Research Australia grassROOTS summer 2013

ISSUE FIVE 02 A Message From The CEO 03 Young Tall Poppy Of The Year 04 Researchers Move Step Closer To Cure MS

05 Electronic Gadget May

Revolutionise Asthma Care

06 New Support For Next Generation Research

06 Saving Young Lives By The Million 07 Preventing Childhood Obesity 08 Celebrating A Visionary Man On World Sight Day

09 Breakthrough In Treating

Childhood Cancer To Be Available By 2015

10 Professor Adele Green:

Australia’s Woman Of Influence

11 The National Guidelines For The Safe Restraint Of Children

12 New Drugs To Treat

Major Health Burdens

13 Heart Of The Centre

Educational Symposium

15 Blood Test Promises New Screening Option For Bowel Cancer

16 Ingham Institute Celebrates Research Excellence

18 LOCHI Study Provides Insight Into How Technology Can Best Help Children With Hearing Loss

19 Cook For A Cure Round Up 20 Improving Access To Speech

And Language Support Through Technology-Assisted Therapy

22 Promising Results Significantly

RESEARCH AUSTRALIA

AN ALLIANCE FOR DISCOVERIES IN HEALTH

Improve Outlook For Stroke Patients And Clinical Practice Guidelines

23 Statistician Terry Speed Awarded PM’s Prize For Science For Work In Bioinformatics

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Editor’s Corner

SUMMER 2013

Summer 2013

A Message From The CEO

Welcome to the “Bumper” Summer Edition of grassROOTS. Thank you to all our contributors and the generous team who pull the magazine together.

Congratulations to all the Research Australia Award winners who were announced at our 11th Annual Awards night at the Park Hyatt in Melbourne on 13 November. Thank you also to Sophie Scott who was our Master of Ceremonies for the evening.

Nearly 200 people attended this year to celebrate and acknowledge individuals and corporations for areas such as discovery, advocacy, and philanthropy and lifetime achievement.

We had a number of prominent figures awarded, including 2011 Australian of the Year, Simon McKeon, media personality, Mark Beretta, and Founding Director of the International Diabetes Institute, Professor Paul Zimmet. We congratulate all of the recipients for their pioneering efforts and ongoing commitment to advancing the health and medical research industry in Australia.

Our award winners for this year are: 1. The Peter Wills Medal: Professor Paul Zimmet AO 2. The Lifetime Achievement Award: Bill Ferris AC 3. The Advocacy Award: Mark Beretta, From “Sunrise” 4. The Leadership & Innovation Award: Simon McKeon AO 5. The Great Australian Philanthropy Award: Susan Alberti AO 6. The Discovery Award: Dr Franziska Bieri 7. The Leadership in Corporate Giving Award: Rio Tinto

This year, Research Australia was delighted to have the long standing GlaxoSmithKline Award for Research Excellence presented to Professor Ingrid Scheffer as part of our Awards night. Now in its 33rd year, this award recognises outstanding achievements in medical research and aims to facilitate career development with potential importance to human health and Australian research, with the recipient receiving a research grant of $80,000.

For full details on our Awards night go to: http://www.researchaustralia. org/events/category/awards-night.

It’s been a big year for Research Australia, and you can read about many of our activities, like our submission work, Cook For A Cure and our philanthropy conference in our annual report available online at www.researchaustralia.org. It’s obviously been a big year for our members as shown by the number of articles we have featured in this edition of grassROOTS. With a new Federal Government, and with the ink only just dry on the McKeon Review, Research Australia has a very full agenda for 2014. We wish everyone well for the festive season, and look forward to reading more of our members achievements in future editions of grassROOTS. Elizabeth Foley CEO & Managing Director Research Australia

inner of The Great Australian W Philanthropy Award 2013: Susan Alberti AO, Prof Christine Bennett (Chair, Research Australia), Lisa George (Head, Macquarie Group Foundation).

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Research Australia grassROOTS SUMMER 2013

Summer 2013

Young Tall Poppy Of The Year Walter and Eliza Hall Institute medical researcher Dr Shalin Naik has been named the 2013 Victorian Young Tall Poppy of the Year by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science, for his research into how the immune system develops.

Dr Naik’s research focuses on discovering how stem cells in the bone marrow divide and change into immune cells that work together as a team to protect the body from infections.

Dr Naik, who is a laboratory head in the institute’s Molecular Medicine division, said maintaining the right balance of immune cells in the body was critical to our health. “The blood cancers leukaemia and lymphoma can be caused by the uncontrolled growth of immune cells,” he said. “Conversely, people who have too few immune cells have problems with fighting infection. It is really important to understand how immune cells are formed so we know what goes wrong in a range of diseases. Once we know what goes wrong, the next step will be to work out how to fix the problem.

“Until recently, everyone thought that all the different types of immune cells came from the same stem cells in the bone marrow. I have been testing this assumption using an exciting new technique called ‘barcoding’ that allows us to follow individual stem cells to find out which cells they can develop into – a bit like how a courier service tracks packages,” Dr Naik said. “We have been really excited to discover very recently that stem cells do appear to be programmed to only produce certain immune cells, which has the potential to upend many of the existing theories about immune cell production.”

The Young Tall Poppy awards recognise researchers who, as well as displaying notable scientific achievements, have enthusiastically communicated their research to the wider community. Dr Naik was one of eight finalists to be selected from the Victorian scientific community.

The director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Professor Doug Hilton, said Dr Naik was very deserving of the Young Tall Poppy award. “I have followed Shalin’s career for many years, and have been delighted to see him mature into an independent scientist who can insightfully combine classical immunology with newly developed technology,” he said.

Media Release STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL 7:00PM, THURS

Immunology researcher named Young

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute medical researcher Dr S the 2013 Victorian Young Tall Poppy of the Year by the Science, for his research into how the immune system Dr Naikʼs research focuses on discovering how stem c change into immune cells that work together as a team Dr Naik, who is a laboratory head in the instituteʼs Mole maintaining the right balance of immune cells in the bo blood cancers leukaemia and lymphoma can be cause immune cells,” he said. “Conversely, people who have problems with fighting infection. It is really important to formed so we know what goes wrong in a range of dise wrong, the next step will be to work out how to fix the p “Until recently, everyone thought that all the different ty same stem cells in the bone marrow. I have been testin new technique called ʻbarcodingʼ that allows us to follow which cells they can develop into – a bit like how a cou Naik said. “We have been really excited to discover ver to be programmed to only produce certain immune cell many of the existing theories about immune cell produc The Young Tall Poppy awards recognise researchers w scientific achievements, have enthusiastically commun community. Dr Naik was one of eight finalists to be sele community.

The director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Profe very deserving of the Young Tall Poppy award. “I have years, and have been delighted to see him mature into Walter and Eliza Hall Institute immunology researcher Dr Shalin Naik is the Australian Institute of Policy and Science’s 2013 Victorian Young Tall Poppy the Year. immunology with newly d insightfully combine of classical “Importantly, as well as being an outstanding scientist, academic avenues of communicating his research and range of outreach activities. I am confident that his pas beyond the classic academic avenues of venture into new fields will secure him a place among o communicating his research and has been scientific“Until recently, everyone leaders.” very active in a wide range of outreach thought theofdifferent Dr Naik said the that awardall was special significance bec activities. I am confident that his passion, communicating science to the public, particularly schoo types of immune cells came commitment and courage to venture communication is something I am not only passionate from the same stem cells into new fields will secure him a place responsibility,” he said. among our nation’s next generation of in the bone marrow. I have “Scientists need to get out there and explain to people scientific leaders.” been assumption We have thetesting power tothis stimulate the curiosity of kids tod Dr Naik said the award was of special ansaid. exciting new tomorrow,"using Dr Naik significance because he believed that technique called ‘barcoding’ communicating science to the public, that allows us to follow particularly school students, was vital.

For more information contact Vanessa Solomon, Comm cells to 431766715 orstem solomon@wehi.edu.au “Science communication is something I am 2971, +61 individual not only passionate about, but I believe is find out which cells they our responsibility,” he said. can develop into – a bit “Scientists need to get out there and explain to people why their research is so important. We have the power to stimulate the curiosity of kids today to be the scientists of tomorrow,” Dr Naik said.

like how a courier service tracks packages,”

“Importantly, as well as being an outstanding scientist, Shalin has gone

Research Australia grassROOTS SUMMER 2013

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Summer 2013

Researchers Move Step Closer To Cure MS Researchers uncover 48 new genetic variants that influence the risk of developing MS

The research took advantage of RESEA ImmunoChip; a custom designed, cuttingedge genotyping technology that targets Researchers unc specific sets of genetic variants linked to More major discoveries will come one or more autoimmune diseases.EMBARGO: IMSGC 3.00am AEST 30 September 2013 from the IMSGC,” Associate Professor researchers used the ImmunoChip platform Booth added.

AUSTRALIA, Sydney – Sept to analyse the DNA from 29,300 individuals The team, working under the umbrella of Dr. Jacob McCauley from the University with MS and 50,794 unrelated healthy has made a key discovery in n the International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics RESEARCHERS TO CURE of Miami (who led the MS study on behalf of controls, making this MOVE the largestSTEP geneticsCLOSER Consortium (IMSGC), identified 48 the IMSGC), commented further on the study ever performed for MS. previously unknown genetic variants that The team,of significance of published the work and nature Researchers DNA uncover 48 new genetic variants - study findings today inworking under the from blood samples from 80,000 influence the risk of developing MS. the collaboration. previously unknown genetic va Nature people both with and withoutGenetics MS were Journal The discovery nearly doubles the “With the release of these new data, our examined, 1800 of which came from number of known genetic risk factors AUSTRALIA, Sydney – Australia September 2013 – An international team of scientists strong Australian contingent ongoingincluding effort to aelucidate the genetic and30, New Zealand.

The discovery nearly doubles and thereby provides additional key components of this complex disease has made a key discovery new research to help 48 findnew the cause and cure of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

In in addition to identifying insights into the biology ofhas this debilitating biology of this debilitating neur taken a major step forward.

Describing susceptibility variants, the study also neurological condition. the genetic underpinnings of any complex confirmed and further refined a similar team, working under the umbrella of the International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics identified 48 The genes implicated by The the newly disease is a Consortium complicated(IMSGC), but Thecritical genesstep. implicated by the number of previously identified genetic identified associations underline the central By further refining the genetic landscape previously unknown genetic variants that influence of developing MS. associations.

With these the newrisk findings, development role played by the immune system in the of multiple sclerosis and identifying novelof MS and show there are now 110 genetic variants development of MS and show substantial inflammatory genetic associations, we are closer to bowel disease, C associated with MS. nearly doubles the number of known genetic risk factors and thereby provides additional key insights into the overlap with genes knownThe to discovery be involved being able to identify the cellular and each of these variants individually in other autoimmune diseases asdebilitatingAlthough biologysuch of this neurological condition. molecular processes responsible for MS The study published today in t confers only a very small risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s and therefore the specific biological targets multiple sclerosis, collectively they explain disease and celiac disease. for future drug treatment strategies.

The genes implicated by the newly identified associations underline the central role played by the immune system in the approximately 20 percent of the genetic Relying of upon an international The study published today in the medical “These results the culmination development of MS and component show substantial with genes known to be involved in otherare autoimmune diseasesasuch as of theoverlap disease. journal, Nature Genetics, is the largest thoroughly collaborative effort.

A study University of Miami Miller Sch inflammatory Crohn’s disease and celiac Associate Professor Booth saiddisease. the findings investigation of MS genetics to date. bowel disease, of this size and impact is only possible Booth, MS Research Australia represented an important milestone in because of the willingness of so many hard Relying upon an international team of 193 fellowtoscientists from the ANZ MS working researchers and thousands of The study published today in research. the medical journal, Nature Genetics, is the largest investigation of MS genetics date. investigators from 84 research groups patients to invest their time and energy in a “This publication represents another giant in 13 countries, the study was led by shared goal.” said Dr. McCauley. step forward in understanding the genetic the University of Miami Miller School of The research took advantage AUSTRALIA, Sydney – September 30, 2013 – An international team of scientists including a strong Australian contingent has made a key discovery in new research to help find the cause and cure of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Relying upon an international team of 193 investigators from 84 research groups in 13 countries, the study was led by the

contribution to the cause of MS, a step of Medicine and locally across Australia and The project was funded bysets more of than geneticDavid variants linked University of David Miami Millerequal School Medicine and locally acrossinAustralia and New Zealand by Associate Professor sizeofto that published in Nature New Zealand by Associate Professor 40 national agencies and foundations, analyse the DNA from 29,300 Booth,Senior MS Research Australia Research Fellow from the Westmeadincluding Millennium Institute, University of Sydney with 2011.”Senior he said.

Booth, MS Research Australia support from the Australian Research Fellow from thefellow Westmead study ever performed for MS. Health and Medical Research scientists from the“It ANZgene Consortium (Australia and New Zealand National MS Genetics Consortium). shows again the power of global Millennium Institute, University of Sydney Council. Underpinning the entire research collaboration in pursuit of the cause with fellow scientists from the ANZgene project was the dependency on biobanks, and cure of the most common chronic from blood samples from research took advantage of ImmunoChip; a custom designed, cutting-edge genotyping technology DNA that targets Consortium (Australia andThe New Zealand built up over many years from many specific neurological disease of young adults.

MS Genetics Consortium). and New Zealand.to sets of genetic variants linked to one or more autoimmune diseases. IMSGC researchers used the ImmunoChip funding sources around the world. platform analyse the DNA from 29,300 individuals with MS and 50,794 unrelated healthy controls, making the largest genetics Dr. Matthew Miles, MSthis Research Australia’s

CEO said, “MS Research Australia is to identifying 48 n In addition proud to have provided foundation previously identified genetic a funding and continued support to the DNA from blood samples from 80,000 people both with and without MS were examined, 1800 of which came from Australia ANZgene Consortium. ThisAlthough work is aeach of these varian and New Zealand. huge contribution to our understanding explain approximately 20 perc of MS and will underpin intensified efforts to translate these genetic findings into In addition to identifying 48 new susceptibility variants, the study also confirmed and further refined Associate a similar number of Booth sai Professor new therapies to reduce the impact of this previously identified genetic associations. With these new findings, there are now 110 genetic variants associated with MS. condition for people with MS world-wide.” study ever performed for MS.

Although each of these variants individually confers only a very small risk of developing multiple sclerosis, collectively they explain approximately 20 percent of the genetic component of the disease.

There is currently no cure for MS.

Associate Professor Booth said the findings represented an important milestone in MS research. ongratulations Prof Graeme Stewart C (R) and A/Prof David Booth (L)

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Research Australia grassROOTS SUMMER 2013

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Summer 2013

Electronic Gadget May Revolutionise Asthma Care An electronic monitor that clips onto your inhaler and sends personalised puffer alerts to you and your doctor when you forget to use it, could help thousands of Australians better manage their condition.

A newly-published paper by the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research highlights the benefits of electronic monitoring devices for managing treatment among those with asthma.

Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory condition, affecting one in ten Australians, but it is thought that up to three quarters of sufferers don’t regularly take the preventative medications needed to manage it.

Dr Juliet Foster, co-author of the review published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, said preventer inhalers work well but busy lifestyles tend to get in the way of using them properly, especially – ironically – among those who need them most.

“This means that people with asthma may not fully benefit from their treatment, sometimes with serious consequences when forgetting becomes the norm rather than the exception,” Dr Foster said.

“Unfortunately people are experiencing more symptoms and poorer quality of life simply because they have no routine for taking their preventer treatment.”

Electronic monitors have been well used in medical research, where they’ve boosted regular use. But until now they’ve been deemed too expensive and complicated to hand out to patients. That is set to change, says Dr Foster, who along with international asthma experts from USA and New Zealand, makes a case for these state-of-the art devices to enter the treatment world.

between better adherence and better lung health, the paper states. If proven to work, it could be time to roll out electronic monitors to asthmatics, particularly those with severe asthma, who are most likely to need expensive health care treatment in their lifetime.

The paper, entitled “Adherence Monitoring and E-Health”, is published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. Lead authors Dr Juliet Foster and Associate Prof Helen Reddel, both from the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, are themselves carrying out new research using these electronic monitors. About a dozen branded devices are currently commercially available internationally to monitor asthma inhalers.

For more information and interview requests, contact Lucy Williams on: Mobile: 0403 753 028 Email: l.williams@woolcock.org.au Co-author Dr Juliet Foster is available for expert comment.

Asthma in Australia • Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory condition of the airways, affecting one in ten Australians.

• People with asthma experience episodes of wheezing, breathlessness and chest tightness due to widespread narrowing of the airways.

• The causes are still not well understood, but airway narrowing and symptoms can be triggered by viral infections, exercise, and exposure to allergens and irritants.

• $655 million was spent on asthma in 2008–09.

• In 2010, 37,830 Australians were hospitalized due to asthma, and 416 people died from the condition.

• Adherence to medications is poor, with many people with asthma failing to use their preventer inhaler as often as needed to control their condition.

• In 2009, less than a quarter of Australians aged 15–64 years collected prescribed medication from their pharmacy consistent with regular use.

“These clever devices can record the date and time of every puff and can even feed this information back to the patient and their doctor so they’re more aware of medication-taking habits”

The latest incarnations of electronic monitors can remind people with asthma to take forgotten medication with personalised ringtones and map out their medication use over days, weeks and months. Like other new tech gadgets, some even come with GPS tracking, Bluetooth and internet capabilities that can link patients with their medical centre.

“These clever devices can record the date and time of every puff and can even feed this information back to the patient and their doctor so they’re more aware of medication-taking habits” she said.

More large targeted studies using these devices are needed to prove the link

Research Australia grassROOTS SUMMER 2013

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Summer 2013

New Support For Next Generation Research The Australian Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Research Network (T1DCRN), managed by Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), is delivering $700,000 of Government funding through new “Pilot and Feasibility” (P&F) grants to 9 research projects. These researchers are seeking to change the world for people with type 1 diabetes.

The P&F grants are designed to speed the progress of type 1 diabetes research towards clinical trials by enabling smallscale ‘pilot’ research to take place. Projects at this stage that prove their feasibility will set the foundations for future collaborations and large-scale trials. Traditionally these small-scale projects have suffered from a shortage of research funding.

Grant recipients are represented by major universities and institutes across Australia.

The scope covers a broad spectrum including immune therapies, biomarkers, telehealth, and exercise and lifestyle, across both paediatric and adult type 1 diabetes patients.

The grants have been issued through the T1DCRN, which is a collaborative network that helps deliver better links between researchers, institutions, patients, industry and international networks. It has been supported by a $5 million grant from the Australian Government to JDRF.

Grant recipient Lin Perry is Professor of Nursing Research and Practice Development in the Faculty of Health at UTS. She will use her grant to support a project that uses telehealth to support people in rural areas who use insulin pumps.

Prof Perry said “I’m thrilled to receive a T1DCRN grant for this project, which applies learnings from other diseases to address the inequality in access to medical experts as a result of distance for rural patients.”

“I saw an urgent need to use new technologies like insulin pump up-load functions, mobile phones and easily-available applications to help T1D patients in the country manage their chronic disease with greater help.”

JDRF CEO Mike Wilson said these grants were an example of intelligent research funding. “These are relatively small grants individually, but they respond to a big need in the research community and they are enabling grants, setting the scene for future

research that could transform the world of T1D research.”

The Australian Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Research Network (T1DCRN) Australia’s T1DCRN is using cutting edge science to ensure Australians with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have access to new therapies and treatments. It is building Australia’s international competitiveness, as well as working to reduce the burden on Australia’s healthcare budget.

The scientists, hospitals, patients and families involved in the Australian Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Research Network (T1DCRN) are determined to get research out of the laboratory and into the lives of the 122,300 Australians with T1D. Since its launch by JDRF in June 2011 the T1DCRN has built a strong foundation for the future.

Saving Young Lives By The Million By their third birthday, just about every child in the world has had a rotavirus infection.

Every day about 1,200 children die from it; half a million children every year. That’s changing. We’re fighting back thanks to a discovery made in 1973 by a quiet Melbourne researcher—this year’s winner of the 2013 CSL Florey Medal.

That was when Ruth Bishop, Brian Ruck, Geoffrey Davidson and Ian Holmes at the Royal Children’s Hospital and the University of Melbourne’s microbiology department found a virus, now known as rotavirus. Until the middle of the last decade, it put about 10,000 Australian children in hospital each year with acute gastroenteritis. In the next decade, as a direct result of their research, millions of young lives will be saved.

The discovery initiated a life’s work for Ruth—understanding the virus, working out how it spreads, and fighting back with treatments and vaccines. As a result, vaccination against “gastro” has been part of the National Immunisation Program for all Australian infants since July 2007. And the

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number of hospital admissions has dropped by more than 70 per cent.

Globally, rotavirus infection still leads to more than 450,000 child deaths each year. But that’s changing too. Fifty million children in the poorest countries will be vaccinated by 2015 by GAVI, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, and their partners, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Figures available from Bolivia, the first low-income country to take part in the program, show a drop of about three-quarters of all hospitalisations.

Yet Ruth Bishop, a quietly-spoken Australian microbiologist now in her eighties, won’t be fully satisfied until a new

Research Australia grassROOTS SUMMER 2013

vaccine she helped develop becomes available. It’s intended for newborns, “the only time children in many developing countries are likely to be near a hospital,” she says. The vaccine is currently being trialled in Indonesia and New Zealand.

For her work in saving the lives of young children worldwide and inspiring a revolution in public health, Professor Ruth Bishop has won the 2013 CSL Florey Medal, a $50,000 biennial award made by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science. The medal honours Australian researchers who have made significant achievements in biomedical science and/or in advancing human health.

Niall Byrne Creative Director Science in Public

Summer 2013

Preventing Childhood Obesity The World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention at Deakin University, in collaboration with researchers at Harvard University, the Brookings Institution, Tufts University and Washington University in St Louis, has been awarded $3m in funding from the US National Institutes of Health.

The funding, to run from 2013 to 2018, is aimed at advancing childhood obesity prevention using a broad systems perspective.

“The project will develop and test models for system intervention in whole-ofcommunity early childhood obesity prevention programs in the US and Australia,” said Professor Steven Allender, Co-Director of the Centre.

“The funding will enhance existing obesity prevention interventions and create a flexible systems science model with wide applicability to aid future efforts.

“The impact of this project lies in the potential to inform new and sustainable strategies to reduce the burden of childhood obesity and its consequences in Australia, the US and further abroad.”

Professor Catherine Bennett, the head of the School of Health and Social Development congratulated Professor Allender and Professor Boyd Swinburne and their team on the funding result.

“I am pleased and proud to announce this funding,” she said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention was established in 2003 as part of Deakin University’s Faculty of Health.

Along with four other research groups it now forms the Deakin Population Health Strategic Research Centre.

WHO Collaborating Centres are institutions designated by the Director-General of WHO to form an inter-institutional collaborative network to support WHO in its programs at the country, inter-country, regional, interregional and global levels.

WHO Collaborating Centres must also participate in strengthening country resources – through information, services, research and training, in support of national health development.

“The project will develop and test models for system intervention in whole-ofcommunity early childhood obesity prevention programs in the US and Australia.”

The WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention works to realise the following objectives: • To undertake research and build research capacity in all aspects of obesity prevention.

• To train and educate professionals and academics in the science and art of obesity prevention.

• To support WHO and Member States (especially in the Western Pacific Region) in the development, advocacy, implementation and evaluation of population-based strategies for obesity prevention.

• To provide expert advice to WHO and Member States on obesity-related matters and support for WHO and other key institutions to increase the capacity and capabilities of people in the Region (especially in the Pacific) in obesity prevention.

There are five major, overlapping areas of research carried out by the WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention: 1. Community-Based Prevention 2. C-POND (Pacific Projects) 3. Socio-Cultural Studies 4. Health Economics of Obesity 5. Food Policy Professor Allender’s research has also been recognised in the Medicines and Medicinal Sciences section of the latest Scopus Awards. rofessor Steven Allender P Co-Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention

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Summer 2013

Celebrating A Visionary Man On World Sight Day To celebrate World Sight Day on 10 October 2013, the Macular Disease Foundation Australia’s Ambassadors Jan Utzon and Jean Kittson joined forces to highlight the enormous impact macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in Australia, has had on their parent’s lives.

Jørn Utzon, who designed Australia’s iconic Sydney Opera House, lived with macular degeneration in his later life. “My father, Jørn Utzon, was a visionary man and witnessing his sight deteriorate from macular degeneration was heartbreaking.

The trauma the disease inflicts is enormous and I urge society to make greater efforts in research to find a cure,” said Jan from his home in Denmark.

Jean Kittson’s mother Elaine, like so many Australians, proudly witnessed the Sydney Opera House being designed and built 40 years ago. Today Elaine has severe vision loss from macular degeneration and like thousands of older Australians of her generation, has lost her central vision.

“Little did mum know that 40 years on she would not be able to see the world famous Sydney Opera House,” said daughter Jean.

Over 1 million people (1 in 7 over 50) show some evidence of macular degeneration and those who have a direct family history, like Macular Disease Foundation

Australia Ambassadors Jan and Jean, have a 50% chance of developing the disease. Jean’s mother, both her uncles and one of their parents, as well as other family ancestors, have been affected by macular degeneration.

Julie Heraghty CEO of Macular Disease Foundation Australia said, “Research is a journey of discovery with the ultimate destination being a place where we can save sight, so that all Australians can see a future. Through the generosity of the Australian community, the Foundation is continuing to invest heavily in macular degeneration research to realise this important goal.”

“Little did mum know that 40 years on she would not be able to see the world famous Sydney Opera House,”

Celebrating

The Foundation awarded the prestigious Macular Disease Foundation Australia celebrate World Sight D Research Grants of To $600,000 to outstanding Australian researchers at Ambassadors Jan Utzon a an event; Through his Eyes, which was the leading c degeneration, hosted in the Utzon Room at Sydney Opera House:

Jørn Utzon, who designed

• Associate Professor Erica Fletcher in his later life. “My father, Department of Anatomy and macular degeneration Neuroscience, Thefrom University of Melbourne; and urge society to make great

Denmark.

• Associate Professor Damien Harkin School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology Jean Kittson's and mother Elain the Queensland Eye Institute.

House being designed and

Associate Professor degeneration Fletcher will undertake and like thou research to examine"Little how thedid removal of mum know that 4 debris in the eyes changes as we age and Opera House," said daugh this work will be crucial for developing new treatments for macular degeneration.

Associate Professor Over Harkin 1 willmillion examinepeople (1 in a protein extracted from as a form whosilkhave a direct family hi of scaffold on whichJean, to growhave new retinal a 50% chance tissue, which may eventually help maintain their parents, as well as oth or restore vision.

During the event, a photo tribute to Jørn Julie Heraghty CEO of Mac Utzon was displayed in the Utzon Room discovery with of Sydney Opera House.

The photos arethe ultimate Australians moments in time of Jørn Utzon’s life can and see a futur celebrate a man of vision.

A pair of Jørn is continuing to invest heav Utzon’s glasses were also on display which symbolize a great man’s vision and were The Foundation awarded t donated to the Foundation by his son Jan.

of $600,000 to outstanding hosted in the Utzon Room  Associate Professo University of Melbo  Associate Professo of Technology and

Associate Professor Fletch eyes changes as we age a degeneration. Associate P scaffold on which to grow n

During the event, a photo t House. The photos are mo of Jørn Professor Robyn Guymer,Utzon’s glasses we Julie Heraghty CEO, Macular donated to the Foundation Disease Foundation Australia, Associate Professor Damien Harkin

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Research Australia grassROOTS SUMMER 2013

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Summer 2013

Breakthrough In Treating Childhood Cancer To Be Available By 2015 A whole new class of drugs to treat children with cancer has been developed by researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and supported by The Kids’ Cancer Project.

The research, led by Professor Peter Gunning and Dr Justine Stehn, is effective in two types of cancer, neuroblastoma and melanoma in animal models. The first clinical trials are on track to commence in 2015. The paper was published in Cancer Research in August and follows more than 30 years of work and sustained community funding.

The journal Cancer Research reports that the compound TR100 targets the protein tropomyosin, one of the building blocks of cancer cells. “Attacking the cancer cell has long been an obvious target, but until now attempts have failed because the building blocks of the structure of the cancer cell are also used to build the heart and muscle, so the toxicity was unacceptable,” says Dr Justin Stehn, an author on the paper from the UNSW Oncology Research Unit.

As toxicity had been a major stumbling block in earlier research, possible funders were scarce. Professor Gunning says the financial support of the The Kids’ Cancer Project is the only way this research has been possible.

“This research opens up a door on something the pharmaceutical industry and science gave up on 25 years ago,” says the CEO of The Kids’ Cancer Project, Peter Neilson.

“It shows our Founder’s faith in this work was right,” he says. “We will continue to

invest in this and we are determined to see it going into clinical trials in children with hard to treat neuroblastoma.”

This work is vindication for Professor Gunning’s team which was alone in its theory about the architecture of cells. The UNSW team is believed to be the only one working in this area internationally.

“This truly has been my life’s work,” said Professor Gunning. “We’ve been surprised by the potential of this treatment,” he said.

“It is likely to work against all cancers.

“It is much like what happens when you see a building collapse on the TV news. Our drug causes the structure of the cells to collapse – and it happens relatively quickly.”

It took a lot of gruelling laboratory hours but the team recognised there was a key part of the cancer cell structure that could be safely targeted. Professor Gunning hopes his research will help thousands of children in Australia and around the world who do not respond to existing neuroblastoma treatments.

Childhood cancer remains the single greatest cause of death from disease in Australian children, with three children dying from the condition a week. “Cancer in children is not the result of lifestyle issues, so you’re relying on medical research to see any improvement in survival rates,” says the Dean of UNSW

Medicine, Professor Peter Smith, who is also Chair of The Research Advisory Committee of The Kids’ Cancer Project.

“In the 1960’s, less than 10 per cent of children survived cancer and now it’s 80 per cent,” says Professor Smith, who campaigned to have chemotherapy used in children in the 1970’s, dramatically improving survival rates.

“That improvement is all down to research.

So it shows how important these partnerships are.”

The work is also supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Cancer Council NSW, the Cancer Institute NSW and the Office for Health and Medical Research, NSW Ministry of Health.

“It is much like what happens when you see a building collapse on the TV news. Our drug causes the structure of the cells to collapse – and it happens relatively quickly.”

eft to right: Dad Erin holding Zoe, L mum Alison holding Harvey, Georgia, Dr Justine Stehn UNSW, Peter Neilson CEO The Kids’ Cancer Project, Professor Peter Gunning UNSW.

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Summer 2013

Professor Adele Green: Australia’s Woman Of Influence The skin cancer researcher whose life’s work has influenced the behaviour of every Australian was publicly recognised for her pioneering work, in October.

From a field of more than 500 extraordinary women, Professor Adele Green AC was declared overall winner at the prestigious Westpac and Australian Financial Review 100 Women of Influence awards.

Professor Green, Senior Scientist at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane, was also declared winner of the Innovation category. Other categories included business entrepreneur, public policy, and board/management.

“This is a tremendous and unexpected honour,” Professor Green said.

“My great thanks goes to Westpac and The Financial Review for promoting the achievements of Australia’s women in such a wonderful way.

“There are many highly influential women working in medical research in this country today and I’d like to think I’m accepting this award on their behalf as well.”

“There are many highly influential women working in medical research in this country today and I’d like to think I’m accepting this award on their behalf as well.”

Adele Green may not be a household name, but she should be. We all owe her a debt of gratitude.

“My life was turned on its head when what I thought was just an annoying mole on my back turned out to be a very, very nasty melanoma, “ Mr Hywood said.

“I’d like to personally congratulate Professor Adele Green on her achievements.

“We are delighted to be able to recognise and reward her hard work and research in finding a cure for skin cancer melanomas.

The prestigious honour is the latest in a long line for Professor Green, who is also the current Queensland Australian of the Year.

She has waged a 20-year war on skin cancer at QIMR Berghofer. One of her key projects was a 20-year follow-up study of more than 1,000 residents of the Queensland town of Nambour. The Nambour Trial has provided much of our knowledge of skin cancer, and its preventability, and led to more than 100 scientific papers. Her research was the first to establish that daily sunscreen use can prevent melanoma and skin cancer.

Westpac Group Chief Executive Officer Gail Kelly acknowledged Professor Green’s groundbreaking work, and her role as mentor to younger scientists.

“Professor Green is truly an inspiring woman whose work on understanding the causes of cancer and how to better prevent and manage melanoma is of great importance, particularly for Australians,” Ms Kelly said.

“She is internationally recognised not only for her achievements in medicine but also in the wider academic community.“ Fairfax Media Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Greg Hywood, spoke of his own brush with melanoma at the award ceremony.

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“Each finalist should be proud of their achievements, with over 500 nominations we experienced a grueling judging process and as a result we are able to celebrate the commitment and dedication these amazing women are making on society.”

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QIMR Berghofer Professor Adele rof. Adele Green, Senior Scientist, P Green, Overall Winner, 100 Women QIMR Berghofer Medical of Influence Awards.

Research Institute.

Summer 2013

The National Guidelines For The Safe Restraint Of Children NeuRa in partnership with Kidsafe – The Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia – launched The National Guidelines for the Safe Restraint of Children.

The Wiggles character Dorothy the dinosaur attended Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) as part of the celebrations and she had 20 children aged between two and five dancing along to the ‘Beep Beep, Buckle Up!’ song.

Guests from Kidsafe around Australia along with those involved in the formation of the guidelines attended, including representatives from The NRMA and Sydney Children’s Hospital. NeuRA gained a vast amount of media on the day, which was a great result; given the importance of the new guidelines in keeping our kids safe in cars.

Ensuring that parents receive straightforward, consistent advice from all sources is an important step in making this happen.

The guidelines provide best practice recommendations and are approved by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

“The aim was to have a single set of recommendations, based on research evidence, that child safety groups around Australia have agreed upon,” says NeuRA’s Professor Lynne Bilston, who led the development of the guidelines.

“The guidelines provide road safety experts around the country with a comprehensive evidence-based resource to base their advice to parents and carers on. Previously this information was scattered across different sources, making it difficult to give advice based on the best evidence.”

“It’s also important to encourage parents and carers to follow best practice rather than just the minimum required by law.”

THE NEW RECOMMENDATIONS • Children up to and including 12 years of age should sit in a rear seating position.

• Children should use a rearward facing restrain until they are too tall for it.

• Once a child is too tall for their rear facing child restraint, they should use a forwardfacing child restraint, but stay in this as opposed to a booster for as long as it fits them.

• A new forward-facing restraint may soon become available which can be used up to approximately 8 years of age.

• Never use a booster cushion.

• All child restraints and booster seats must be installed correctly.

• Restraints designed for extended rear facing use up to approximately 2–3 years are likely to be an acceptable alternative to use rather than a forward facing child restraint for children who fit within them.

• Once a child has outgrown their forward facing child restraint, they should use a booster seat up to approximately 12 years of age.

How do you know if your child can come out of a booster?

Do the 5 Point test: (Neuroscience Research Australia and Kidsafe recommend this should happen around the age of 10 – 12) 1. Can your child sit with their back flat against the back of the seat?

2. Do their legs bend comfortably past the edge of the seat?

3. Does the belt cross between the neck and shoulder?

4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, across the tops of thighs and hip bones?

5. Can the child stay seated like this the whole trip?

If you can answer “yes” to all 5 then they are ready for an adult seat belt.

To read the guidelines in full visit neura.edu. au/crs-guidelines

Injury is the leading cause of death for children aged 1 to 14 years and car crashes are the commonest cause, so it’s critical that Australian parents are doing everything they can to protect their children while in a moving vehicle. Approximately 70 Australian children die as passengers each year, and another 1500 are seriously injured. Children who are not correctly restrained in the most appropriate restraint for their size are seven times more likely to be serious injured or killed in a car crash.

Lynne Bilston says, “Although parents are getting better at choosing the right type of child restraints, many children are still not being buckled in correctly. The guidelines will help parents choose the right restraint and importantly, use that restraint correctly, keeping children as safe as they can be in the car.”

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Summer 2013

New Drugs To Treat Major Health Burdens Innovative new techniques to fast-track drug development have just been made a reality at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, thanks to generous philanthropic grants made by donors in Sydney and Melbourne.

The Florey’s Dr Daniel Scott and his team are currently developing cutting edge technologies to help develop new drugs to arrest and/or reverse major health burdens.

Their focus is on G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), a large family of proteins located on the surface of all cells in the body, and particularly in the brain.

These receptors sense stimuli such as light, smells, hormones and neurotransmitters, and in turn initiate responses to these cues. GPCR signalling controls virtually every physiological process in the body, making them ideal targets for drugs to treat very common conditions such as pain, hypertension, asthma, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, stress, anxiety, drug abuse and schizophrenia.

13 out of the top 50 prescription drugs sold in the USA in 2010 were GPCR targeting drugs. They accounted for more than 28 billion dollars of sales in that year in the USA alone, making GPCRs the largest class of drug targets. However, the instability of these proteins after purification makes them difficult to apply to contemporary drug discovery methods.

While working at The University of Zurich in Switzerland, Dr Scott invented a new method to engineer stabilised GPCRs that can be produced and purified with ease and remain stable for weeks, providing exciting new tools for drug discovery. Dr Scott subsequently set up the first dedicated GPCR engineering laboratory in Australia.

Dr Scott has designed a GPCR engineering platform to produce stabilised targets that will not only aid drug discovery, but will give insights into how these important receptors function at the atomic level.

Thanks to the support of an anonymous Sydney-based donor, Dr Scott’s group was able to purchase an automated protein purification system that greatly streamlines the preparation of GPCR samples for the group’s cutting edge research using biophysical methods such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy and low cost drug screening.

also being used to understand how drugs work on these receptors, which will help us to design new drugs with fewer side-effects.”

But in order to develop drugs for clinical use, they also need to be able to cross the blood-brain barrier, and this can be just as challenging as getting the proverbial camel through the eye of that needle.

In its neuroprotective role, the blood– brain barrier (BBB) hinders the delivery of many potentially important diagnostic and therapeutic drugs. It is composed of high-density cells restricting the passage of substances from the bloodstream much more effectively than similar cells elsewhere in the body. Large molecules do not pass through the BBB easily, and low lipid (fat) soluble molecules do not penetrate into the brain. Interestingly, lipid soluble molecules, such as barbiturates, do rapidly cross through into the brain.

At a time of ever-reducing funding into pure research, this type of philanthropic support is of vital importance to the millions of people suffering from a wide variety of common conditions. It helps our scientists to develop better therapies with fewer sideeffects in the short-term, and the insights gained may one day achieve cures.

Professor Geoffrey Tregear of the then Howard Florey Institute discovered the peptide relaxin more than 30 years ago, and the relaxin family continues to be a major research theme of the Florey’s Neuropeptides team today. Relaxin is currently in successful clinical development with ongoing Phase III trials in acute heart failure, the culmination of many years of research by Florey scientists.

Now led by Associate Professor Ross Bathgate, the team discovered a new relaxin peptide, relaxin-3, in 2000. They have subsequently demonstrated that it is involved in many key brain functions, and that targeting the relaxin-3 receptor in the brain can effectively treat stress and feeding disorders. However, the challenge is to design drugs that can be administered via the blood and cross the BBB to target this receptor.

“The new system allows us to rapidly prepare highly pure GPCR samples for our fundamental research, which aims to understand the molecular mechanisms of GPCR function,” said Dr Scott. “They are

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Fortunately, the Florey’s Neuropeptides team are very close to break-through.

Most labs use the costly and time-intensive amino acid analysis technique to measure the contents of peptides, but thanks to a very generous grant from the Jack Brockhoff Foundation, the team has recently taken delivery of a new protein quantitation system which enables them to do the job within seconds.

Research Australia grassROOTS SUMMER 2013

r Dan Scott with the automated D protein purification system. atalie Gunn, Dan Scott, N Fabian Bumbak and Kelvin Yong

Summer 2013

Heart Of The Centre Educational Symposium Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute held its fifth educational symposium designed to tackle the impact of chronic diseases in Indigenous communities in Alice Springs in October.

The symposia, titled “Heart of the Centre”, was attended by 170 healthcare professionals, highlighted best practice service and treatment approaches for those providing frontline care to people with chronic disease in rural and remote communities, with a particular emphasis on cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular disease remains the biggest killer of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. A 2011 report on the health and welfare of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples showed that among males aged 35-54 years, almost 75 per cent of the mortality gap was due to chronic diseases, and among males aged 55-74 years, it was almost 95 per cent. For younger females, aged 35-54 years, the mortality gap from chronic diseases was even greater at 79 per cent.

providers, educators, researchers and policy makers, to expand knowledge of evidence-based care and to discuss barriers to improving health outcomes in these settings.

• Presentations from this conference are available on the Baker IDI website at www.bakeridi.edu.au/events/ symposium_2013

ssociate Professor Graeme Maguire A from Baker IDI Central Australia presented on a program to assist health care providers to correctly identify Rheumatic Heart Disease. A/ Prof Maguire, a respiratory and general physician with research interests in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and tropical health, has been working in remote communities across the north of Australia for more than 15 years.

These statistics are compounded by the fact that highly preventable types of heart disease, such as Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD), are now almost exclusively restricted to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia. Despite RHD being a chronic condition which can be prevented and controlled, the prevalence of this disease in Northern and Central Australia remains among the highest in the world.

The free two-day symposia program covered a range of topics including: assessing and managing risk factors in heart disease; the management of heart disease; case studies which are making a difference; chronic disease in children and adolescents; and the nexus between infectious disease and cardiovascular disease.

Presenters included cardiovascular, diabetes and physical activity researchers; cardiologists; endocrinologists; registered nurses; infectious disease and public health physicians; obstetricians; Indigenous researchers and community leaders.

In 2009, Baker IDI initiated a series of educational symposia to address the issues relating to diabetes and cardiovascular disease amongst Aboriginal people living in and around Alice Springs. The symposia aims to promote engagement between local health care

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Summer 2013

14,000

FAMILIES AFFECTED

EACH YEAR

TALK TO YOUR GP OR PHARMACIST ABOUT BOWEL CANCER SCREENING

...for the ones you love.

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Research Australia grassROOTS SUMMER 2013

Summer 2013

Blood Test Promises New Screening Option For Bowel Cancer The development of an effective and affordable blood test for bowel cancer has the potential to dramatically improve screening rates and early detection of this common cancer.

Bowel cancer has the lowest participation rates of the three national cancer screening programs – a fact which is partly attributable to the ‘yuk’ factor associated with Faecal Occult Blood (FOB) tests.

Bowel Cancer Australia Chief Executive Julien Wiggins said bowel cancer also has one of the lowest survival rates of the common cancers. It kills more people than breast and cervical cancer combined; and more people than prostate cancer.

“As with many diseases, prevention and early detection are better than cure. If we can encourage more people to screen, we will see more bowel cancers diagnosed at the earliest possible stage when treatments are most effective.”

“The FOB test will remain an essential screening option as it can prevent bowel cancer, while the blood test detects the presence of bowel cancer,” said Mr Wiggins.

“We hope this will go a long way to improving five year survival rates for bowel cancer which at 66 per cent lag well behind many other common cancers (around 90 per cent).”

“Food is an important part of our day whether we’re at home cooking for the family, socialising with friends or catering for special events. Bowel Cancer Australia has a number of resources related to diet and nutrition including our Make It Healthy and Recipe for Recovery booklets.”

Diet and lifestyle tips to reduce the risk of bowel cancer

To encourage its community to engage in Cook for a Cure, Bowel Cancer Australia has also featured favourite recipes from its Ambassadors including celebrity chef George Calombaris.

• Limit alcohol to two standards drinks per day for men and one for women.

“George’s father is a bowel cancer survivor and has experienced the loss of appetite that can be a side effect of cancer and cancer treatment. George was kind enough to share a special liquorice recipe with us that he made for his father to counteract the side effects of his treatment,” Mr Wiggins said.

“Our nutrition adviser Teresa is also a bowel cancer survivor and regularly provides low residue recipes to help people more effectively manage their diet and related symptoms throughout their bowel cancer journey.”

• Limit red meat consumption to 500 grams per week.

• Avoid weight gain and increases in waist circumference.

• Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day.

• Eat a wide variety of plant foods to increase dietary fibre intake.

“As with many diseases, prevention and early detection are better than cure. If we can encourage more people to screen, we will see more bowel cancers diagnosed at the earliest possible stage when treatments are most effective.”

Research and development of the blood test is auspiced by Australian biotech company Clinical Genomics in association with the CSIRO and the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer at Flinders University in Adelaide.

Bowel Cancer Australia nominated the project as one of ten research projects to benefit from Research Australia’s 2013 Cook for a Cure program.

“Cook for a Cure also dovetails nicely with some of our other activities such as providing a nutrition advisory service to bowel cancer patients and promoting diet and lifestyle changes that can reduce the risk of bowel cancer,” Mr Wiggins said.

owel Cancer Australia’s range of yummy high and low fibre recipes are all available online B at bowelcanceraustralia.org/recipes.

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Summer 2013

Ingham Institute Celebrates Research Excellence The Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research has been busy working on their 8th Annual Research & Teaching Showcase in November and their inaugural Research Awards Night in December.

Now in its eight year, the Ingham Institute Research & Teaching Showcase is the platform to highlight and showcase the Institute’s work across Cancer, Clinical Science, Community & Population Health, Early Years (Childhood Disease), Injury and Mental Health. Held at the Thomas & Rachel Moore Education Centre at Liverpool Hospital in NSW, this year’s Showcase focused on the theme of Mental Health in response to its growing prevalence in Australia.

“The Showcase was a good opportunity to put the work of the Institute’s very own Mental Health stream in the spotlight and recognise the tremendous work that they do both nationally and internationally,” said Ingham Institute Research Director Professor Michael Barton OAM. “The Mental Health research stream is a world-leader in research focused on the impact of trauma on refugee and asylum-seeker populations in Australia and internationally. The stream also covers research into a number of childhood disorders including Tourette Syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), anxiety and depression and has achieved a number of publications in these areas.”

This year’s Showcase has seen over 150 abstracts submitted from Ingham Institute researchers which are presented in oral and poster format combined with the presentation of plenary papers from each of the Institute’s research streams.

A new addition to the 2013 event was the 3-Minute Thesis Competition, a skills development activity that challenges Higher Degree Students to explain their research project to a non-specialist audience in three minutes which was then judged by an expert panel.

The prominent speaker line-up was headlined by the CEO of Research Australia Elizabeth Foley who shared her valuable insights and tips with researchers to position their projects favourably for grants and Minister for funding. The NSW Minister for Health and the Minister for Medical Research, the Hon. Jillian Skinner MP and the NSW Premier, the Hon Barry O’Farrell MP were also present on the day.

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“I was honoured to have the opportunity to present at the Ingham Institute’s 2013 Research & Teaching Showcase,” said Ms Foley.

“The Ingham Institute is a high achiever in the Australian health and medical research industry and is well-deserving of the spotlight for its tremendous work across a number of critical disease areas impacting Australians.”

These high achievements have been well recognised both nationally and internationally, with a number of Ingham Institute researchers achieving prestigious awards. This includes Professor Michael Barton who achieved the highly prestigious 2012 Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA)-Novartis Oncology Cancer Achievement Award in 2012, Professor Afaf Girgis, who received the 2012 Australian Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA) Psycho-Oncology Award, to name but a few.

This high influx of awards has led to the creation of the Institute’s inaugural Awards dinner held on the 6th of December at the Liverpool Catholic Club. The night celebrated the work and achievements of Ingham Institute researchers, giving them the opportunity to win awards across various categories including the Lady Mary Fairfax (Outstanding Achievement) Award, Early Career and Teaching Awards. The night also saw the winner of the 3 Minute Thesis Competition announced.

Ingham Institute Research Director Professor Michael Barton OAM said that the inaugural Research Awards night gave the Institute’s 200 researchers the accolades and applause they deserve for their outstanding work throughout the 2012–2013 period.

“As Research Director of the Ingham Institute I am incredibly proud of the achievements of our research groups

Research Australia grassROOTS SUMMER 2013

who continue to grow and prosper in a very competitive industry. As a result of their work, the Ingham Institute is positioned firmly on the national and international research landscapes and, will too, continue to grow and prosper.”

f rom left to right: Ingham Institute Researcher Professor Afaf Girgis, Ingham Institute Researcher Professor Patrick McNeil, Chief Executive of the South Western Sydney Local Health District and Ingham Institute Director Amanda Larkin, Ingham Institute Marketing & Communications Manager Sophie Cooley, Andrea Dal Bosco, Lola Kaplan, Ingham Institute Chief Operating Officer A/Prof Greg Kaplan, Ingham Institute Researcher Professor Paul de Souza.

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Summer 2013

LOCHI Study Provides Insight Into How Technology Can Best Help Children With Hearing Loss More than 400 Australian children, their parents and teachers are providing researchers with valuable insights into how a child’s communication abilities develop with congenital hearing loss and the effectiveness of the technologies that help manage it.

Through their involvement in the Longitudinal Outcomes of Children with Hearing Impairment (LOCHI) study since 2005, these children are helping researchers gain a long-term view on how hearing loss impacts on their ability to speak, listen, read and interact with others.

Involving children with diverse types of hearing loss, a central part of this study is focused on gathering meaningful information on the effectiveness of hearing device technologies (hearing aids and cochlear implants) used by the children and associated habilitation techniques.

Approximately three in 1000 Australian children are fitted with hearing aids or receive cochlear implants for their permanent hearing loss before school entry age.

As part of the study managed by the HEARing Cooperative Research Centre (HEARing CRC) through the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) in conjunction with Australian Hearing, the participating children have ongoing checkups to assess their speech, language and functional skills.

NAL Research Director Adjunct Professor Harvey Dillon said the children are initially assessed 6 and 12 months after the switch-on of a hearing device and then again at: 3, 5, 9, 15 and 22 years of age.

“These assessments are non-invasive and take about two to four hours to complete.

In addition, parents, caregivers and teachers are also asked to complete questionnaires and comment on the child’s developmental progress,” A/Prof. Dillon explained.

This information is then used to determine what factors are influencing a child’s communication abilities. These factors include: • Information about the child (birth weight, gender, age of device fitting, additional disabilities);

factors that should be accounted for, when providing hearing devices to infants and young children with a hearing loss.

Eight years in and the study clearly indicates that children who receive cochlear implants within the first 12 months of their lives are more likely to develop speech and language skills comparable with their hearing peers, than those receiving cochlear implants after their first birthday.

“Speech and language skills are fundamentally important to children’s development, playing a key role in social integration, helping them to achieve their educational potential and impacting on future employment prospects,” A/Prof. Dillon explained.

“This is the first time this information has been collected at a population level. As the study is being carried out within the clinical environment, it is already being used to amend evidence-based audiological practice in Australia and internationally.”

Results from the LOCHI study have helped Australian Hearing shape their policies for cochlear implant referral and managing children with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorders. In addition other outcomes are assisting clinicians in counselling families with newly diagnosed children.

By integrating the knowledge provided by the LOCHI study into clinical practice, hearing health professionals can ensure that infants and children with hearing loss get the best possible outcomes from their hearing technologies and habilitation activities.

“Ultimately this approach will help hearing-impaired children develop strong speech and language skills, achieve their educational potential and achieve rewarding and fulfilling employment,” A/ Prof. Dillon said.

• How their hearing loss is being managed (use of hearing technologies, treatments and therapies).

A broader outcome that could come from the LOCHI study is a reduction in the economic cost of hearing loss to Australia which in 2007 was estimated to be around $11 billion per annum. More specifically, the lost productivity and welfare costs associated with the underemployment and unemployment of people with hearing loss.

Results collected to date have helped identify the actions needed, and the

Funded by Australian Hearing, Commonwealth Office of Hearing Services,

• Family background (e.g. socio-economic status, parental education, language, involvement in intervention); and

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Research Australia grassROOTS SUMMER 2013

I n September, National Acoustic Laboratory LOCHI researchers celebrated Research Australia’s Cook for a Cure with an Egg Beating Extravaganza that resulted in a very tasty morning tea.

the HEARing Cooperative Research Centre (The HEARing CRC), NAL, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), NSW Department of Health, Phonak Ltd, Oticon Foundation, the project is an expansive collaboration involving hearing service providers, hospital clinics, early intervention agencies, medical research institutes and cochlear implant centres; spanning three Australian states.

In September, Research Australia through its Cook for a Cure Initiative collaborated with LOCHI researchers to hold a series of events including an Egg Beating Extravaganza that raised additional funds for the project.

For more information about the LOCHI project, visit their website: http://outcomes.nal.gov.au/index.html

Summer 2013

Cook For A Cure Round Up The Cook for a Cure fundraising initiative was an excuse to cook and share a healthy meal while raising money for the Lung Institute of WA’s severe asthma project and other causes around the country.

Everyone who got involved had a lot of fun, and it was a great opportunity for the Lung Institute of Western Australia (LIWA) to get some great media exposure including Channel 10 news and the West Australian.

he Hon. Michael Sutherland T MLA having a lung test.

A highlight for people living with severe asthma was a visit to WA state parliament on Monday 5 August. Hosted by the Hon Michael Sutherland, a group of severe asthma patients, LIWA staff and Board members met with by Members of Parliament.

Celebrity chef Russell Blaikie, owner of Must Winebar, endorsed the launch and brought along delicious feta, olive and capsicum tarts that were organic and high in anti-oxidents!

During the event the Institute conducted lung function tests on MPs and guests as part of the ongoing awareness-raising of lung disease.

The launch also acknowledged parliamentarian support for local research and encouraged the community to host their own cooking event and raise funds for the severe asthma project.

Cook for a Cure encouraged Australians to cook their way to curing asthma and other conditions by cooking and sharing a healthy meal or snack – raising awareness of the importance of scientific research at the same time.

elebrity Chef Russell Blaikie C and Lung Institute of WA Director, Prof. Phil Thompson.

All funds donated to the Lung Institute of Western Australia’s project ‘Severe Asthma’ through Cook for a Cure events will work to better understand the naturally occurring chemical PGE2, which is capable of improving asthma and is produced by human airways.

The study hopes to identify ways of better treating the symptoms of severe asthma, potentially reducing them altogether.

Cook for a Cure Must Winebar winner Congratulations to Svetlana Baltic who hosted the most unique event. Svetlana has won a $200 voucher to Must Winebar, Mt Lawley, kindly donated by celebrity chef Russell Blaikie.

Svetlana held two “Serbian Feast” events for her friends and family, preparing two different four course dinners. Svetlana prepared food for a whole week prior to each event, serving such traditional dishes as mezze, proja, sarma, Karadjordjeve schnitzels, BBQed chevapchichi and pljeskavice and of course a variety of Serbian breads, cakes and tortes!

She raised a total of $800 over the two evenings, and both evenings were great fun. Thank you Svetlana!

Everyone who got involved had a lot of fun, and it was a great opportunity for us to get some great media exposure including Channel 10 news and the West Australian.

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Summer 2013

Improving Access To Speech And Language Support Through Technology-Assisted Therapy Royal Far West has implemented an innovative speech pathology pilot program that aims to explore the effectiveness of technology in delivering speech pathology to children in rural and remote parts of New South Wales.

A comprehensive evaluation of the Program is generously supported by a partnership with the Bupa Health Foundation and the University of Sydney.

Early in 2013, Royal Far West provided speech pathology telehealth services to twenty three schools and preschools in rural and remote parts of NSW. Approximately 150 children were assessed face-to-face pre and post treatment by a speech pathologist and received six fortnightly video-conferenced speech therapy sessions.

The initiative grew out of concern that many children living in rural and remote NSW do not have consistent access to speech pathology services. In NSW, the

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most populous state in Australia, 29.7% of people live in rural and remote areas while 23.3% of speech pathologists and audiologists live in these same areas (ABS, 2011). A majority of families requiring speech pathology services experience significant barriers to accessing these services.

Royal Far West is a charity which offers health services for rural NSW children.

The University of Sydney has a strong reputation in research in allied health interventions. Bupa Health Foundation

Research Australia grassROOTS SUMMER 2013

helps build a healthier Australian community through its support of important health research, health education and other healthy living programs.

Research has identified that improving access to services especially in rural areas, as a likely benefit of using telehealth in speech pathology clinical practice.

Some Australian clinicians are using a wide range of technologies to deliver a variety of speech pathology services at a distance. However, most research has focused on services to adult clients, and

on assessment. This research investigated the effectiveness and implications for accessibility of a broad-based paediatric speech pathology telehealth program.

The feasibility of the teletherapy approach was evaluated by collecting treatment process data and eliciting the opinions of stake holders during qualitative interviews.

The efficacy of the teletherapy approach was evaluated by measuring the children’s outcomes. The extent to which the children’s treatment goals were achieved was evaluated using the Goal Attainment Scale pre and post teletherapy. In addition school principals and staff, preschool directors, therapy facilitators and parents were interviewed to gain their perspectives on the Program.

The results of this study demonstrate that speech pathology services delivered via video-conferencing are feasible for the majority of children. The preliminary outcome data suggest that it may also be effective in achieving children’s speech pathology goals. Overall, the research found that the Program has improved rural children’s access to speech pathology services and will contribute significantly to the current body of knowledge about the effectiveness and efficiency of providing speech pathology services using technology.

Stakeholders were very positive about the initiative due to the quality of the service and the ability to access service.

Far West will work more closely with schools on structural issues such as timetabling/scheduling and technology issues to maximise the benefits of the program. Schools have identified the need for teacher/teacher aide professional developments to not only enhance support to the children involved in the program, but also to the wider school population.

Finally, implementation of this initiative has reinforced our commitment to working in partnership with families, the broader school community and experts in the field to maximise support to children in these remote communities. We seek further funding to continue our research and expansion of the program.

For more information about this project or the broader activities of Royal Far West, please visit www.royalfarwest. org.au or contact Donna Parkes, the Rural and Remote Services Manager on donnap@royalfarwest.org.au or 0499157500.

“Sometimes what we do in the session is passed on by the Therapy Aide and adopted by the teacher for the whole class.”

(Speech pathologist)

“Sometimes what we do in the session is passed on by the Therapy Aide and adopted by the teacher for the whole class.” (Speech pathologist) “I can see a big improvement in my child.

Also us learning as well. As parents you want to make sure that you’re doing the right thing to help. It has made a big difference…He’s talking more, concentrating for longer, understanding more of what I’m saying and processing it. Yeah, and coming home after we’ve had the sessions, he wants to do the activities.” (Parent) I didn’t have to travel; I didn’t have to give up a day’s work to take him somewhere and then have to worry about where I’m going to make that day’s wage up. I didn’t have to worry about what I was going to do with the other three kids or do I pull the whole four of them out of school just to take one child to a therapist. (Parent) Stakeholders also provided valuable perceptions that will inform future implementation of the program. Royal

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Summer 2013

Promising Results Significantly Improve Outlook For Stroke Patients And Clinical Practice Guidelines A landmark study has revealed a new way to treat intracerebral haemorrhage, which stands to help millions of people worldwide. The George Institute for Global Health study, INTERACT 2, has found that intensive blood pressure lowering in patients with intracerebral haemorrhage, the most serious type of stroke, reduced the risk of major disability and improved chances of recovery by as much as 20 per cent.

as possible is vital to the success of this treatment.

“The sooner a medical team is able to lower the patient’s blood pressure, the greater their chances of leaving hospital with a good outcome,” Dr Heeley said.

Each year in Australia over 50,000 people suffer a stroke. Many of them die, or are left permanently disabled.

tudy lead and neurologist, Professor Craig Anderson of The George Institute, The University of S Sydney and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, presenting INTERACT 2 study results at the European Stroke Conference in London.

Intracerebral haemorrhage, spontaneous bleeding within the brain most often due to hypertension, affects one million people globally each year, kills 30 – 60 per cent of sufferers and leaves 50 per cent of survivors disabled.

INTERACT 2 is the largest ever randomised control trial into stroke caused by intracerebral haemorrhage, involving more than 2800 patients from 140 hospitals around the world.

INTERACT 2 aimed to determine whether a management policy of earlier intensive blood pressure lowering, as compared to a more conservative level of blood pressure lowering, as recommended by most National guidelines would be efficacious.

The results showed that the rapid lowering of the elevated blood pressure to normal levels improves the chances of recovery, free from disability.

This is a welcome result as the traditional approach to treat haemorrhagic stroke is brain surgery, which is invasive and carries high risk. It involves carefully

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selecting patients for surgical evacuation of the haemorrhage, and there are still uncertainties as to how best to apply this treatment to patients.

Study lead and neurologist, Professor Craig Anderson of The George Institute, The University of Sydney and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, said the study challenges previous thought about blood pressure lowering in intracerebral haemorrhage.

“For the first time we have evidence for a proven medical treatment for intracerebral haemorhage that is shown to be completely safe, using simple treatments that are widely available around the world. This is great news for the stroke community, for patients and clinicians.”

Global Study Director, Dr Emma Heeley of The George Institute and The University of Sydney said the findings provide new hope for stroke survivors and their families, but highlights the need to get to hospital as quickly as possible if a stroke is suspected.

“Getting someone who has had a stroke to an emergency department as fast

Research Australia grassROOTS SUMMER 2013

Following the success of INTERACT 2, The George Institute aims to continue this research through INTERACT 3, piloting a study in four hospitals across Melbourne and working closely with the Victorian ambulance service. The standard practice for ambulatory care is to treat patients with an adhesive patch to their arm to lower blood pressure within the first 30 minutes.

This study is based on the premise that there is a need to treat patients sooner.

The George Institute’s work addresses stroke incidence using large scale, collaborative, epidemiological and clinical trials methodology. INTERACT 3 will include a cluster randomised trial, with populations randomised to receive either the new process of early blood pressure lowering care or the standard process.

If you would like to learn more about INTERACT 3 or The George Institute for Global Health please visit www.georgeinstitute.org.au.

“For the first time we have evidence for a proven medical treatment for intracerebral haemorrhage that is shown to be completely safe, using simple treatments that are widely available around the world. This is great news for the stroke community, for patients and clinicians.”

Statistician Terry Speed Awarded PM’s Prize For Science For Work In Bioinformatics

Summer 2013

Their research topics couldn’t be more distinct – one studies plants; the other, particles – but a pair of Sydney scientists now have something in common, they are recipients of two of the country’s most prestigious science awards, the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science.

Engineer Andrea Morello, an associate professor at UNSW, was honoured for his groundbreaking work on quantum computers while evolutionary ecologist Angela Moles was awarded for her research on global patterns in plant life.

Dr Moles, also an associate professor at the University of NSW, said she was shocked to receive the $50,000 Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year.

“The person who won the award I’m getting last year grew fully functioning breasts from stem cells, that is way cooler than what I do,” she said.

The overall winner of the $300,000 Prime Minister’s Prize was Melbourne statistician

Terry Speed, whose mathematical expertise has been used in several highprofile court cases.

At the 1994 murder trial of American football player OJ Simpson, Professor Speed, now the head of bioinformatics at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, was an expert witness on DNA forensics for the defence. This involved calculating the odds of a chance DNA match, verses a real match of two blood samples.

However Professor Speed, 70, describes his bit-part on the criminology stage as “just a sideshow” in his scientific life which has included two decades at the University

of California, Berkeley, the University of Sheffield, the University of Western Australia and CSIRO, where he was the head of statistics and mathematics division.

Professor Speed was presented his award by Tony Abbott at a ceremony at Parliament House in October.

athematician Terry Speed in his M office at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.

Photo: Penny Stephens

Research Australia grassROOTS SUMMER 2013

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Editor’s Corner

Who can put an article in grassROOTS? grassROOTS is for and by members of Research Australia and is designed to showcase the activity in philanthropy for health and medical research, through either fund raising activity, awards, or the results of actual research funded by philanthropy. It is also a vehicle for the broader community to understand the importance of philanthropic funding and how they can contribute to the expansion and improvement in health and medical research in Australia.

When will I need to get my article in by if I want to be featured in the next edition?

The article submission deadline is January 22, 2014. Articles should be no more than 1000 words long and please provide one or more photos (with subtitles) and logo to accompany the article.

Please submit articles via email to: danijela.krha@researchaustralia.org

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