additional information about each image.
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| Neuroscience scooped the pool for the poster presentations. L-R: Robb Wesselingh, Erskine Chu and Marisso Sgro (2x!) |
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| THRIVE@Monash wants to hear from you! Take the survey |
The survey will help the Monash Thrive team at the Turner Institute identify what additional resources are needed for resilience and adaptive coping throughout the COVID-19 global health crisis, as we continue on our path to COVID normal.
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| The WHO commissioned Eric Chow (left) and Jason Ong (right) to review alternative methods of STI testing from molecular methods. |
As most STIs do not present with any symptoms, screening is critical for early detection and management to avoid the development of complications in the infected individuals and onward transmission to others. Testing for chlamydia and gonorrhoea using molecular methods is costly, prohibiting its widespread use globally. There is a possibility to reduce testing costs if pooling samples from the same individual is feasible.
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| Dr Jessica Borger (left) being given the award by Professor Margaret Gardner, Vice-Chancellor of Monash University |
Dr Borger said, "I felt very humbled to be awarded the Vice Chancellor’s Excellence Award in Diversity and Inclusion.
"I am the first to admit, it would not be possible if not for the support of the amazing networks of women in STEM I have surrounded myself with, as well as the wholehearted support of so many at Monash University, especially the CCS GEDI committee.
Congratulations to Professor Velandai Srikanth, who will be commencing as the Director of the National Centre for Healthy Ageing (NCHA) from 1 January 2022. The NCHA is a joint venture between Peninsula Health and Monash University, which aims to create an academic and research hub for leading the transformation of health care for our ageing population.
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| Dr Gemma Sharp is a tireless community advocate, and is also a co-host for 3RRR "Radiotherapy" |
Dr Sharp was nominated by her supervisor and Head of Psychiatry, Professor Jayashri Kulkarni, for her significant contribution to the field of body image and eating disorder clinical research in her short career.
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| AML group led by A/Prof Ross Dickins. Authors on the paper on AML therapy are bolded. L-R: Mr Max Garwood, Ms Jade Jowett-Crociani, Dr Katharine Goodall, A/Prof Ross Dickins, Dr Steven Ngo, Mr Ethan Oxley, Ms Skye Ho |
AML is a type of cancer that affects immature progenitor cells (which haven't yet differentiated into a specialised white blood cell type) living in bone marrow.
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| Dr Idrish Ali (left) & Dr Pablo Casillas-Espinosa (right) |
by Dr Loretta Piccenna
International funding totalling $1,450,575 from the US Department of Defense (DoD) Epilepsy Research Program has been awarded to early career researchers - Dr Idrish Ali (EP200033) and Dr Pablo Casillas-Espinosa (EP200022) - within the Department of Neuroscience, to each individually advance translational research on Post-Traumatic Epilepsy. This will further efforts to improve detection and minimise related health risk factors in individuals affected, especially Service members and Veterans.
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| Dr Emma Foster has been awarded a Viertel Clinical Investigator Award |
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| L-R: Dr Michael Zhong, Ms Maria (Pia) Campagna and Dr Vilija Jokubaitis have won an MS Australia incubator grant |
From their MS Australia project description, they write:
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| Rats' spacial cognition is not affected by a high sugar diet: Study |
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| L-R: Dr Hugh Simpson (first author), Professor Patrick Kwan (senior author) and Dr Ben Chen (co-corresponding author) on a paper modelling the probability of a person with epilepsy achieving future freedom from seizure. Study |
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterised by seizures that are caused by a disruption of electrical activity in the brain. Over 14,000 new cases of epilepsy were reported between 2019 – 2020. Epilepsy is the second most burdensome neurological condition after dementia and costs the Australian economy $12.3 billion per annum. People with epilepsy often experience depression, anxiety, suicide, migraine or stroke at significantly higher rates than that of the general population.
No cure exists for epilepsy. However, medication-based treatment to control seizures is relatively effective in approximately 70% of patients. The focus of treatment is to both achieve and maintain ‘seizure freedom’ for patients in order to reduce associated health complications, and maximise quality of life and productivity.
A study published recently in the influential neuroscience journal, Brain, led by senior author Professor Patrick Kwan, has developed and validated models capable of predicting the probability that a person with epilepsy will achieve future seizure-freedom. These models may be used to inform treatment decision making.
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| The Monash led ENIGMA-Ataxia working group is collecting and analysing data worldwide on Friedreich Ataxia |
Friedreich Ataxia (FRDA) is a rare inherited disease affecting between 500-800 Australians. It is a neurological disorder causing damage in areas of the nervous system responsible for movement and sensation. It shows initially with abnormal, uncoordinated movements, and over time as the disease progresses, a whole constellation of problems emerges.
Early diagnosis can help with managing the symptoms, allowing improved quality of life for people with the illness, but there is no cure.
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| A cortical neuron stained green with antibody to Neurofilament light (NfL). CCS neuroscience researchers are investigating NfL as a biomarker for traumatic brain injury & peripheral injuries: study. Image: Wikimedia. |
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| L-R: Professor Natasha Lannin has been nominated a global leader in Rehabilitation Therapy, Professor Paul Myles a top researcher in the field of Anesthesiology and Emeritus Professor Jeffrey Rosenfeld in Neurosurgery in The Australian's RESEARCH 2021 List. |
The Australian’s Research magazine takes a deep dive into Australian research, revealing its excellence in The List (published November 10, 2021). Congratulations to our researchers - see detail below.
The authors, Tim Dodd and Paul McCarthy, write, "Not for many decades has the value of research been so clear. Less than two years after the appearance of a new and dangerous virus, and thanks to countless researchers in infectious disease, immunology, epidemiology and other fields, we now have many effective vaccines in mass production, and numerous tests and treatments for Covid-19.
"In The Australian’s annual Research magazine, we acknowledge the talent and dedication of our researchers. And again, as we have for the previous four years, we present The List – a roll call of the best researchers and the best research institutions in Australia in 250 individual fields of research."
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| L-R top: Prof Harshal Nandurkar, Dr Zhong-Lin Chai, Dr Sih Min Tan; L-R bottom: Prof Patrick Kwan, Dr Mastura Monif, A/Prof Sandy Shultz |
Congratulations to Central Clinical School'sNational Health and Medical Research Council (NHMCR) winners in this very difficult round, being the six of our school's 87 applications which were funded. See detail below.
Professor Mark Cooper, Head of Diabetes, said, "For those who missed out do not be too despondent, be resolute, complete key experiments and think of ways to improve your applications for next year. The grant system is a sort of lottery but the stronger grants in general do better."
Professor Terry O'Brien, Head of School, added, "My commiserations for all the outstanding
applicants who were unsuccessful in what was an extremely competitive
round (9.5% success nationally) in an increasingly challenging system.
Everyone needs to keep faith in their science, continuing to publish
well and make an impact, and the grants will come."
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| Drug-induced liver injury #DILI caused by herbal and dietary supplements, despite their marketing as safe agents and few published reports of adverse events, has more than trebled between 2009 & 2020. Stuart Roberts and Elliot Freeman MJA comment |
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| Dr Bridgette Semple, top left-hand corner, moderated the panel discussion. L-R, top to bottom, linked to each video presentation: Dr Karen McConalogue, Dr Brittany Howard, Dr Anthony Filippis, Dr Bernd Merkel, Dr Heidi Nicholl, Dr Wee-Ming Boon, Professor James Bourne, Professor Terry O'Brien |
The overarching goal of the event was to help attendees identify transferable skills for a post-academic career as well as hear from invited speakers from a range of fields about their career pathways.
"Paul Zimmet has been one of the leading figures, globally, in transforming the understanding and threat of diabetes from a Cinderella disease to a major plank of most governments’ health policies. His science, particularly a series of epidemiological studies, has been at the forefront of the campaign, but it is fueled by his genuine passion to improve the life of people with diabetes. After more than 50 years of working in the diabetes field, he continues to actively push the boundaries of our understanding of the condition."
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| Physiotherapist monitoring and providing guidance for at home patients. Image: Dr Narelle Cox. See also Narelle describing the research: video |
Monash University researchers are giving new hope to people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with the COVID-19 pandemic prompting some of the first innovations in treatment models in 30 years.
See more:
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| Suzanne Neate (right) with her mother Teresa, who died in 2016. Image: The Aftershock |
by Anne Crawford
After Suzanne Neate’s mother Teresa died of thyroid cancer five years ago, Suzanne wanted to make an impact on the lives of other people similarly enduring high mortality rate cancers.
Teresa had spent time in rehabilitation; Suzanne thought of funding equipment, walkers or wheelchairs for those in care. “Then I thought ‘No, the problem is she shouldn’t have been there to begin with – how do you stop someone being there to begin with?’,” she said. “You research – everything comes back to research.”
Suzanne, CEO of The Aftershock, the not-for-profit organisation she founded in 2017, has joined forces on a research project into lethal oesophageal cancer with Professor Wendy Brown, Alfred Hospital surgeon, researcher and Head of Monash University’s Department of Surgery.
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| ANZCA funded study will look at whether tranexamic acid can reduce confusion and delirium after major surgery. |
Delirium is a devastating complication of medical and surgical care, associated with increased morbidity and mortality, dementia and impaired long-term cognition, and loss of independence.
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| L-R: Dr Daniel Merlo , Prof Helmut Butzkueven and A/Prof Anneke Van Der Walt are first and senior authors on a paper describing a tool they have developed for assessing cognitive function in MS. |
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| A/Prof David Wright using Monash's preclinical MRI scanner at the Alfred site |
Motor Neurone Disease (MND) affects around 1 in 300 people. It has a rapid progression: one third of people with MND die within a year of diagnosis, and over half die within two years.
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| HCV & HIV co-infection treatment by nonspecialists is effective: Doyle et al Image: Hepmag.com |
The FMNHS ECR Symposium brought together researchers from across the faculty with the theme of Reconnect and Turbocharge Your Career. A number of presentation awards were given, including the Rapid Fire Presentation Prize which was won by Dr Snelson for his presentation "Thermally processed diet-induced albuminuria, complement activation and intestinal permeability are attenuated by resistant starch in experimental diabetes".
Professor Wendy Brown, Head of Department of Surgery at Central Clinical School, writes:
Shiva Akbarzadeh obtained her PhD from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Melbourne in 2002. She has almost 20 years of experience in cell biology and signalling in a variety of systems. In 2009 she established the Skin Bioengineering Laboratory at the Victorian Adult Burns Service - Alfred Health, focusing on translational research in skin regeneration. She leads the team responsible for manufacturing Cultured Epithelial Autograft for cellular based therapy of major burns and research in developing novel skin substitutes for clinical application.
Erica's thesis is titled, "Investigating the pathogenesis of bacterial vaginosis". She was supervised by Professor Catriona Bradshaw, Prof Kit Fairley, Dr Dieter Bulach, Dr Gerald Murray, Dr Lenka Vodstrcil and Dr Suzanne Garland.
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a highly prevalent vaginal condition that is associated with serious clinical sequelae. BV recurrence following first-line treatment with antibiotics is unacceptably high, and there have been few improvements in BV cure for decades. New and more effective treatments for BV are needed to reduce the serious sequelae associated with BV and the repeated antibiotic use that result from multiple recurrences. Erica's thesis aimed to investigate the pathogenesis of BV with a focus on evidence for sexual transmission, and to determine what factors influence the composition and stability of the vaginal microbiota.
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| Participants sought for study using transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) |
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| Participants sought for neurological study: See detail |
