New discovery could pave the way for improved treatments for diabetes

L-R: Dr Keith Al-Hasani, Dr Ishant Khurana and Professor Sam
El-Osta, lead authors on the beta cell regeneration study. Ishant
 Khurana explains more about the research in a video (1:02 mins)
 and see animation

In a world-first, a study by Monash University has discovered a pathway to the regeneration of insulin in pancreatic stem cells, a major breakthrough toward new therapies to treat Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.  

Using the pancreas stem cells of type 1 diabetic donor, researchers were able to effectively reactivate them to become insulin-expressing and functionally resemble beta-like cells through the use of a drug which is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration but is not currently licensed for diabetes treatment.  

The new approach, though it requires further work, would in principle allow insulin-producing cells (beta-cells) that are destroyed in type 1 diabetics to be replaced with newborn insulin-generating cells.

Researchers find a way to mend broken hearts

Prof Sam El-Osta's group has published research on how to
reverse damage caused in broken-heart syndrome. See study

A Monash University study has uncovered for the first time a way to prevent and reverse damage caused by broken-heart syndrome, also known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Using mouse models, the pre-clinical study published in the acclaimed journal Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, has shown the cardioprotective benefit of a drug called Suberanilohydroxamic acid, or SAHA, dramatically improved cardiac health and reversed the broken-heart. The landmark study used SAHA to target genes and is a world first for Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Discovery for turning on cell repair in tissues and organs

Model of demethylation mediated reprogramming

Monash University researchers have uncovered the barrier to β-cell (beta cell) regeneration that could pave the way for improved treatments for diabetes and diseases that involve organ and tissue damage.

The human body doesn’t repair itself very well, with our liver the only organ that can regenerate efficiently.  We have limited capacity to regenerate new cells or tissue after birth as the genes involved in development are switched off.

Congratulations to CCS travel grant recipients!

This year's travel grant recipients. L-R: Dr Robin Cash, Dr Bernadette Fitzgibbon, Mr Ishant Khurana, Dr Jessica Borger, Dr Rhys Brady, Dr Stefan Sonderegger
 

Congratulations to this year's CCS recipients of travel grant funds from the school!

• Dr Robin Cash (MAPrc) Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Conference, 28th EEGLAB workshop 
• Dr Bernadette Fitzgibbon (MAPrc) Carolina Neurostimulation Conference 2018
• Mr Ishant Khurana (Diabetes) Gordon Research Conferences (GRC) - Epigenomics of Diabetes and Other Metabolic Diseases 
• Dr Jessica Borger (Immunology and Pathology) The 3rd International Conference on Innate Lymphoid Cells 2018 (ILC2018)    
• Dr Rhys Brady (Neuroscience) 3rd Joint Symposium of the International and National Neurotrauma Societies and AANS/CNS Section on Neurotrauma and Critical Care.
• Dr Stefan Sonderegger (ACBD) 7th New Directions in Leukaemia Research (NDLR)