Photo of the Week: Eureka award finalist for mental health diagnostic innovation

The EVestigator team from the Monash Alfred Psychiatry research centre (MAPrc) and Neural Diagnostics Pty Ltd (NDPL), led by Professors Jayashri Kulkarni and Brian Lithgow, is shortlisted for the Eureka Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Scientific Research. Winners will be announced on 26 August. 

In an industry alliance with NDPL, Prof Brian Lithgow’s EVestG invention was clinically evaluated at MAPrc. They have discovered for the first time that brainwave features recorded from the balance organ contain biomarker features that allow for an earlier, objective and more accurate diagnosis of mental and neurological conditions.  

In 2015, evidence was published in the World Journal of Biological Psychiatry on being able to classify those with major depression with over 80% accuracy within 1 hour of measurement using EVestG. 

The EVestigators L-R: 
Dr Daniel Heibert (NDPL), Dr Jerome Maller (MAPrc), Dr Caroline Gurvich (MAPrc), Mr Charles Hider (NDPL), Prof Jayashri Kulkarni (Director, MAPrc), Dr Roger Edwards (NDPL), Adjunct Prof Brian Lithgow (MAPrc) - Inventor and lead researcher, Mr Anthony de Castella (MAPrc)
See:

• Video
• Monash press release
• EVestG press release

Forthcoming CCS events: Seminars, public events, general notices

Dean Talia, Immunology

Central Clinical School has regular seminar series and postgraduate presentations. All event notices are maintained on the CCS Events calendar.

CCS staff & 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 Intranet's Announcements page.

Various Departments have their own calendars, see CCS seminar index: www.med.monash.edu.au/cecs/events/seminars.html

What's on for this week: 27 - 31 Jul 2015

Mon Jul 27	9:00 AM	►	Mid-year Honours & graduate research students orientation
Mon Jul 27	12:30 PM	►	Psychiatry Professorial Grand Round
Tue Jul 28	2:00 PM	►	Special seminar: Prof Margaret Goodell on stem cell biology
Wed Jul 29	11:30 AM	►	PhD Pre-Submission review - Mr Dean Talia
	1:30 PM	►	AISTC Trauma Care Symposium

In the Future

• 4 Aug CCS 3MT thesis heat
• 13 Aug CCS student information night
• 30 Aug De Castella Run
• 30 Sep Translational Research symposium: Alfred Medicine 50th anniversary
• 9 Oct CCS Public Lecture: Prof Jayashri Kulkarni on women's mental health

Prof Steve Wesselingh: Is there a 'right' way for a medical research career path? Find out more on 30 Sep 2015

Prof Steve Wesselingh, SAHMRI

Professor Steve Wesselingh is the inaugural Executive Director of the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI). He has also been appointed as the Infection and Immunity Theme Leader for the institute. He will be speaking at the forthcoming 30 Sept Translational Research symposium hosted by Central Clinical School. See detail below.

Explore translational research projects on 13 Aug at Central Clinical School (Alfred Health precinct)

If you want to help people, have a passion for following your intellectual curiousity in translational biomedical science and technology and want to open up your career options, take Honours or postgraduate research in the Central Clinical School (CCS) at AMREP. CCS has a wealth of research expertise and dedicated researchers with strong clinical connections who are experienced mentors for students.

Explore our translational research projects at 13 Aug 2015 Honours and Postgraduate Student Information Evening for 2016 intake

27 Jul 2015 CCS midyear Hons and research student orientation

The CCS Midyear student orientation is being held this coming Monday at 9 am, Lecture Theatre, Level 5 Alfred Centre. Welcome to all our new students! We have a large cohort from the University of Indonesia - all the best for settling in here.

Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours)

• Amanda Dharmaningputri
• Antonia Paramitha
• Shafira Rachmadi
• Aqila Zhafira
• Gryselda Hanafi
• Kevin Gunawan
• Rabbania Yan
• Raisa Sarita 

Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours)

• Aaron Hatzipantelis

Masters/PhD

• Julian Gooi
• Katrina Woodford
• Michael de Vries
• Ling Nhuc Mu
• Krystal Bergin
• Tanveer Ahmed

Congratulations to Dr Warwick Nesbitt, awarded a Vice Chancellors Senior Research Fellowship

Dr Warwick Nesbitt

Dr Warwick Nesbitt has been awarded a Vice Chancellors Senior Research Fellowship over 4 years as part of a strategic collaboration between the Vascular Biology Laboratory, ACBD and the Microplatforms Research Group, School of Electrical & Computer Engineering (SECE), RMIT University. The Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellowships is a competitive scheme advertised internationally on an annual basis. Applicants are selected on the basis of their emerging excellent track record and international recognition for undertaking high quality research in one of RMIT's research priority areas. Dr Nesbitt’s fellowship is part of a new collaborative initiative to develop new bioengineered platforms, with a specific focus on basic platelet biology and haematology focussed diagnostic devices.

Publication: Rotary blood pumps and their complications in patient management

VentrAssist pump. Image:
Ventracor, Inc.

Ventricular assist devices currently do not have any ability to regulate flow in relation to demand.  As a result occasionally the device may suck down on the internal wall of the heart. This study in five large greyhound dogs implanted with a VentrAssist left ventricular assist device focused on identification of the precise site and physiological changes induced by or underlying the complication of left ventricular suction as a result of over pumping. Various complications are described in the study. The study authors contend that similar complications of manual speed control occur in humans and remain a major unsolved problem in the clinical management of patients implanted with rotary blood pumps.