Life as a Clinician Scientist 19 October AAHMS event

Register for the 19 Oct AAHMS 'Life as a clinician-scientist' event

Life as a Clinician Scientist is back in 2019 for a day of inspirational talks, networking with leading research institutes. The event, hosted by the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS), is for promoting research to the medical community. We also have sessions exploring skills on maximising research output and, of course, a gourmet plated lunch! RSVP, or see more at aahms.org/events/life-as-a-clinician-scientist-victoria/

Science competition "CF's Got Talent!" streaming live from London 26 Sep 2019

Dr Anh Thu Dang

One of our researchers, Dr Anh Thu Dang, is competing in the UK based Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Trust science competition "CF's Got Talent!" next week, 26 September. The event will be livestreamed on CF Trust's Facebook page. She'll be talking about damping lung inflammation by tweaking the gut microbiome, and her title is: ‘Short chain fatty acids as CF therapeutics against pulmonary infections’.

Anh Thu is a post-doctoral research assistant based at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, in Professor Benjamin Marsland’s lab. They are working on one of the programmes within the CF Trust's SRC ‘Restoring balance in the gut for less inflammation in the lungs’, led by Leeds-based Professor Daniel Peckham. 

Participants sought: Will prebiotic dietary fibre reduce blood pressure?

We're trying to find out whether a

particular kind of dietary fibre, called

'prebiotic', influences blood pressure

If you have high blood pressure but are not on medication, we would love to hear from you about participating in a research study investigating whether the use of prebiotic dietary fibre lowers blood pressure.

Our diet has been long known to influence the levels of blood pressure. While our bodies are incapable of digesting some types of fibre, they are fermented in the gut, where they feed the community of ‘good’ microbes. This results in the release of substances that may be beneficial in lowering blood pressure. The present study will test if a modified high fibre supplement could be used to lower blood pressure.

Congratulations to Prof Jayashri Kulkarni on the AM investiture!

On Wednesday 18 September, MAPrc Director Professor Jayashri Kulkarni, attended the official ceremony at Government House to receive her Australia Day Honours as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her contributions to Psychiatry and Womens Mental Health. Congratulations again Jayashri!

Jayashri's husband and daughter, Governor of Victoria, Linda Dessau and Jayashri in the picture at right.

Heady days: Review charts growth of lung microbiome research

Professor Ben Marsland

by Anne Crawford

In 2010 scientists reported for the first time that microbiota – the community of microorganisms that includes bacteria – existed in the airways of humans; they were met with disbelief: the healthy lung was thought to be sterile.
 
Around the same time, Professor Ben Marsland and colleagues conducted a study demonstrating that administration of innocuous bacteria to the lungs of mice protected them against asthma. A further study together with Professor Nicola Harris showed that ‘germ-free’ mice, which are bred under sterile conditions and have no microbiota, exhibited increased susceptibility to asthma.

Funds a welcome boost to sexual disease research

L-R: Dr Eric Chow, Prof Christopher Fairley and Dr Catriona Bradshaw
have won NHMRC grants for research programs to control STIs.
Prof Fairley is giving a public lecture on 17 Oct - all welcome! RSVP

by Anne Crawford

Central Clinical School researchers at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC) have been awarded more than $6 million in the latest round of NHMRC grants – funds that will go towards researching programs urgently needed to fight rising levels of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Professor of Public Health at Monash University, Professor Christopher Fairley AO said rates of STIs such as syphilis and gonorrhoea in Victoria had risen relentlessly over the past 20 years.

CCS Recent publications 27 Aug - 2 Sep 2019

Dr Eric Chow (left) and Prof Kit Fairley
have a new publication on the role of saliva in
STI transmission amongst MSM. Prof Fairley
is giving a public lecture on 17 Oct: RSVP

Recent publications for Central Clinical School feature affiliated authors in the following departments:

• Australian Centre for Blood Diseases (ACBD)
• Gastroenterology
• Infectious Diseases
• Medicine
• Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC)
• Neuroscience
• Surgery