5 Feb 2021
Protection against asthma from gut metabolism by-product
Neither of these molecules, one of which is already commercially available in a diet supplement, were previously known to have an effect on asthma. Additionally, they appear, from animal studies, to have a beneficial role in treating the respiratory illness that is prevalent, and often fatal, in people with serious COVID-19.
Drug clinical trial improves survival for AML patients
Prof Andrew Wei has led a global trial for patients with AML |
The Phase 3 clinical trial called QUAZAR, showed that a drug, called CC-486, significantly improved survival in older patients, over the age of 55, with the disease.
Long-lasting COVID immunity gives real hope for the long-term protection of vaccines
The research is the strongest evidence for the likelihood that vaccines against the virus, SARS-CoV-2, will work for long periods.
Bad Body Image Day? The KIT chatbot can help
KIT the chatbot |
Dr Gemma Sharp said that KIT "has had a wonderful first two months of life since launching on the Butterfly Foundation's website".
What has KIT been up to?
To see a perfectly fine body, just look in the mirror
Ellie Aniulus |
by Ellie Aniulis
PhD student at the Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre
For many, becoming a ‘new me’ represents the desire to finally get that body. This desire is reinforced every new year with an abundance of advertisements showcasing a variety of weight loss methods.
These advertisements are full of slim, toned and seemingly happy individuals who represent who you could be, and even more so who you should aspire to be. These people seem to say: If I can look like this, why can’t you?
The issue here is that the repeated use of slim and toned bodies in our advertising creates a very narrow window for what is considered an acceptable body in our society; one which almost all of us will never look like without developing serious eating disorders which impact more than 1 million Australians. Sadly, less than 1 in 4 of these people will ever receive help.
Working towards gender equity at CCS
Dr Jess Borger |
CCS GEDI committee chair
Achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls is the unfinished business of our time, and the greatest human rights challenge in our world, the UN Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, has stated, and this call to action is reflected in the forthcoming International Day of Women and Girls in Science, 11 February 2021.
4 Feb 2021
Mapping the impacts of the COVID -19 pandemic on the medical research workforce
The 2020 CCS GEDI committee authored the survey to assess the pandemic's impacts on medical researchers. See CCS intranet |
3 Feb 2021
Welcome to Professor Natasha Smallwood
A/Prof Natasha Smallwood |
Congratulations to our recent PhD graduates, Jaclyn Lange and Katherine Cummins
Dr Katherine Cummins |
Ms Jaclyn Lange |
Congratulations to Ms Jaclyn Lange and Dr Katherine Cummins on the conferral of their PhD degrees on 28 January 2021! Both graduates did their research projects in the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases (ACBD).
Jaclyn Lange's thesis title is "Copper and Gallium PET Imaging Agents for Applications in HIV and Cancer". She was supervised by Associate Professor Christoph Hagemeyer, Dr Karen Alt, both in ACBD, and Professor Paul Donnelly, University of Melbourne.
Katherine Cummins' thesis title is "Modification and targeting of myeloid cell surface antigens (CD33 and CD123) to enhance the therapeutic index of CAR T-cells for acute myeloid leukaemia". She was supervised by Professor Harshal Nandurkar, Professor Andrew Spencer, both in ACBD, and Dr Saar Gill, University of Pennsylvania.
MS Research Australia offers vital funding for new treatments
L-R: Dr Mastura Monif, A/Prof Anneke van der Walt, Dr Lisa Grech |
MS is a complex condition of the central nervous system, interfering with nerve impulses within the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. It affects over 25,600 people in Australia.
Participants sought: Survey on eating behaviours and personality characteristics
Find out more about our survey |
Human Factors Short Courses 2021: Registrations open
About the Human Factors Short Course
The goal of this short course is to introduce Human Factors science and its application to healthcare. Human Factors (also referred to as Ergonomics) is concerned with the understanding of the interactions between humans and other elements of a complex system. The goal of Human Factors science is to apply theory, methods and principles to optimise the design of systems to enhance human performance and overall system safety (International Ergonomics Association, 2019). Think of medical device design, simulation-based training, design of guidelines and protocols, team dynamics and organisational management.