Personalised medicine investigation for rare thyroid cancers

Dr James Lee

Dr James Lee from the Department of Surgery was recently awarded a $120,000 philanthropic grant from the The Aftershock Foundation, a not-for-profit  organisation in the rare cancer space. The gift agreement includes a further $100,000 in 2020, bringing the total to $220,000.

The group was founded by Suzanne Neate, following the loss of her mother to metastatic medullary thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer is now the 7th most commonly diagnosed cancer in women overall, and is on the rise.

A$140,000 donation kicks off research for Visual Snow

Back row (L - R): Dr Ben Sinclair, Paige Foletta, Dr Scott Kolbe,
Front row (L - R): Dr Meaghan Clough, Professor Owen White,
Associate Professor Joanne Fielding, Emma Solly.

Thanks to a donation from the US-based non-profit Visual Snow Initiative (VSI), Monash University Department of Neuroscience researchers, Associate Professor Joanne Fielding and Professor  Owen White, will conduct Australia’s first  exploration of an emerging neurological syndrome called Visual Snow.

Many young people are affected by the hallmark symptom of constant and dynamic “snow” in the entire field of vision.  One minute you see the world clearly and in an instant, without warning, a life is changed forever. It can be a 24/7 battle because it never goes away with the eyes opened or closed. Others are born with the condition, and many don’t realize how abnormal their vision really is. A new dilemma can occur for those seeking a diagnosis or treatment. Eye tests almost always come back normal because Visual Snow is not an eye disorder but a brain malfunction.  Because Visual Snow manifests itself in the eyes, it often leaves both patients and physicians in limbo, uncertain of where to go next for a diagnosis. This also makes it difficult to estimate how many people are affected.

Funding success for cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia

Dr Caroline Gurvich

Dr Caroline Gurvich has been awarded $100,000 over two years from the Rebecca Cooper Foundation, a philanthropic body focussed on medical research in Australia.

Dr Gurvich, Deputy Director of the Women’s Mental Health Division and Head of the Cognitive Neurosciences Unit at MAPrc (Monash Alfred Psychiatry research centre), will investigate how sex and stress hormones contribute to cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. Whilst cognitive impairment is common in schizophrenia patients, the symptoms are yet to be targeted by pharmacotherapy, mostly due to the lack of research. The study will investigate a novel approach to understanding and treating cognitive impairments in schizophrenia.