Vanguard Grant for novel method of measuring oxidative stress in diabetic vascular disease

Dr Tomasz Block explains the utilisation of an immune
cell biomarker to measure oxidative stress in patients
with diabetic vascular disease. See video

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.

Intergenerational and lifelong chronic pain starting in early life

2nd year PhD students Jennaya Christensen (left)
and Sabrina Salberg (right)

Chronic pain is a costly public health issue that is highly prevalent and causes a great burden to people who are affected, their families, their workplaces and the health system. 

New research from the Monash Trauma Group at the Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University shows that there is a difference both in gender and type of adverse childhood experience in the expression of specific biomarkers linked to chronic pain. 

Additionally, early life stress such as maternal separation, and a high-fat, high-sugar diet lead to higher pain sensitivity, increased anxiety-like behaviour and changes in the neurobiology (structural and functional level) of the brain.

Chronic pain often occurs during childhood, with 1 in 5 children or adolescents having reported it and it being more prevalent in females than males.