AUTUMN 2015

RESEARCHAUSTRALIAAN ALLIANCE FOR DISCOVERIES IN HEALTH

ISSUE TEN02 A Message From The CEO

03 Going Against The Grain

04 HMRI Brain Cancer Biobank: Banking On The Future

05 Priorities For People Living With Dementia And Their Carers

06 Griffith University And Menzies Foundation Set To Combine On Gold Coast

07 When Laughter Is The Best Medicine

08 Biopharmaceuticals Australia Leads The Way In Supporting Translation Of Research Into Commercial Outcomes

09 Understanding Lung Cancer, Finding A Cure

10 Statistics Reveal The Heart Of The Nation

11 Blood Glucose Level Control Helps Improve Lifespan For People With Type 1 Diabetes

13 MS Research Australia Is Targeting Research To Make A Difference For Multiple Sclerosis

14 Common Painkillers Help Reduce Skin Cancer Risk

15 Small Changes Show Big Promise In Improving Older Patient Care

16 Time, Talent And Treasures: The Ripple Effect Of Giving

17 Mitochondrial Disease, the Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation and the benefits of research

18 Can Lung Ultrasound Improve Recognition Of Heart Failure In Elderly Patients?

19 Ingham Institute 2nd Annual Awards Night

20 The Latest On Bone Research

21 Resthaven Sees Commitment To Research As Part Of Its Social Responsibility

22 WMI researchers collaborate on a new drug that tricks the body into losing weight

2 Research Australia grassROOTS AUTUMN 2015

Autumn 2015

As we cling to the last days of Summer,

and the memories of beaches,

holidays and sunshine, there is much

happening in the world of Health and

Medical Research. Planning is well

underway for both our annual Awards

Night, this year in Melbourne and our

Philanthropy Conference, this time in Double Bay, Sydney.

I hope you can put a placeholder for these events in your

diary now.

As you know, last year the Hon. Sussan Ley became the Federal Minister for Health. We have invited her to attend a Research Australia board meeting in the coming months, and we hope by the end of the year, she will have an opportunity to write a piece for grassROOTS on her vision for health and medical research. We understand that she is supportive of the Medical Research Future Fund, as are a number of crossbenchers in the Senate.

With a change in Government in Victoria and Queensland, we will have new state ministers for health and business and innovation and industry to be engaging with as well. Fortunately we have just produced a revised version of our policy platform, Research Australia’s ‘10 Strategic Imperatives: 2015 – 2025’, and will use this to explain what our membership is committed to. We will be sending you all soft copies of this easy-to-read document in the coming weeks.

In this edition of grassROOTS we have a wide range of articles from new collaborations in allied health research to research into point of care ultra-sound assisting care for the elderly, the publication of the latest statistics for heart disease and research into gluten intolerance. I feel sure you will enjoy the variety of topics and issues covered as much as we have when you read this magazine!

A Message From The CEO

SAVE THE DATESResearch Australia Events for 2015

• Research Australia Philanthropy for Health & Medical Research Conference

Wed 19 August 2015

Intercontinental Double Bay, Sydney

• Research Australia Awards Dinner

Wed 11 November 2015

Park Hyatt, Melbourne

see our website for more detailswww.researchaustralia.org

Stop Press: Food SafetyWe all take food safety and good sanitation for granted in this country, but the recent outbreak in Hepatitis A across Australia from imported contaminated berries is an important reminder of how past research has resulted in great preventative health measures. Good housing, without overcrowding, proper sewerage removal and treatment have all contributed to a huge reduction in the spread of infectious diseases such as Hep A. Unfortunately not all countries have theses high standards, and hence this food safety incident.

Research into food safety, the impact of labeling and other preventative health measures is carried out by a number of our members, and we hope to feature more articles on this area during the year.

3Research Australia grassROOTS AUTUMN 2015

Autumn 2015

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers are leading the way in understanding what triggers coeliac disease and designing better treatments and diagnostic tools.

It could be a few stray bread crumbs from the toaster. It could be the sauce served on top of a steak. For someone with coeliac disease, eating a small amount of gluten can cause intense pain and discomfort for days or weeks.

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune illness caused by an abnormal reaction to gluten in the diet. The immune response damages the small intestine and can cause digestive symptoms such as nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhoea, and other problems such as chronic fatigue, anaemia, osteoporosis, other autoimmune disorders and even some cancers.

Institute researchers have been studying why gluten is toxic in coeliac disease and using this information to develop new treatments and diagnostic approaches with the goal of improving patients’ lives.

An immune test for an immune disorderAs a clinician, Dr Jason Tye-Din frequently sees first-hand the poor health and quality of life that can result from a delayed or missed diagnosis of coeliac disease.

“Many patients endure years of symptoms, even developing complications before they are diagnosed,” he said. “In Australia, 80 per cent of people are not diagnosed at all.”

Current diagnosis relies on an invasive procedure to collect small intestinal biopsies and regular intake of gluten is essential for an accurate result.

“This means those already gluten-free need to resume the very thing that makes them sick just for testing, and many people don’t have easy access to, or are put off by, the cost or invasiveness of the test,” he said.

The team is refining a blood test to detect the highly specific immune response to

gluten that is characteristic of someone with coeliac disease.

“A simple, targeted immune test will overcome the shortcomings of relying on the small intestine for diagnosis, and may improve the accuracy and rates of testing to allow patients to begin treatment and return to good health sooner,” Dr Tye-Din said.

Building tolerance to glutenWhile it has been the mainstay of treatment for more than 50 years, the gluten-free diet is costly, complex and onerous. The ultimate goal for researchers is to develop a safe and effective treatment that enables patients to return to a normal diet and good health.

The research program to identify the toxic parts of gluten was the critical enabling step for a targeted immune treatment to be designed. This treatment, Nexvax2®, will progress to a phase 2 clinical trial in 2015. Dr Bob Anderson, who initiated coeliac research at the institute, is now chief scientific officer for ImmusanT Inc, the US-based company leading the development of Nexvax2®.

Dr Tye-Din said a successful immune therapy would raise awareness and revolutionise coeliac disease management. “Nexvax2® is designed to restore what is lost in coeliac disease – the ability of the immune system to tolerate gluten,” he said.

“If successful, patients should be able to safely eat gluten again.”

Are oats on the menu?A gluten-free diet excludes gluten from wheat, barley and rye, however there has been ongoing uncertainty about the safety of oats in coeliac disease. In Australia, oats are excluded from the gluten-free diet as they contain gluten-like proteins called avenins.

The institute’s coeliac disease research team recently published the results of a 10-year study examining the immune response to oat consumption by patients with coeliac disease.

Postdoctoral scientist Dr Melinda Hardy said that oats would be a welcome addition to the gluten-free diet if shown that they could be safely consumed. “Due to conflicting studies, this issue has remained controversial,” Dr Hardy said.

“Our work provides some clarity by showing that immune responses can occur after oats consumption, but are uncommon. We identified the specific oat avenin fragments that are ‘toxic’ and uncovered the mechanism by which an immune response occurs.”

Dr Hardy said the findings set the scene for developing patient- or food-based tests to identify those sensitive to oats. “Targeting those who can safely consume oats would be of substantial benefit for patients,” she said.

www.wehi.edu.au

Going Against The Grain

Tiny protrusions in the intestine (villi) are damaged by the immune response to gluten, affecting the body’s ability to absorb nutrients.

4 Research Australia grassROOTS AUTUMN 2015

Autumn 2015

Former rugby league star Mark Hughes now has a bigger goal … funding a new brain cancer biobank at the Hunter Medical Research Institute.

The wily, wiry Knights and NSW Blues fullback is legendary throughout the Hunter rugby league heartland from where he hailed. Fast on his feet, he was even quicker with a quip or to support a community event.

In July 2013, however, a brain cancer diagnosis rocked Mark’s world and that of his family, friends and many fans. An MRI scan revealed an avocado-sized tumour in the back of his brain, which was skilfully removed by surgeons at John Hunter Hospital. Following chemotherapy, he is currently doing well.

With the help of friends, Mark and wife Kirralee launched the Mark Hughes Foundation to support brain cancer research at the Hunter Medical Research Institute. Their first foray was to fund a new “biobank” for brain cancer, where blood and tissue samples donated by patients at multiple times in their cancer journey will be preserved.

Oncologist and Hunter Cancer Research Alliance research fellow Dr Craig Gedye, from HMRI’s Cancer Research Program, believes the Biobank will help build a

broader and clearer understanding of the forces that drive brain cancers.

“In the bad old days we’d invent a new cancer treatment, administer it to 30 or 40 people, watch it fail most of the time and then potentially discard that therapy,” Dr Gedye said. “These days, however, we recognise that in subsets of patients a targeted treatment can work incredibly well.

“It’s about finding the right group of patients and applying the right treatments, or vice versa finding the right drug for each patient. It’s only when you’re gifted a large resource of cancer samples matched with the history of each patient’s journey that cancer researchers can address these kinds of complex questions.”

The new facility augments the existing Hunter Cancer Biobank (HCB) founded in 2012, where donated tissue not required for a patient’s diagnosis and treatment is collected.

Maintaining the bank will require ongoing support and assistance from patients and surgeons alike, along with a program coordinator. The Mark Hughes Foundation

funding will help tackle the task proficiently and ultimately contribute data for national and international studies, Dr Gedye adds.

“A large number of people come to our centres for treatment and it is always a challenge to systematically collect specimens,” he said. “This Biobank is a long-term investment and we’re very grateful for the Mark Hughes Foundation’s vision.”

Members of the Biobank project include HCB manager Dr Rick Thorne, geneticist Professor Rodney Scott and neurosurgeons Dr John Christie, Dr Richard Ferch, Dr Mitchell Hansen, Dr Philip Spittaler and Dr Michael Edger.

www.hmri.com.au

HMRI Brain Cancer Biobank: Banking On The Future

Mark and Kirralee Hughes.

On 9 April 2013, a new direction in research for improved services for people with cognitive decline in Australia was launched by the then Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, the Hon Mark Butler, MP. Almost two years on, Australia’s $25 million NHMRC Partnership Centre for Dealing with Cognitive and Related Functional Decline in Older People, is already having an impact.

Dementia is the third leading cause of death in Australia affecting more than 320,000 individuals. By 2056 it is estimated that one quarter of Australia’s population will be over the age of 65 with almost one million of these living with a diagnosis of dementia. The growing numbers of people with dementia and associated age-related frailty means better ways of caring for people with dementia in the community are required.

The Cognitive Decline Partnership Centre (CDPC) brings together a multi-disciplinary team of researchers, consumers, government and service providers with a vision to create better lives for people living with cognitive and related functional decline. The CDPC, led by Professor Susan Kurrle, involves a network of more than 150 members from almost 20 different organisations working across a program of activities around Australia.

“We recognised that there was a lot of good information about how to deliver good quality care for people living with dementia but the problem has been getting real outcomes from this research. Implementation of research on good quality care is the major focus of the CDPC,” says Professor Kurrle.

The CDPC is co-funded by the NHMRC and four aged care and service providers, HammondCare (NSW), Helping Hand Aged Care (SA), Brightwater Care Group (WA), and Alzheimer’s Australia. The aim of the CDPC is to address key priority areas that will deliver real improvements for people living with cognitive decline and their carers.

“The ability to involve key stakeholders from the beginning of the CDPC, including people with dementia and their carers through the Alzheimer’s Australia Consumer Dementia Research Network, has meant that the CDPC has been able to focus on those issues that we know will have a positive impact on the lives of people living with dementia,” explains Professor Kurrle.

One project that is already making a real difference is the Care of the Confused Hospitalised Older Persons Program

(CHOPs), a collaborative project with the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation.

“The hospital environment can be extremely stressful especially for those with confusion from dementia and their families,”said Professor Kurrle.

“Patients who are confused are at increased risk of falls and functional decline, long hospital stays and increased re-admissions to hospital.”

“Early identification of dementia and delirium in the hospital setting, allows us to treat the underlying cause and manage symptoms, so that we reduce adverse effects, minimise their duration and severity and improve the emotional support and wellbeing of patients, carers and families,” Professor Kurrle said.

The CHOPS program, which is currently being rolled out across hospitals in regional and rural NSW, aims to improve patient care by educating staff to identify dementia early and provide staff with the tools and information required to tailor the care they provide and create a safe environment for these patients, their families and carers.

Other current research activities include: providing aged care providers and health decision makers with a greater understanding of the cost of providing quality care for people with dementia, which will allow for better care planning and shape policy; the development of National dementia care guidelines; optimising the quality use of medicines for people with cognitive decline; examining key worker support roles for people with dementia; and the psychological impact on children when a parent is diagnosed with younger onset dementia.

The 2014 Australian Federal Budget announced an additional $200 million over five years to boost research in the field of dementia. As part of this Boosting Dementia Research Initiative $50 million has been allocated to establish the NHMRC National Institute for Dementia Research (NIDR) in 2015. It is anticipated that the NIDR will bring together NHMRC Dementia programs including the CDPC to target identified priorities.

http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/cdpc/

Director Professor Susan Kurrle with Aged Care funding partner representatives at the launch of the CDPC. (From left: CEO HammondCare, Dr Steven Judd, Professor Susan Kurrle, Hon Mark Butler MP,CEO Brightwater Care Group, Dr Penny Flett, CEO Helping Hand Aged Care, Mr Ian Hardy.)

Greater Understanding Of Priorities For People Living With Dementia And Their Carers

5Research Australia grassROOTS AUTUMN 2015

Autumn 2015

Priorities For People Living With Dementia And Their Carers

6 Research Australia grassROOTS AUTUMN 2015

Autumn 2015

Griffith University and the Menzies Foundation are set to collaborate in a move which will position the University as a leader in world-class allied health research.

Under an agreement formalised in 2014, the University’s Griffith Health Institute will be renamed Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ) and launched at a gala ball on the Gold Coast in April.

The establishment of MHIQ will enhance Griffith’s research excellence through collaboration and resource sharing, as well as supporting greater engagement between academic researchers and healthcare professionals, nationally and internationally.

It is expected the collaboration will allow Griffith’s health researchers a greater focus on addressing challenges, opportunities and new developments impacting the health of people in Australia and around the world.

Pro Vice Chancellor (Health), Professor Allan Cripps is optimistic the collaboration will raise the profile of Griffith’s health and medical research both nationally and internationally, positioning medical research as one of the Gold Coast’s major industries.

“From a strong local research network we’ve created a partnership with the Menzies Foundation and joined the family of Menzies Institutes across Australia, which will drive innovation and collaboration for years to come,” said Professor Cripps.

“The Menzies Health Institute Queensland will have a particular focus on allied health research, building on our current strength of interdisciplinary approaches underpinned by outstanding biomedical and social research.”

The move is also expected to leverage research and funding opportunities to further enhance research excellence and performance to the mutual benefit of the Menzies Foundation and the University.

Since 1979 the Menzies name has been synonymous with world-class health research. The Menzies Foundation has been instrumental in establishing three previous national health research institutes: the Menzies Research Institute (Tasmania), Menzies School of Health Research (Darwin) and the Menzies Centre for Health Policy (Sydney) positioning Menzies as a pre-eminent national health research brand.

“The development of MHIQ is significant and one which I believe will provide major

advantages in better profiling the health research done at Griffith by leveraging off the strong national Menzies brand,” said Griffith Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian O’Connor.

“Headquartering this institute on the Gold Coast also recognises the giant strides taken by the Gold Coast in supporting high-end health research and diversifying its economy. MHIQ comes on the heels of winning the right to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the building of the fantastic Gold Coast University Hospital, all projects Griffith has been a key partner in and all indicative of a region that is anxious to embrace top tier projects and industries,” he said.

Menzies Foundation Chairman, Brian Doyle was positive about the new partnership and believes its benefits could expand to all corners of the health sector.

“We are delighted to be participating in the establishment of a fourth Menzies health research institute in partnership with Griffith University. Our priority is for the allied health profession to be better profiled in the research sector,” he said.

www.menzies.griffith.edu.au

Griffith University And Menzies Foundation Set To Combine On Gold Coast

Professor Allan Cripps, Pro Vice Chancellor (Health), Griffith University which includes the new Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ).

7Research Australia grassROOTS AUTUMN 2015

Autumn 2015

Having a giggle may be an unorthodox approach to putting a stop to one of the most devastating neurological diseases. But after twelve months, Angie and Patrick Cunningham’s campaign – Laugh to Cure MND – has shown that in the absence of an effective treatment for motor neurone disease (MND), laughter can be the best medicine.

Angie spent her adolescence competing on the international junior tennis circuit. A talented and determined athlete, she was a finalist in several world tennis competitions and represented Australia on numerous occasions. Following her time on the court, Angie worked on the Women’s Tennis Tour and became an integral member of the professional tennis community.

“When I was diagnosed with MND three years ago, the most devastating part was being told there was no cure,” recalls Angie.

“If there was nothing I could do for my treatment, I decided to do all I can to try and provide hope for future sufferers and get much needed public awareness for MND.”

Angie can no longer speak, walk or enjoy a game of backyard tennis with her young daughters; but she brims with tenacity, good humour and determination to change the future of MND. And together with her husband Patrick, that’s exactly what they are doing.

Thanks to the Cunninghams, the MND research community has benefited from a $400,000 funding boost to help scientists unravel the mysteries of MND.

“We chose to direct all the funds we raised directly into research as we felt that we wanted to go upstream and look to determine where the disease is coming from and try to answer the ‘why’ question,” says Patrick.

“By investing funds through the MND Research Institute of Australia we were confident that the funds would be well invested into only the best projects. We funded all the costs associated with our campaign so were able to deliver every cent donated into research.”

During the Australian Open 2014, Angie and Patrick launched Laugh to Cure MND, a social media and television campaign to heighten awareness of MND and raise

money for research, all the while making people laugh. The international tennis community shared their funniest moments and responded with amazing goodwill, helping to raise over $100,000 for MND research in just two weeks.

And that was just the beginning …

When the MND Ice Bucket Challenge phenomenon swept Australia, the Cunninghams leapt into action to organise an MND Ice Bucket Challenge world record attempt at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium. The event attracted 1231 people, generated national publicity and tipped the Laugh to Cure MND donation total over $275,000.

The final big push for 2014 came from a group of six Aussie mates – led by Angie’s brother-in-law – who completed the gruelling 42-kilometre New York Marathon. Their massive efforts drove the total funds for MND research to around $400,000.

“Laugh to Cure MND is a remarkable campaign that reflects Angie and Patrick’s good humour, positivity and grit. We are grateful for their support and are proud to have worked with them to develop new research grants aiming to find an effective treatment for MND,” says Executive Director Research at MND Australia, Janet Nash.

The first two of these grants have commenced in 2015: the Cunningham Collaboration Grant was awarded to Professor Pamela McCombe from the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical

Research and the Angie Cunningham Laugh to Cure MND Grant was awarded to Associate Professor Julie Atkin from the Australian School of Advanced Medicine at Macquarie University. Further grants will be awarded in the next funding round.

“Researchers are making progress in understanding MND. Until a cure is found, the MND research community will continue to forge ahead; spurred by the courage and spirit of people like Angie and Patrick Cunningham,” says Janet.

www.mndaust.asn.au

When Laughter Is The Best Medicine

Facts about motor neurone disease

– MND is a progressive, terminal neurological disease

– There is no known cure and no effective treatment for MND, yet

– Each day in Australia two people die from MND and two people are diagnosed with MND

– People with MND progressively lose the use of their limbs and ability to speak, swallow and breathe, whilst their mind and senses usually remain intact

– Average life expectancy is 27 months – An estimated 1,900 people have

MND in Australia More information: www.mndaustralia.asn.au

The Cunninghams

8 Research Australia grassROOTS AUTUMN 2015

Autumn 2015

Brisbane is in the international limelight as a hotspot for biological drug development thanks to the pioneering industry development activity of Biopharmaceuticals Australia

The importance of increasing the translation of biomedical research into commercial outcomes has been highlighted in many eminent reports, and is central to the Commonwealth’s current initiatives under the Industry Innovation Competitiveness Agenda. Brisbane-based Biopharmaceuticals Australia (BPA), led by CEO David Hughes, is actively supporting the commercial translation of early-stage biodrug prospects as part of its mission to create a thriving local biopharma cluster.

David explained that BPA’s first goal was to establish a world-class contract facility for the scale-up and commercial manufacture of biologic drugs. BPA teamed-up with global contract manufacturer Patheon to design and build a new mammalian-cell culture facility dubbed the “Biologics Plant Of the Future”. The $65 million facility opened in late 2013, and has since received international recognition through the ISPE’s 2014 Facility of the Year Award.

BPA (a wholly owned company of the Queensland State Government) then pursued a number of initiatives to build the client pipeline into the new facility. It set up its own $2 million Biopharmaceutical

Development Fund (BDF) to accelerate the commercial translation of early-stage medical drug prospects. It also sponsored a series of local and international promotional events to showcase the new facility and leverage Australia’s other advantages as a preferred location globally for accelerated clinical development. The new plant, together with the 45% R&D tax incentive, the Clinical Trials Notification scheme, and the high quality of locally-available clinical development services is attracting ever-increasing international attention.

The BDF offers small grants (up to $25,000) to encourage international biotech companies intending to work with Patheon to establish a local entity. Larger grants of up to $250,000 are available to provide supported-access to the facility, which is co-located with the new Translational Research Institute in Woolloongabba. Melbourne biotech company Opthea was awarded a grant to support development of a novel treatment for macular degeneration. The Queensland Brain Institute received a grant of $250,000 to co-fund the development of a therapy to promote recovery from spinal cord

injury and nervous system malfunction. Also awarded a grant was the Australian subsidiary of US biotech company Tunitas Therapeutics. Their grant will co-fund the development of a new class of biologic drugs for the treatment of asthma, cat allergy and peanut allergy.

BPA’s activity in the translational space has already directly created over 50 new highly-skilled jobs in advanced manufacturing, attracted international biotech companies to Australia, and anchored the business of local biotech companies who otherwise would be forced offshore for their outsourcing needs. The BDF continues to provide support for locally-generated biomedical IP to cross the “valley of death” which arises when funding for hypothesis-driven R&D dries up, yet the investment case for product-driven clinical research has not been established. In the future, BPA hopes to extend the supported-access model to include a broader range of clinical development services, and to be able to draw on a larger grant fund.

www.biopharmaus.com.au

Biopharmaceuticals Australia Leads The Way In Supporting Translation Of Research Into Commercial Outcomes

BPA’s Cell culture suite from viewing corridor

9Research Australia grassROOTS AUTUMN 2015

Autumn 2015

Understanding Lung Cancer, Finding A Cure

Lung cancer is the fifth most diagnosed cancer in Australia and the most common cause of cancer-related deaths. As such, it is vital that we find new insights into its origins and avenues for personalising patient therapy.

Our genes – encoded as strings of DNA ‘letters’ – provide the instructions for each cell in each organ or tissue in our body to function. Genetic abnormalities that cause lung and other types of cancer are mistakes in our genes that alter the normal genetic ‘program’ for cell function and behaviour.

Considerable research to date has centered on identifying abnormalities directly in genes that provide the instructions for how cells grow and behave, processes which are defective in cancer. However, the molecular machinery within our cells that ‘reads’ the instructions encoded in our genes is just as important as the message itself in determining whether cellular programs go awry and cause cancer. At the Centenary Institute, this key insight underpins our innovative approach to tackling cancer, namely to determine how the malfunction of protein molecules that influence how our genome is ‘read’, not just abnormalities in genes that directly provide instructions for cell growth and survival, contributes to cancer.

In this regard, research by Centenary scientists has recently showed that tNASP, a ‘chaperone’ protein that controls the packaging and therefore function of our genes, is inappropriately switched-on in cancer cells grown in the lab. Along with previous work, this finding hints that the protein tNASP plays a role in cancer in patients, promoting the growth or survival of cancer cells or directly causing cancer to form.

What remains unknown, however, is whether tNASP levels are altered in tumours within patients or whether tNASP could be a valuable clinical marker for customising patient treatment.

The Centenary Institute is currently seeking to fund a project that would explore this question.

The project aims to establish reagents to measure tNASP and its molecular partners in patient tumour samples. It would later evaluate tNASP levels in patient lung

tumour and leukemia samples, calculating whether it is a predictor of patient diagnosis or prognosis.

The purpose of this research is also to determine whether tNASP contributes to cancer formation, which would be tested with mouse models.

It is anticipated that this project will lead to tNASP being used in the clinic as a new marker for determining cancer type, severity and patient prognosis. This will help personalise patient chemotherapy, thereby improving patient survival and reducing side effects.

Tackling lung cancer is an extreme challenge. It requires new and innovative approaches in order for us to better understand its origins and improve patient treatments. The Centenary Institute will continue to strive towards better understanding lung cancer and the molecular processes behind it, in order to achieve the ultimate goal – finding a cure.

www.centenary.org.au

Dr Adam Cook, from Centenary Institute’s Immune Imaging Group, is leading this research.

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Autumn 2015

Statistics Reveal The Heart Of The Nation

At the launch of the Compendium: Deakin’s Dr Melanie Nichols, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Lee Astheimer, and Prof Steven Allender, with the Heart Foundation CEO, Ms Mary Barry (second right).

Medical breakthroughs, such as heart stents and bypass surgery, have transformed heart disease treatment over the past 50 years. Yet cardiovascular disease remains Australia’s biggest killer – and Deakin University researchers and the Heart Foundation are warning that the nation could be experiencing the calm before the storm.

In the most comprehensive set of statistics on cardiovascular disease ever compiled in Australia, some worrying trends have been revealed, with obesity levels, sedentary lifestyles and poor nutrition at an all-time high.

Recently launched at Deakin’s Geelong Waterfront campus, the “Australian Heart Disease Statistics 2014” compendium was funded by the Heart Foundation and compiled by researchers from Deakin’s Population Health Strategic Research Centre. The statistics were compiled from a national audit of 109 data sources, including databases at the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The lead researcher, Deakin’s Dr Melanie Nichols, said that, while smoking has declined, other risk factors have increased, such as low vegetable consumption and obesity, with almost two thirds of Australian adults now either overweight or obese.

“There are around 44,000 deaths annually from heart disease in Australia, which is about 30 per cent of all deaths,” Dr Nichols said.

“But the burden is not shared equally, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders up to three times more likely to suffer heart disease, and rural and regional Australians,

and people from lower socioeconomic groups also at greater risk.”

Mary Barry, National CEO of the Heart Foundation, said cardiovascular disease remains the biggest killer of Australians and is the most expensive disease to treat nationally.

“It only accounts for 11 per cent of direct healthcare expenditure and, sadly, remains a national health priority in name only,” Ms Barry said.

She added that, with 35 per cent of the Australian diet now being made up of discretionary or ‘sometimes’ foods, this document is a must-read for all politicians and policy makers.

The report shows that fewer than 10 per cent of Australians meet recommended guidelines for vegetable consumption (five or more serves per day), only 30 per cent of children meet physical activity recommendations, and only 10 per cent of children meet both physical activity and screen-time recommendations.

Dr Nichols said the compendium will be updated annually, providing the evidence needed to support a national strategy to address the unhealthy trends.

“If there is no data, it is easier to believe there is no problem or need for action,” she said.

While it seems like a mammoth task, Dr Nichols is optimistic the trends can be reversed.

“It is possible to make changes, as we have done with tobacco,” she said. “One of the lessons we learnt from tobacco control is you don’t make improvements just by shouting at people. You have to make it easier for people to make a good choice, by making healthy food available and affordable, for instance.”

Another co-author of the report, Deakin’s Professor Steven Allender, added that obesity in children was of particular concern, with one-quarter of children aged two to 17 classified as overweight or obese, and these weight issues likely to continue into adulthood.

Deakin’s Population Health SRC focuses on delivering health improvements through world class research and strategic collaborations. It encompasses five core research groups, including the World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, which is overseeing the Heart Disease Statistics Project for the National Heart Foundation of Australia.

www.heartfoundation.org.au

11Research Australia grassROOTS AUTUMN 2015

Autumn 2015

Tight control of blood glucose levels (BGLs) have been shown to improve the lifespan of people with type 1 diabetes in a thirty-year longitudinal clinical study.

Beginning in 1983, the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) and the follow-up Epidemiology of Diabetes Control and Complications (EDIC) study included 1,441 people with T1D between ages 13 and 39. In the DCCT, half of the participants were randomly assigned to intensive BGL control methods, and half to the conventional treatment at the time. The DCCT ended in 1993 when the intensive control group was found to have substantially less eye, nerve and kidney disease.

In the ongoing EDIC study, participants were followed for an average of 27 years

after initial enrollment in the study. In this time:

• There was a 33% reduction on the number of deaths in the intensive control group compared to the standard control group (33 vs 64 deaths)

• 1 death occurred as a result of diabetes-related kidney disease in the intensive control group compared to 6 deaths in the standard control group

Researchers also found that higher average glucose levels and increased protein in the urine, a marker of diabetic kidney disease, were the major risk factors for death.

Angela McKay, acting CEO of JDRF Australia says, “The recent data findings from the EDIC study tells us that maintaining good glucose control is significantly important for improving the life expectancy of those living with type 1 diabetes. JDRF remains committed to delivering a continuous stream of new therapies to help those living with the condition enjoy a long and healthy life, until a cure can be found.”

The findings of the DCCT trial were ground-breaking in its time, and have formed the basis for current recommendations for standard practice in the management for type 1 diabetes. These new research outcomes show that this recommended intensive management of T1D translates into longer lifespans for people with type 1 diabetes.

New temporary drugs to replace immunosuppressant drugsJDRF partner Viacyte, a US-based regenerative medicine company, has successfully transplanted human pancreatic tissue into mice without immune rejection of the tissue.

In this new preliminary study, stem cell-derived immature pancreatic cells were transplanted into mice that had their own beta-cells chemically destroyed. The mice were treated with drugs for two weeks that block specific elements of the immune system, meaning that the immune system didn’t attack the graft. In other mice who didn’t receive these drugs, the grafts were destroyed.

The grafts that survived as a result of the drugs then matured into fully functional insulin-producing cells that maintained normal blood glucose levels.

Normally, lifelong immunosuppressant drugs would need to be taken to prevent the body’s natural rejection of foreign tissue. The fact that use of these drugs meant that the mice didn’t reject this foreign tissue is very promising, as it could indicate future opportunities for islet cell transplantation that won’t require lifelong immunosuppressant drugs.

www.jdrf.org.au

Blood Glucose Level Control Helps Improve Lifespan For People With Type 1 Diabetes

The Salmon family from NSW, members of the type 1 diabetes community.

12 Research Australia grassROOTS AUTUMN 2015

Autumn 2015

Help us fi nd a cure for Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects more young people than any other acquired chronic neurological disease.

MS Research Australia is the only national organisationtargeting prevention, better treatments and eventuallya cure for MS through funding the best, peer-reviewed,MS research in Australia.

www.msra.org.au • 1300 356 467

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Autumn 2015

MS Research Australia is the largest national not-for-profit organisation dedicated to funding and coordinating multiple sclerosis (MS) research in Australia. In recognition of the organisation’s ten year anniversary, MS Research Australia has assessed the research outcomes arising from its research investments since 2004, and is also assessing the broader national MS research landscape in order to refine future organisational strategy and research directions.

Supported by a generous grant from the Macquarie Group Foundation, MS Research Australia has undertaken an ambitious initiative to compile two landmark documents: a ten year retrospective Research Audit, and a forward-planning national MS Resource Map. These documents are a key benchmark against the original strategic goals set out at the inception of the organisation, and will be a crucial guide to future areas for development.

The first of these documents, the MS Research Australia Research Audit 2004 – 2014, was published in November 2014. The Audit Report was the result of an extensive collation of data, from both an internal evaluation as well as a survey completed by grant recipients from around Australia.

The Audit Report highlighted the key achievements of the past ten years, and allowed extensive evaluation of MS Research Australia’s funding outcomes against the strategic goals set out at establishment in 2004. MS Research Australia’s core goal from the outset was to increase both the capacity for MS research in Australia as well as the funding available. The Research Audit Report clearly illustrates that MS Research Australia has successfully achieved this goal.

Since 2004, MS Research Australia has awarded over $14 million in funding for investigator-led research via 154 grants, in addition to over $8 million dedicated to collaborative MS research platforms. For every $1 invested in MS research, recipients of MS Research Australia grants were able to leverage on average five times this amount in external funding to continue their research, such as competitive funding grants from the National Health

and Medical Research Council, ensuring maximum value of limited research funds.

MS Research Australia grants have underpinned many exciting breakthroughs and achievements in the MS field. With well over 200 publications, four patents, and many biomarkers, clinical assessment tools, and twenty-six novel research methodologies developed and in use, MS Research Australia-funded researchers are making tangible progress towards solving MS.

The audit also identified that MS Research Australia grants help build capacity in the MS research field. Around 94% of MS Research Australia-funded researchers continue in the MS research field, establishing extensive collaborations both nationally and internationally, and on average each training a further four researchers.

Following on from this milestone document, MS Research Australia are developing a national MS Research Resource Map, which will provide a detailed picture of the resources available to Australian MS researchers. Inspired by similar approaches taken by other top research organisations, MS Research Australia is creating a resource designed to uniquely benefit the MS research community. The MS Research Resource Map will identify key gaps in the Australian MS research environment and inform future MS Research Australia strategy. By providing a systematic assessment of currently available resources, tools, infrastructure and funding, the MS Research Resource Map will maximise research efficiency and improve resource utilisation, while also encouraging collaboration and the non-duplication of resources.

“Tracking the outcomes of our research funding is an important part of what we do at MS Research Australia,” said Dr Matthew Miles, Chief Executive Officer. “Outcomes from funding ten years ago continue to grow, as initial findings are built upon by other MS researchers. The audit confirms that MS Research Australia is funding the best and most valuable research for people with MS in Australia and shows that we are well-placed to understand the work that still needs to be done.”

www.msra.org.au

MS Research Australia Is Targeting Research To Make A Difference For Multiple Sclerosis

14 Research Australia grassROOTS AUTUMN 2015

Autumn 2015

QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute scientists have found that some anti-inflammatory drugs reduce the risk of Australia’s second most common skin cancer – but are stressing that avoiding sun exposure remains the best protection.

QIMR Berghofer’s Cancer and Population Studies Group in Brisbane reviewed all available published data on squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS).

The analysis found NSAIDS – including the over-the-counter pain-killing medication ibuprofen – could be particularly beneficial to people at high risk of developing SCC.

Dr Catherine Olsen from QIMR Berghofer said non-aspirin NSAIDS were found to decrease the risk of SCC by 15 per cent. “This is the best evidence to date that NSAIDS could have a preventative affect in relation to squamous cell skin cancers,” Dr Olsen said.

“Clinicians can now take this into consideration when prescribing anti-inflammatory medication for their patients with other sun-induced skin tumours who may be at high risk of SCC.”

Squamous cell carcinoma is one of the most frequently occurring cancers world-wide and is a significant public health burden in Australia affecting six in every 1,000 Australians each year.

It can be life-threatening if it is not detected early and can also result in serious disfigurement.

Dr Olsen said due to variations in dosages and duration of use of NSAIDS in the nine studies assessed for the project, strong and specific recommendations on cancer prevention could not be made at this time. “This will need to be assessed in large studies and ultimately tested in a clinical trial,” Dr Olsen said.

“The findings are now the subject of further research being undertaken at QIMR Berghofer.”

Dr Olsen said the best way to guard against skin cancer is to reduce sun

exposure. “That will always be the number one preventative action for skin cancers – but this might be a supplementary skin cancer control measure.”

Dr Olsen said there can be side-effects with both aspirin and other NSAID use – and people should talk to their general practitioners before taking any medication to reduce their skin cancer risk.

The analysis – published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology – also suggested a decreased risk of SCC associated with aspirin use, but this finding was not statistically significant.

www.qimrberghofer.edu.au

Common Painkillers Help Reduce Skin Cancer Risk

Some common painkillers have been found to reduce the risk of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) by scientist at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute.

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Autumn 2015

Older patients account for half of hospital inpatient days in Queensland and their hospital stays tend to be longer. They are slower to get back on their feet after an illness or injury, have more complications and are more likely to require extra community care after discharge.

But an IHBI research project is designing better and cheaper hospital care, with results already showing a 10-15 per cent reduction in average hospital stays for older patients, and plans to continue making improvements with new funding.

Adjunct Professor Alison Mudge has received Queensland Government Accelerate Partnerships program funding to work with staff members from a variety of wards and investigate ways to introduce important components in the care of older patients such as early mobility, good nutrition and activities to keep the mind active.

It advances research conducted with funding from the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation, a partnership between QUT, the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, The University of Queensland and Queensland Health to find better and lower cost ways of delivering health services. The pilot study in a vascular surgical ward showed shorter hospital stays, fewer complications and less need for convalescent stays after the acute condition was resolved.

‘We know hospital environments and care models are not ideally designed for older patients,’

Adjunct Professor Mudge says. ‘Some of the common complications of acute illness and injury such as delirium, also called acute confusion, are actually made worse by features such as constantly changing staff, rooms that all look the same, noisy or light rooms at night, lack of clocks and windows to let people identify the time.

‘Small changes to the way care is delivered can reduce delirium by up to one third. It is changes such as staff identifying themselves, taking time to remind patients where they are, providing familiar and reassuring routines and helping make the ward quiet for sleep.’

There is a direct link between delirium and longer hospital stays. ‘Reducing delirium can result in reduced complications and prevent longer hospital stays – both issues that have an impact on healthcare costs,’ Adjunct Professor Mudge says.

The real challenge is how to change staff behaviour in the way care is delivered.

Public hospital wards are busy, complex environments with constantly changing staff. Yet it will be the staff making sure there is time for those small changes that make a big difference to older patients.

‘Our own previous experience is that it is relatively easy to make one of the initiatives work for a time, but much harder to make it stick,’ Adjunct Professor Mudge says, ‘so our study includes a much more structured social science approach to that challenge.

‘The ultimate aim is to produce a fundamental shift in how care of the older patient in hospital is viewed. We need to embed the new care models in the wards, ensure staff members are on side so the models are sustained and then spread them to other hospitals.

‘We have seen that our efforts in our own hospital have gained momentum as staff members recognise that they have the ability to change the system to deliver better care.’

The healthcare system will face challenges, with an increasing life expectancy, the ageing of Baby Boomers and the increased risk of that generation needing care for

heart disease, cancer, dementia and stroke – all diseases that are more common in older people.

Adjunct Professor Mudge says the newly funded study aims to provide stronger data and engage decision-makers in allocating funds and staff members, all with the aim of introducing the small changes needed to improve care for older patients.

The study, called CHERISH, has support from clinical researchers in medicine, geriatrics, nutrition and dietetics, physiotherapy and nursing, as well as academic researchers in health economics, statistics and knowledge translation.

It included Researchers from QUT, The University of Queensland, the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne, the University of Adelaide and Harvard University.

‘Most of us share the ambition to grow old gracefully,’ Adjunct Professor Mudge says, ‘and we need to make sure our community and care systems support this goal.’

www.qut.edu.au/institute-of-health-and-biomedical-innovation

Small Changes Show Big Promise In Improving Older Patient Care

Professor Alison Mudge

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Autumn 2015

Jennie Thomas AM, much loved Life Governor of Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI), is passionate about supporting early career researchers at the University of Newcastle and HMRI. After her husband Philip Emlyn Thomas passed away in 2001, Jennie decided to fund research programs in honour of his life and work as a scientist in the field of Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry.

Choosing areas that interested them both, Jennie has supported young researchers in fields as diverse as cardiovascular disease and stroke, chronic cough, cancer (especially melanoma, leukaemia and breast cancer), mental health, diet and obesity, spinal cord injuries and sport-related concussion.

Having first-hand knowledge of the heartbreak of caring for loved ones experiencing health problems, Jennie has made it her mission to help researchers find answers to the medical questions touching every family across the world. She takes a personal interest in the selection of the young researchers she supports financially, and makes it her business to get to know them, to mentor and hug them, to visit their labs and live the ups and downs of their research dreams. Jennie’s ‘family’ of young researchers in Newcastle now numbers 23 and continues to grow every year. These dedicated young researchers meet every few months with Jennie to share updates on their progress and to support and encourage each other. Older members of the group now mentor newer members.

An early example of Jennie’s philanthropy was a donation in 2002 to mental health PhD researcher Frances Kay-Lambkin. Frances, who was awarded her PhD in 2006, used Jennie’s donation to produce a CD and internet resource, providing

a world-first computer based cognitive behaviour therapy treatment program for those experiencing alcohol, drug addiction and depression. Jennie’s funding of this project enabled the research team to leverage a further $1 million through two major research grants and enabled Frances to become a world leader in this fast growing area. More recently, PhD student Erin Campbell, a 2014 recipient of Jennie’s travel grants will travel to the USA to further our understanding of this social problem that affects so many people worldwide.

Jennie is an ardent advocate of the model process; of researching, developing and translating answers into models that can be rolled out to benefit health communities across Australia and abroad. An example of this model is the “BraveHeart” pilot study, conducted by Professor Amanda Baker, Dr Alyna Turner and conjoint senior lecturer John Hambridge. This study involved cardiac patients who were experiencing significant symptoms of depression or anxiety after a cardiac event. The study showed that coronary heart disease patients who feel depressed or anxious can benefit from a brief intervention or group therapy. Coronary heart disease and depression are the largest contributors to the burden of disease in Australia. One in five heart attack survivors will develop depression, which increases their risks of having another heart attack, and if

serious enough, can culminate in suicide. Jennie’s initial donation led to funding from Australian Rotary Health for a randomised controlled trial and a 2008 NSW Cancer Council grant of $300,000.

Several of Jennie’s PhD awardees are working in stroke research, both in the search for better treatments and in post-stroke rehabilitation. Their current projects include various methods of improving stroke rehabilitation and the formation of a very successful choir for stroke survivors.

Through her belief in, and practise of, ‘giving of time, talent and treasure’, Jennie is known as a motivator and an inspiration. Her altruism in medical research has had a ripple effect. Her philanthropy has led to the establishment of scholarships and grants that support a dedicated and effective group of early career researchers, and to the success of innovative ideas, the retention and attraction of world-class researchers, and increased funding to the University of Newcastle and HMRI research projects from government and other sources.

www.newcastle.edu.au

Time, Talent And Treasures: The Ripple Effect Of Giving

L – R: Professor Michael Nilsson, David Young OAM, Jamie Flynn, Kirrilly Pursey, Erin Campbell, Heloisa Milioli, Jennie Thomas AM, Lucy Murtha, Netsanet Negewo, Dr Nikola Bowden, Emeritus Professor John Rostas

When Dr Doug Lingard’s 20 year old daughter Rose first developed symptoms of mitochondrial disease (mito) eight years ago, he was struck by the almost complete lack of information. There was little in the standard medical texts, no support network for patients, and only limited awareness among medical professionals. It was in this context that the Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (AMDF) was formed.

Mito refers to a group of debilitating genetic disorders in which the ability of mitochondria to produce energy is reduced. When mitochondria are not working properly cells can die, and eventually whole organ systems may fail. The organ systems with greatest energy demands tend to fail first, but the diversity of symptoms and absence of a readily available lab test means that making a diagnosis can be very difficult.

To complicate matters further mito’s mode of inheritance is complex. The roughly 1500 proteins required to make mitochondria work satisfactorily are coded in nuclear DNA (nDNA) as well as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), and hence inheritance can occur through both parents or via the mother alone. Furthermore, mutations can arise sporadically which means that mito can strike multiple family members and be passed down unwittingly by parents who are asymptomatic or not diagnosed.

We know that about 1 in 200 people has a mtDNA mutation that puts them at risk of developing mito. Yet even today mito is not sufficiently recognised to attract the funding and public support enjoyed by better known but less prevalent conditions.

Since the AMDF’s inception in 2009, it has raised several million dollars for research and spent numerous hours raising awareness in the medical profession and general public. These include arranging mito education stands and expert speakers at GP conferences, sponsoring meetings with international experts, hosting information days, and a website that spreads the word to a wider public.

Currently AMDF funds 15 researchers, most of whom have been awarded prizes for research excellence. AMDF has also helped fund important research equipment such as Seahorse Bioscience XF Analysers which measure mitochondrial function, and Dipstick Readers which measure the activity of intracellular proteins.

The AMDF’s patient support includes a ‘Help Line’, which provides assistance to many

patients and families, and a ‘Mito Patient Registry’, a patient controlled database forming part of a worldwide database. Also, support for individuals has begun with partial funding of a child for a clinical trial in California. Such support for individuals can be expected to increase further as treatments develop and funds become available.

As for the future; research into mitochondrial medicine is taking off worldwide and Australia is at the forefront. The fact that mitochondrial failure is involved in so many better known diseases, such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, type 2 diabetes and several cancers ensures that mitochondrial research will continue to attract attention. Insights gained in researching these diseases will benefit mito and vice versa. The understanding of mitochondrial medicine is advancing rapidly and services for mito patients are being put in place. However there still remains no satisfactory

treatment or imminent cure. Major funding bodies must increase investment in genetic research, and Federal and State governments need to work together to effect faster and cheaper diagnoses. Funding the translation of Next Generation DNA sequencing from research labs into the community would be a greatly rewarding first step. This would place affordable, accurate genetic testing within reach of all Australians.

The AMDF, as the primary Australian support group for the mitochondrial community, is staffed by people with many friends and family members who suffer from these horrible disorders. It’s the AMDF’s intention to support these people, the medical professionals and any researchers who search for answers. Let’s hope 2015 proves to be a seminal year; one that brings us a first meaningful treatment or even that ground-breaking first cure.

www.amdf.org.au

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Autumn 2015Mitochondrial Disease, The Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation And The Benefits Of Research

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Autumn 2015

Dr Kylie Baker has always been passionate about point-of-care ultrasound. Now thanks to research funded by the Queensland Emergency Medicine Research Foundation (QEMRF), the Queensland doctor is continuing research into a cost-effective, simple and quick bedside ultrasound technique to help save elderly patients’ lives, as well as hospital costs.

When elderly people present to the Emergency Department short of breath, the two most common causes – heart failure and chronic lung disease – often appear similar but require very different treatments. Despite the current multitude of time-consuming tests, such as an electrocardiograph, chest x-ray or blood tests, up to one quarter of elderly patients are initially misdiagnosed.

“Diagnosing heart failure is one of the hardest things I do…and I know the statistics concerning misdiagnosis of older patients. We had been trying to improve this within budgetary constraints, and one of the potential solutions identified was point-of-care ultrasound,” said Dr Baker, Senior Medical Officer, Ipswich Emergency Department, West Moreton Health Service District.

“I’ve always been an advocate of point-of-care ultrasound – I think it’s one of the few things we should put in our toolbox that we can use as easily at the Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital. But one of the hardest things I face is actually getting my colleagues to even think of using the ultrasound machine.”

However, starting with a pilot study in 2011, Dr Baker showed that bedside lung ultrasound was safe, feasible, objective and accurate, even when used by novice practitioners, with benefits over chest x-rays in cost, safety and reduced radiation exposure.

Under a current $200,000 QEMRF-funded study, Dr Baker has expanded the research to a multicentre trial including Queensland’s Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital, the Prince Charles Hospital and Princess Alexandra Hospital, focusing on ultrasound use by junior doctors. This young group are less averse to new technology, and are also the group who are often rotated through work in rural and remote areas.

Cost savingDr Baker’s team is also investigating whether the use of ultrasound provides any improvements in length of stay or costs of care between patients correctly and incorrectly diagnosed. According to Dr Baker, the research is already showing a benefit.

“A small pilot study has revealed the potential for significant cost savings amounting to several hundred dollars per acute patient episode. We aim to test this further with a far larger group of patients to confirm our findings,” she said.

“Overall though, I think ultrasound is the way of the future as it offers great savings in time, money and lives. QEMRF have given me the opportunity to teach and test it at the same time – and what I teach here can be used for any bedside ultrasound protocol.”

Replicating the results of overseas studies could lead to the replacement of certain x-rays with a safer, cheaper and more reliable alternative, reducing treatment costs and assisting elderly patients through earlier recognition of heart disease and earlier intervention. Developing a simple and effective ultrasound protocol could also aid understanding of the technology and training techniques, according to Dr Baker.

“Bedside ultrasound has made a huge difference to my decision-making and treatment in my own clinical practice, both in terms of time and accuracy. I hope to share these skills with the next generation of clinicians and overcome the traditionally lengthy period of time it takes for new evidence to become incorporated into standard practice,” she said.

Dr Baker is particularly interested in preventative research which can be easily transferred into real world practice – “taking the expensive European model and making it affordable for anyone, anywhere,” she said.

“QEMRF is committed to investing in high quality and translatable research that will contribute towards economic benefits for the healthcare system and improve the care of patients in Emergency Departments. Dr Baker’s work with bedside ultrasound is another example of practical research generating real benefits for patients and hospitals,” QEMRF’s Chief Executive Officer Karen Murphy said.

www.qemrf.org.au

Can Lung Ultrasound Improve Recognition Of Heart Failure In Elderly Patients?

Photograph Caption: Emergency Department senior doctor Kylie Baker demonstrates the ultrasound equipment on her father Clive Pope.

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Autumn 2015

High-achieving researchers at the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research at Liverpool Hospital shone brightly in the spotlight at the Institute’s ‘night of nights’, the 2nd Annual Awards Dinner.

Ending the year on a stellar note, the Ingham Institute hosted its 2nd Annual Awards Dinner on Thursday 20 November with more than 250 keen supporters and research enthusiasts attending the celebration night at Sydney’s Liverpool Catholic Club.

Renowned as one of the major community events on the Institute’s calendar, the night drew close attention to the Institute’s top-performing researchers who were recognised for their achievements and contributions to medical research for 2014.

Guests of honour included Professor Warwick Anderson, CEO of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Hon Jai Rowell MP, Minister for Mental Health, Assistant Minister for Health who both gave special presentations.

“We have some of Australia’s best talent working at the Ingham Institute on a range of critical disease areas affecting Australians including cancer, early childhood disease, injury and mental health,” explained Professor Michael Barton OAM, Ingham Institute Research Director.

“The Awards Dinner puts the spotlight on our researchers and the programs underway at the Ingham Institute, which have had the flow-on effect of improving treatments and services of care for patients

both locally and internationally” he said.

Three major awards were presented on the night including the Lady Mary Fairfax Distinguished Researcher Award, the Excellence in Teaching Award and the Early Career Researcher all of which came with $5000 prize money.

First in line was Professor Guy Marks, who was awarded the Lady Mary Fairfax Distinguished Researcher Award. Professor Marks is the group leader of the Ingham Institute’s Department of Respiratory Medicine, which conducts clinical research in diverse fields including asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis, sleep disorders, tuberculosis and interventional pulmonology. Highly deserving of the prestigious award, Professor Marks’ illustrious research career spans over 20 years which has established him as an international leader in lung health. Most recently, much of his work has focused on the burden of these conditions in developing countries such as Vietnam and the Pacific islands. He’s also been successful in securing research funding to the tune of over $35 million throughout his career. This has included a number of NHMRC Practitioner and Research Fellowships and in both 2010 and in 2013 he was ranked the number one candidate in the category of Fellowship for his

category, one of the highest achievements in Australia medical research.

Next in line was Dr Bjorn Espedido from the Institute’s Antibiotic Resistance and Mobile Elements Group (ARMEG) who got the gong for the Early Career Researcher Award, proudly sponsored by Liverpool City Council. Presented by Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun, Dr Espedido’s award recognised his outstanding work to combat Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (or “Golden Staph”), and other multi-resistant organisms (MROs), also known as superbugs in Australian hospitals. Dr Espedido plays a focal role in one of the largest-ever genomics studies aimed at understanding the superbug ‘Golden Staph’ in collaboration with the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

The winner of the Excellence in Teaching Award sponsored by the South Western Sydney Local Health District was Professor Iain Gosbell, Group Leader of the Antibiotic Resistance and Mobile Elements Group (ARMEG). In addition to leading the ARMEG team, Professor Gosbell has established himself a strong teacher and mentor to the research community in South Western Sydney. He was appointed the Foundation Chair of Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney in 2009 and has attracted several Honours, Masters and PhD students throughout his career. Professor Gosbell’s contributions to teaching and research in Microbiology and Infectious Disease were also recognised nationally when he was awarded the bioMérieux and Australian Society for Microbiology Identifying Resistance Award in 2013.

“Although the Institute is relatively young, this has not short-changed us in terms of our achievements” said Ingham Institute Chairman Mr Terry Goldacre.

“Congratulations to all of the winners and to all of the researchers at the Ingham Institute who continue to work tirelessly to help improve the health of our nation,” he continued.

www.inghaminstitute.org.au

Ingham Institute 2nd Annual Awards Night

L–R: Professor Guy Marks accepts the Lady Mary Fairfax Distinguished Researcher Award with Professor Les Bokey and Ingham Institute Chairman Terry Goldacre.

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Autumn 2015

The Osteoporosis Australia (OA) research fund, in partnership with the Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society (ANZBMS), has awarded a range of grants to researchers investigating fracture prevention. The scope of the projects demonstrate it is an important time for bone research.

AMGEN-GSK OA-ANZBMS Clinical Grant Program 1. Dr Fran Milat – Monash Institute of

Medical Research

‘The Optimisation of Bone Health in Chronic Neurological Conditions’

Cerebral palsy and spina bifida are common causes of physical disability in children and poor bone health is more likely to develop in these conditions, resulting in an increased risk of fractures in adulthood. This can have a devastating impact on already limited mobility. Dr Milat’s research will seek to understand the causes of osteoporosis as well as the optimal treatment to prevent fractures in adults with these conditions. The findings will assist in planning clinical trials to determine the optimal treatment of osteoporosis in adults with chronic neurological conditions, and contribute to the development of new treatment guidelines.

2. Dr Jian Chen – Institute of Bone and Joint Research, University of Sydney – ‘Quality use of osteoporosis medication in clinical practice: minimum treatment requirements and therapy guidelines through data linkage’

Osteoporosis medications are extremely effective, reducing risk of fracture by up to 50%. However osteoporosis is still a significant problem in Australia, partly because many patients do not properly take their osteoporosis medications. Knowing the underlying reasons is helpful to understand how well osteoporosis medications work in the ‘real world’ of poor compliance. Dr Chen’s research takes advantage of health data collected over several years from over 266,000 men and women in NSW, and will help explain how the different ways patients take their medication can affect their bone health and risk of fracture. The findings will help doctors, policy makers and consumers to improve the use of osteoporosis medications, reducing the devastating effects of fractures in the community.

3. Dr Weiwen Chen – Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney

‘Clinical applications of trabecular bone score (TBS) in populations at higher fracture risk’

The ‘gold standard’ for the assessment of bone strength is the measurement of its density. However, researchers have known for some time that measuring the quality of bone may be just as important as determining its density. Dr Chen’s research aims to understand how assessing the quality of the underlying ‘scaffold’ structure of bone may predict fracture risk more accurately than measuring its density alone. This will help improve the management of bone health in people with chronic diseases, who can be at higher risk of fracture, despite often having normal bone density.

Sambrook Award (2014) Dr Kirtan Ganda, Concord General Repatriation Hospital, Sydney

Professor Sambrook was awarded (posthumously) the prestigious Research Australia Lifetime Achievement Award. His legacy lives on with the annual Sambrook Award most recently awarded to Dr Ganda, who focussed on how to prevent repeat fractures in patients who have already suffered a minimal trauma fracture due to osteoporosis. This included an in-depth analysis of the Minimal Trauma Fracture Service at Concord Hospital as the focus of his recently completed PhD. This research has been extended to include an analysis of secondary fracture prevention programs in Australia and overseas. Dr Ganda used the award to present his latest research findings at the Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society annual conference in Queenstown, and the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research annual conference in Houston in 2014.

RACGP/ Osteoporosis Australia Bone Health Research Grant (2014)Dr Simon Vanlint – ‘Improving the bone health of cancer survivors – a pilot study of patient activation and resource provision to improve bone health management after breast and prostate cancer’

Dr Vanlint’s project aims to improve the bone health of cancer survivors. People with breast and prostate cancer make up the majority of cancer survivors in Australia today, and are 2-4 times more likely to develop osteoporosis than the general population. The project will investigate new patient information resources and more effective ways of communicating the importance of bone health to empower patients and assist doctors.

www.osteoporosis.org.au

The Latest On Bone Research

Dr Kirtan Gander, Sambrook Award recipient

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Autumn 2015

L–R Dr Lyn Phillipson, University of Wollongong; Richard Hearn, Resthaven CEO; Wendy Morey, Resthaven Executive Manager Workforce Development and Governance, Dr Alison Kevan, AADRF Manager.

Alzheimer’s Australia Dementia Research Foundation (AADRF) has recently named Dr Lyn Phillipson the recipient of the Resthaven Inc. Dementia Research Award.

This award was made possible through funding from Resthaven Inc.; a South Australian not-for-profit aged care community service associated with the Uniting Church that delivers a range of responsive residential and community care services to older people and their carers.

Over several years, Resthaven Inc. has invested significantly in dementia research and quality improvement initiatives related to diagnosis, early intervention, community awareness, respite and palliative care, and supporting carers. As a result of this investment, Resthaven Inc. is widely recognised as a leading provider of high-quality, evidence-based aged and dementia care.

Recently, Dr Phillipson travelled to Adelaide to present her Respite Intervention research proposal to Resthaven. Dr Phillipson is the Associate Director of the Centre for Health Initiatives, and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Wollongong.

Resthaven CEO Richard Hearn said he was delighted to welcome Dr Phillipson to Adelaide to outline her research proposal and to visit several sites, including some community based respite services.

‘Resthaven is committed to supporting relevant research that has benefits for older people. We see it as part of our social responsibility and adding value to the Australian community’ said Mr Hearn.

Dr Phillipson’s research will also add to previous doctoral research undertaken through AADRF. Dr Alison Kevan, AADRF Manager, presented Dr Phillipson with her award, along with a certificate to Wendy Morey, Executive Manager Workforce Development and Governance, to acknowledge Resthaven’s contribution to supporting dementia research.

Ms Morey said “Resthaven is pleased to sponsor this research grant, which aims to further the understanding of how respite services are utilised by carers of people with dementia. We hope it will contribute to improve uptake of the available respite services and lead to ways to break down barriers to accessing it.

“We are confident that Dr Phillipson’s research will assist in improving outcomes for older people and their carers. Using a consumer driven approach, the research

will lead to a better understanding of respite utilisation in the care of people with dementia.

“Dr Phillipson’s professional expertise and her keen interest in identifying ways to improve the service system has the potential to benefit people with dementia and their carers across the nation.”

Dr Phillipson will conduct her research in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven area of New South Wales, where she will develop, trial, and evaluate the impact of ‘Respite Action Intervention for carers of people with Dementia’ (RAID) on respite knowledge, attitudes, and usage of respite services among carers of people with dementia.

The project aims to determine how to improve carer knowledge of local respite services, promote positive carer attitudes towards the benefits of respite services, increase uptake of respite services by those with perceived and measured need and enhance General Practitioner and Practice Nurse knowledge and referral of carers to respite services.

Dr Phillipson is one of 29 dementia researchers to be awarded a share in $2.6 million by AADRF, thanks to the efforts of

community donors and fundraisers who have helped fund this year’s Alzheimer’s Australia Dementia Research Foundation grants program.

The Foundation’s Chair, Scientia Professor Henry Brodaty AO said: “There was very strong demand for these awards from the research sector this year, and our rigorous assessment process means that we are supporting the very best and brightest new and early career dementia researchers.

“The research grants and fellowships are supporting the next generation of Australian dementia researchers who will be among those making the breakthroughs in understanding and treatment of dementia in the future. The support our Foundation receives from the community to allow us to do this work really is testament to how important dementia is to the people of this nation.”

www.dementiaresearchfoundation.org.au

Resthaven Sees Commitment To Research As Part Of Its Social Responsibility

Scientists at Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research (WMI) have contributed to the development of an entirely new type of pill that tricks the body into thinking it has consumed calories, causing it to burn fat.

Research published in Nature Medicine, shows that the pill is effective in stopping weight gain, lowering cholesterol, controlling blood sugar and minimising inflammation.

And because the drug, called fexaramine (FXR), acts in the intestine and is not absorbed into the blood, it is expected to cause fewer side effects in humans than other diet pills.

Professor Chris Liddle and researcher Sally Coulter from WMI’s Storr Liver Centre collaborated on the research with a team at the Salk Institute Gene Expression Laboratory in the United States.

Professor Liddle says FXR activates a protein called FXR which plays a role in how the body releases bile acids from the liver, digests food and stores fats and sugars.

“What we did with this drug was mimic the way your body reacts when you eat a meal,” said Professor Liddle.

“This pill is like an imaginary or virtual meal and sends out signals that normally happen when you eat a lot of food, so the body starts clearing out space to store it and burns fat in the process. But there are no calories and no change in appetite.”

Obese mice given a daily pill of fexaramine for five weeks stopped gaining weight, lost fat and had lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels than untreated mice.

“In addition, the mice had a rise in body temperature–which signals metabolism ramping up–and some deposits of white fat in their

bodies converted into a healthier, energy-burning beige form of the tissue,” said Professor Liddle.

“The drug was actually discovered several years ago and while a positive result wasn’t unexpected, the fact that the degree of improvement we found in mice was so marked was a bit of a surprise.”

Fexaramine could also lead to an effective treatment for obesity-related type 2 diabetes, suffered by over a million Australians.

“During our research it became apparent that this drug was a powerful treatment not just for obesity but also for the type 2 diabetes that these mice get,” said Professor Liddle.

Other drugs have previously been developed to activate FXR, but affect several organs including the liver, kidneys and adrenal glands, causing side effects.

Salk Institute Gene Expression Laboratory

director Ronald Evans and the research team investigated whether switching on FXR only in the intestines might have a different outcome.

“It turns out that when we administer fexaramine orally, it only acts in the gut,” says Evans.

“The body’s response to a meal is like a relay race, and if you tell all the runners to go at the same time, you’ll never pass the baton. And the reality is that the very first responder for all this is the intestine.

“We’ve learned how to trigger the first runner so that the rest of the events happen in a natural order.”

The researchers hypothesise that since fexaramine doesn’t reach the bloodstream, it is likely to be safer in humans than other FXR-targeting drugs.

Subject to further research currently underway it is hoped that human clinical trials might begin within three years.

Professor Liddle cautions, however, that patients taking the fexaramine pill would still need to make diet and lifestyle changes.

“Experience would tell us that no obesity treatment works particularly well unless it is associated with some lifestyle changes. So while I think this pill could be a major step forward in the treatment of both obesity and type 2 diabetes, a healthy diet and lifestyle is always a good accompaniment.”

www.wmi.org.au

22 Research Australia grassROOTS AUTUMN 2015

Autumn 2015WMI researchers collaborate on a new drug that tricks the body into losing weight

Courtesy of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Board of DirectorsChairProfessor Christine Bennett AO Dean, School of Medicine, Sydney University of Notre Dame Australia

Deputy ChairPeter Wills AC

Elizabeth Foley CEO & Managing Director Research Australia

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Editor’s CornerWho 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.

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