Photo of the week: Chief Scientist Alan Finkel visit to CCS Diabetes lab

Australia's Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel recently toured the Monash CCS diabetes laboratory. Pictured L-R: Prof Jenny Wilkinson-Berka, Dr Alan Finkel, Prof Paul Zimmet, Prof Mark Cooper (Head of the Department of Diabetes) and Prof Stephen Jane (Head of Central Clinical School (CCS)).

If you'd like to find out more about diabetes research and treatment for its complications, CCS is hosting a public lecture next week (Thursday 19 October 2017). All welcome! RSVP here

What's on at CCS 16-20 Oct 2017

Prof Mark Cooper is giving CCS's annual public
lecture on Thursday 19 Oct. All welcome! RSVP

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: www.med.monash.edu.au/cecs/events/seminars.html

What's on at CCS 16-20 October 2017

Mon	16/10/2017	►	12:30	Alfred Psychiatry Grand Round: A/Prof Simon Stafrace
Tue	17/10/2017	►	10:00	Department of Diabetes Student Journal Club
		►	12:00	ACBD seminar: Dr Josh Casan
Thur	19/10/2017	►	12:00	The Alfred Grand Round: David Ruschena
		►	18:30	CCS public lecture: Changing the way we manage diabetes and its complications - Prof Mark Cooper

Recent CCS publications: 23 Sep - 13 Oct 2017

David Tarlinton with his group. He and Simona Infantino are last
& first authors respectively on a Nature Communications article on
how an enzyme called PRMT1 keeps B cells going once activated.
See video of David explaining the research

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)
• Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine
• Centre for Obesity Research and Education (CORE)
• Gastroenterology
• Immunology and Pathology
• Infectious Diseases
• Medicine
• Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC)
• Monash Alfred Psychiatry research centre (MAPrc) 
• Surgery 

Revealed: the enzyme behind immune cell activity

Prof David Tarlinton and some of his
group. L-R: Dr Simona Infantino, Mr
Nik Kocovski (PhD student) and Mr
Dean Low (PhD student)

by Anne Crawford

Monash University researchers have revealed the role played by an enzyme that is pivotal to the process of clearing infection in the body. Moreover, they suggest that the enzyme may be a potential target for drug development to block the types of inappropriate or excessive cell behaviour that occur in cancer and autoimmunity.

The production of antibodies – proteins secreted into our blood that neutralise invaders such as bacteria and viruses – is one of the immune system’s most important ways of protecting us from infections.

But the immune cells that ultimately make or secrete the antibody – a type of white blood cell called B-cells or B-lymphocytes – need to change significantly to do this. They have to be activated, proliferate and change their function, all of which requires significant remodeling of the machinery of the cell.

Potential new target for diabetic kidney disease

On the cover: Immunofluorescence staining of Nox5 (red) and SM22-α (green) on human kidney biopsy obtained from an individual with diabetes showing colocalization of Nox5 (yellow) in the vascular smooth muscle cells including glomerular mesangial cells (magnification ×20). Image courtesy of Jay C. Jha, whose article, “NADPH Oxidase Nox5 Accelerates Renal Injury in Diabetic Nephropathy,” appears in this issue of Diabetes (p. 2691).

by Anne Crawford

Researchers from Monash University’s new Department of Diabetes have shed light on a protein that may play an important role in promoting diabetic kidney disease.

In a study published in the journal ‘Diabetes’ this month, Professor Karin Jandeleit-Dahm and her team found that Nox5, a pro-oxidant enzyme, was highly upregulated in human kidneys affected by diabetes.
The finding builds on work by the researchers into the NOX family (NADPH oxidases) and their role in diabetic complications, which has led to a national clinical trial of a drug to potentially treat type 1 diabetes.

The Nox inhibitor, a compound produced by the biopharmaceutical company Genkyotex Inc, Switzerland, acts mainly on the Nox1 and Nox4 isoforms of NADPH-oxidase.

Immune cells discovered in the eye may help premature babies

Wilkinson-Berka group. L-R: Mr Jack Jerome,  Ms Osanna Wong, Mr
Saeed Alrashdi, Dr Devy Deliyanti, Professor Jenny Wilkinson-Berka.
Jack, Devy and Jenny are authors on the paper.

by Anne Crawford

Ground-breaking research by Monash University scientists has demonstrated the previously unknown existence of a disease-fighting immune cell in the eye and points to potential novel ways of treating eye disorders in premature babies and diabetic adults.

The scientists, led by Professor Jennifer Wilkinson-Berka in the Central Clinical School’s new Department of Diabetes, were investigating improved ways of treating retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), which occurs in very small, prematurely born babies.

Event reminder: Changing the way we treat diabetes and its complications, CCS Public Lecture

Professor Cooper in the new Department of Diabetes

The CCS Public Lecture on diabetes and its complications, presented by Professor Mark Cooper AO, is coming up shortly on Thursday October 19.