Photo of the week: Motherhood and scholarship

MAPrc PhD student Elizabeth Thomas with her baby daughter

Does having a baby mean your ambitions have to go on hold? Not as far as Elizabeth Thomas, a PhD student at Monash Alfred Psychiatry research centre (MAPrc) is concerned.

What's on at CCS 10-14 September 2018

Dr Carolyn Breadon, PhD candidate
at MAPrc,11.30 am Mon 10 Sep

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.monash.edu/medicine/ccs/headlines/events-calendar

What's on at CCS 10-14 September 2018

Mon	10/09/2018	►	11:30	PhD confirmation milestone - Carolyn Breadon
		►	12:00	Neuroscience seminar series CANCELLED
Tue	11/09/2018	►	11:00	MPhil Confirmation Milestone: Ing Tiong
Wed	12/09/2018	►	11:30	Seminar: Christina Begka
Thur	13/09/2018	►	11:30	Journal Club: Jade Jaffar
			12:00	Alfred Grand Rounds: Controversies in aged care

Save the date! 12 November 2018 CCS graduate research symposium

You are invited to attend a symposium held by, and for, PhD and Masters students at the Central Clinical School’s 2018 Annual Graduate Research Symposium - the 11th in the annual series - and be a part of the most interactive, student run event of the year.

Join us for a variety of presentations from postgraduate students around Central Clinical School.

Recent CCS publications: 1 - 7 September 2018

ACBD research group working on leukaemia stem cells. L-R: Ms Loretta Cerruti, A/Prof Stephen Ting, Ms Jacqueline Boyle, A/Prof David Curtis,  Dr Cedric Tremblay,   Dr Stefan Sonderegger, Dr Emma Toulmin, Dr Christina Tebartz,   Ms Jesslyn Saw, Mr Andrej Terzic, Ms Michelle Karlik,  Ms Ashlee Conway.  The bolded names are co-authors on a recent paper investigating pre-leukaemia stem cell mutations. 

Cure rates for acute leukemia have not improved over the last 20 years. One explanation for this lack of progress is the existence of rare leukemic cells that escape chemotherapy. Using genetically modified mice that can track cells according to their cycling kinetics, we found that dormant leukemic cells are essential for the progression of the disease. Most importantly, we show that these dormant cells escape chemotherapy and lead to recurrence of the disease in acute leukemia. This work will identify new ways to eliminate these therapy-resistant cells and improve cure rates for patients with acute leukemia.

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

Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Medicine (AIRmed)

Diabetes

Infectious Diseases

Medicine

Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (MAPrc)

Surgery (including CORE)

National Trauma Research Institute (Trauma)

Scientists reveal reason why diabetes protects against aneurysms

Three of the study's authors: L-R Dr Tieqao Wu,
Dr Zhong-Lin Chai and Dr Pacific Huynh

by Anne Crawford

For some years clinicians have observed that people with diabetes are usually less likely to have aortic aneurysms than non-diabetic patients. Aortic aneurysm is a major cause of death in older adults.

The phenomenon was puzzling: diabetes is associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease, specifically related to atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries. Most aortic aneurysms are caused by atherosclerosis, which weakens the blood vessel walls.

Now, Monash University scientists led by Dr Zhong-Lin Chai from the Department of Diabetes have revealed a mechanism that explains the phenomenon.

International collaboration to investigate diabetes epigenetics

L-R: Professor Mark Cooper (Monash), Professor Stephen Jane 
(Monash), Professor Paul Zimmet (Monash), Mr Sami Sagol,
Professor Naftali Stern (Director of Endocrinology,Tel Aviv
Medical Center), Dr Tamar Shahal, Prof Sam El-Osta (Monash)

A new Israel-Australia research centre involving a major collaboration with Monash University was officially launched 5 September 2018 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The Sagol Center for Epigenetics of Metabolism and Aging cements the relationship between Monash University and the Tel Aviv Medical Center, Israel’s largest health institution, where the centre will be based. The initiative was made possible by the generosity of the Sagol family in Israel and is the vision of philanthropist Sami Sagol.

Understanding type 2 diabetes: An ABC interview with Professor Merlin Thomas.

Professor Merlin Thomas

"Imagine the fat in your body is like the food that you store in your pantry."

This is how Merlin Thomas, a physician scientist from Monash University, begins when asked to explain how type 2 diabetes works.