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AITHM NEWSLETTER: DEC 2018
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TROPICAL RESEARCH CENTRE OPENS ON THURSDAY ISLAND
Shannon Fentiman, the Queensland Minister for Training and Skills Development, officially opened the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine’s (AITHM) new base on Thursday Island on the 8th November 2018.
The building, adjacent to the Torres Strait Hospital on Victoria Parade, is designed to support research, training and community engagement. It has been funded by the Queensland Government ($6.3M) and James Cook University ($300,000). |
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Find out more >> |
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Congratulations to the following AITHM Staff and Members
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November - National Institutes of Health
Carcinogenic liver fluke infection: Gene editing- and vaccination-mediated approaches to interrupt host-parasite communication
Indicative funding: $825,674 over 5 years administered by George Washington University
Long term infection with liver fluke, a food-borne parasitic worm leads to cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a form of liver cancer with a dismal prognosis. Previously we identified proteins and vesicles from these parasites that may cause this cancer. This new project will investigate the roles of these parasite proteins and vesicles in cancer, which may lead to new treatments and control for fluke infection and CCA
Chief Investigators: Alex Loukas, Michael Smout and Javier Sotillo-Gallego (Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine)
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October - Department of Health - Education and Research Grant
Exploring the educational and program impact of strategies to increase high quality GP registrar supervision and training in underserved communities in north-western Queensland
Indicative funding: $154,000 over 3 years administered by Australian College of Rural & Remote Medicine
This project builds on the previously funded ACRRM ERG - to develop a general practice workforce that is aligned with population health needs and optimising workforce sustainability and training in rural and remote areas. The first project identified underserved communities where GP registrar training capacity could be better targeted by strategically establishing registrar training posts in underserved communities. New training posts have been established or are in development in the underserved areas identified by the first project. This new project will evaluate these new training posts; measuring the educational impact of training in underserved areas and the impact of training posts on local communities.
Chief Investigator: Richard Murray with the help of Carole Reeve, Louise Young, Lee Gasser, Bunmi Malau-Aduli, Richard Hays and Tarun Sen Gupta (College of Medicine & Dentistry and Division of Tropical Health & Medicine)
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October - The Australia and New Zealand School of Government Limited - Writing a Review
A scoping review of the factors affecting the development of the clinical academic workforce in Australia and New Zealand
Indicative funding: $10,000 over 2 years
This scoping review will analyse the empirical evidence base relating to medical, nursing, allied health and other health professional clinical academic workforce development in Australia and New Zealand.
Chief Investigator: Alex Edelman (College of Public Health and Medical & Vet Sciences)
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October - Townsville Hospital and Health Service - Study Education Research Trust Account (SERTA)
Assessment of the efficacy of a novel treatment for Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)
Indicative funding: $50,000 over 2 years
Blockage of leg arteries (peripheral artery disease - PAD) leads to severe exertional leg pain (intermittent claudication), impaired walking ability, reduced health- related quality of life, and high risk of amputation and death. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that metformin, a cheap and safe medication, promotes formation of new vessels, improves microcirculation and muscle function,s and limits pain.
Chief Investigators: Jon Golledge, Joseph Moxon, Tejas Singh, Rachel Wong, Kunwargit Sangla and Veronica White (College of Medicine & Dentistry and Townsville Hospital and Health Services)
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Vascular Foundation - Project Grant
Metformin in the management of abdominal aortic aneurysm (MAGIC)
Indicative funding: $50,000
MAGIC will be the first trial to assess the value of metformin with significant preliminary data to suggest it can slow AAA growth. The trial offers the possibility of identifying a new treatment modality for an increasingly common condition, which would markedly change clinical practice.
Chief Investigators: Jon Golledge and Paul Norman (College of Medicine & Dentistry and The University of Western Australia)
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Lifelab Testing - Contract Research
Analysis of sensitisation to food in consumer
Indicative funding: $39,331 over 2 years
Our body's immune system protects us from disease. Antibodies produced by the immune system are one method of protecting us from foreign bodies. However, during an allergic sensitisation, the body generates allergens specific antibodies. The amount of these pathogenic antibodies is correlated to the severity of allergic sensitisation. Lifelabtesting, a UK base diagnostic company, is specialised in offering a unique range of comprehensive blood tests, analysing up to 160 food items. The development of better or improved diagnostics for Australians with food allergy will be the aim of this collaborative project. Lifelabtesting is in the process of establishing these allergy tests in Australia and needs to identify if the selected allergens are appropriate and the best panel for the Australian population.
Chief Investigators: Andreas Lopata and Elecia Johnston (College of Public Health and Medical & Vet Sciences)
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News, Media and Public Engagement
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NEWS
Stories Gaining Traction
November - Michael Smout - 24 news stories - "No fluke: Parasite could 'supercharge' chronic wound healing"
October - Zoltan Sarnyai, Max Berger and Robyn McDermott - 14 news stories - "Study confirms that depression is related to diet"
September - Alan Clough - 7 news stories - "New research from JCU has found that the effectiveness of alcohol management in North Queensland is starting to decline" |
Social Media Gaining Traction
September – My Research Rules reached 1254 people
October - Daniel Brown AITHM cover photo reached 440 people and 128 people reacted
November - AITHM Thursday Island Opening reached 1095 people
November - Michael Smout and DIY parasite reached 945 people and 56 people reacted
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date
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Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology (CTBMB)
A new research centre at James Cook University will analyse the massive amounts of data now being generated in biological science to help develop revolutionary techniques that could improve almost all aspects of modern life.
JCU’s Dr Ira Cooke, one of the Centre’s three co-directors, says the Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology (CTBMB) will turn the torrents of data now provided by breakthrough technologies into useable science.
“With the new ability we have to generate extraordinary amounts of data, scientists now have unprecedented opportunities to make discoveries which will improve clinical care, food production and environmental management,” he said.
The Centre will gather data generated by molecular techniques and then apply a process known as bioinformatics.
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Doubling the healing power of a DIY parasite protein
Queensland researchers who have developed a promising treatment for chronic wounds have now doubled its healing power, and their success is thanks to an unlikely role model – a carcinogenic, parasitic Thai liver fluke, Opisthorchis viverrini.
“Chronic or non-healing wounds, which particularly afflict diabetics, smokers and the elderly, can lead to amputation,” parasitologist Dr Michael Smout said. “These are wounds for which few drugs effectively promote healing and closure.”
A growth factor-based treatment, Regranex, is approved for use in the United States and South Korea but is effective in only 50% of cases and has not been able to solve the high recurrence rate. |
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Dr Stephan Karl
Dr Stephan Karl has joined the AIHTM team as a Research Fellow in Malaria and Vector Biology.
Dr Karl will be physically based across two major locations, AITHM Cairns and the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (PNGIMR) labs in Madang, PNG. The first 12 months of his appointment he will be mainly based at PNGIMR. Towards the end of 2019 he will relocate with his family to the Cairns campus.
Dr Karl will be responsible for implementing an investigator-initiated research program, with a major focus on malaria transmission. This will encompass diverse studies into the biology of malaria parasites including both P. falciparum and P. vivax, the biology of the Anopheles vectors of malaria, and malaria transmission. It will also extend to investigating host immunity as required. Dr Karl will be responsible for managing these research questions and be the technical liaison between AITHM Cairns and PNGIMR.
Brooke Possa
AITHM Administrative Assistant, Cairns.
Brooke has extensive administrative experience in universities, including JCU’s College of Medicine and Dentistry and the University of Western Sydney.
Brooke will be located in the AITHM Reception in Building E5 Cairns.
Lynne Saunders
Lynne has been employed by the Doolan, Loukas and Miles research groups to provide administrative support and administrative support for the JCU Centre for Molecular Therapeutics.
Lynne joins us from Aerocare Ground Services where she was a Guest Services Agent for Virgin Australia. Prior to that, Lynne worked for Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) as the Community Liaison Officer for the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby, PNG. She also worked as an Administrative Officer for the Australian Federal Police in Port Moresby. Lynne may be known to some of you through her role at JCU in the Student and Academic Services in 2012.
Lynne will be based in Building E5 Cairns. |
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In short...
Have something you want to share? Send your stories to aithm@jcu.edu.au |
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