Recent CCS publications: 25 May-1 June 2018

Associate Professor Andrew Wei talks about why Australia is such
a good place to conduct early-phase clinical research studies. Link

Recent publications for Central Clinical School affiliated authors in the following departments. Note, browse down this entry for complete publications list. Linked headings for each section are to the departments' home pages.

Australian Centre for Blood Diseases (ACBD)

Gastroenterology

Immunology and Pathology

Infectious Diseases

Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC)

Surgery 

Blood based tests vs tumour biopsies for cancer diagnosis

MM is an incurable blood cancer
characterised by multifocal tumour
deposits throughout the bone marrow.
Patient image provided by Prof Andrew
Spencer

Professor Andrew Spencer's research on the use of liquid biopsies for cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment was picked up and profiled by ASH Clinical News, in an article titled 'Demystifying Liquid Biopsies', 1 May 2018.

See the CCS blog feature on the research for more detail, "New blood test potential game-changer for myeloma patients" (2 June 2017)

“We’re still in the developmental phase but the concept has been proven,” Professor Spencer said. “We’ve demonstrated that you can detect more mutations and track what’s happening to them, you can measure them and follow them sequentially – which would be impossible in bone marrow biopsies,” he said.

Reference
Mithraprabhu S, Khong T, Ramachandran M et al. Circulating tumour DNA analysis demonstrates spatial mutational heterogeneity that coincides with disease relapse in myeloma. Leukemia. 2017;31:1695-705.

Congratulations to our newly completed PhD students, Nick Medland and Michelle Yong!

Dr Michelle Yong

Dr Nick Medland

Congratulations to our newly completed PhD students, Drs Michelle Yong and Nick Medland!

Participants sought: How does dietary fibre affect your immune system and overall health?

Would you like to find out first-hand how dietary fibre (DF) might affect your immune system, blood pressure and gut function? We are seeking healthy participants for our research study.

DF is important for gut health. Within the large intestine, some DFs are broken down by the gut bacteria (microbiota) in a process called fermentation. A product of fermentation are metabolites called short-chain fatty acids (SFCAs). These can also be found in fermented foods and drinks, such as vinegar. In animal studies, SFCAs have been associated with reduced inflammation and lower blood pressure.

Photo of the week: 2018 Day of Immunology - GTAC

The 2018 Day of Immunology GTAC demonstrator team. L-R: Ms Anisha Ansari, Ms Shu Wen Wen, Ms Angela Nguyen, Ms Lakshanie Wickramasinghe and Ms Amy Wilson.

Several PhD students from the Department of Immunology and Pathology were on hand to lend their expertise at this 2018 International Day of Immunology event at the Gene Technology Access Centre. The event showcases the state's contribution to science and provides VCE Biology students the opportunity to work alongside talented and enthusiastic immunologists.
This years program's theme was "Your Body at War."

See the GTAC photo gallery here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/B25G1Dd3pe6stRam8

What's on at CCS 28 May - 1 June 2018

Dr Jyotika Prasad is presenting
Thurs 31 May

Central Clinical School (CCS) has regular seminar series and postgraduate presentations. Event notices are posted on the CCS Events calendar.

CCS staff and students can see details of both public and local events (including professional development courses, trade fairs and Graduate Research Student calendars) and deadlines, at the CCS intranet's Announcements page.

See CCS seminar index:  https://www.monash.edu/medicine/ccs/headlines/events-calendar

What's on at CCS 28 May-01 June 2018

Mon	28/05/2018	►	12:00	Neuroscience seminar series: Prof Julie Ratcliffe
Wed	30/05/2018	►	11:30	Seminar: Stephen Nutt (WEHI)
Thur	31/05/2018	►	11:30	Journal Club: Zoe Ding
		►	12:00	Alfred Grand Rounds: Prof Andrew Perkins
		►	12:00	PhD Pre-submission seminar: Dr Jyotika Prasad
		►	15:00	MIME Affinity Meeting: Alfred

CCS 3MT heat deadline today and forthcoming event 21 June

Everyone is invited to our school's 2018 heat for the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition! See more about this year's and earlier CCS heats at www.monash.edu/medicine/ccs/education/current-students/hdr-3mt. Any questions about the event, contact Sharmila Ramesh, Sharmila.Ramesh@monash.edu.

See our current list of participants below. The deadline for participants to register is TODAY, 25 May 2018. See more about rules and guidelines: https://www.monash.edu/3mt