2005 Annual Report - Department of Medicine

Transcription

2005
Department of Medicine (RMH/ WH)
>
Section Title
Annual Report
© Department of Medicine (RMH/WH) 2006
Section Title
At The Royal Melbourne Hospital:
4th Floor, Clinical Sciences Building
Parkville, Vic. 3050 AUSTRALIA
T: +61 3 8344 6252
F: +61 3 9347 1863
E: [email protected]
W: www.medrmhwh.unimelb.edu.au
At Western Hospital:
Cnr Eleanor and Marion Streets
Footscray, Vic. 3011 AUSTRALIA
T: +61 3 8345 6252
F: +61 3 9318 1157
E: [email protected]
W: www.medrmhwh.unimelb.edu.au
Cover photographs from top left (clockwise):
Victorian Premier, Hon. Steve Bracks, presenting Stephen
Ting, DoM PhD student, with the Premier’s Award for
Medical Research 2005; International and Immigrant Health
Group researchers, Sonia Caruana and Gerard Casey,
working in the field with their partners in Vietnam; Honours
students 2005; Dr Sandra Petty and Professor John Wark
prepare Twins Study participant, David Keys, for a bone
density scan
Department of Medicine (RMH/WH) Annual Report 2005
Table of Contents
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5
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9
Education
Postgraduate Program
AMS Projects 2005–06
Honours Projects 2005
The Richard Larkins Prize
RMH/WH Clinical School
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Research Arthritis and Inflammation Research Centre
Cooperative Research Centre for Chronic Inflammatory Diseases
Lung Disease Research
Malaria Research
International and Immigrant Health Research
Hepatitis Molecular Virology Research and Travel Medicine Service, CCREID
Centre for Clinical Research Excellence in Infectious Diseases
Bone and Mineral Research
Epilepsy and Neuropharmacology Research
Centre for Rheumatic Diseases
Rheumatology Research
Endocrinology Research, Western Hospital
Gastrointestinal Cancer Research, Western Hospital
Gastric Cancer Research, Western Hospital
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50
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Research: Honorary Fellows
Professor Gavin Becker
Dr James Beeson
Associate Professor Damon Eisen
Associate Professor Peter Greenberg
Dr Peter Hand
Associate Professor Geoff Hebbard
Professor Anne-Maree Kelly
Professor Finlay Macrae
Associate Professor Brian Tait
Associate Professor Harry Teichtal
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67
Department Activities
Environment, Health and Safety
DoMSA President’s Report
Department Reporting Day
Department Seminar Series
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69
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72
Staff & Students
Research Staff
Administrative Staff
CRC–CID Administrative Staff
Honorary Appointments
Students
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Publications 2005
79
Section Title
Mission Statement
Head of Department’s Report
Awards
Visitors
Section Title
Mission Statement
To strive for excellence in medical education and research from the interface of basic science and clinical medicine, through
novel approaches to research, through the training of high-quality undergraduate, Honours and postgraduate students, and
through leadership in the provision of outstanding evidence-based teaching and clinical practice.
Aims
•To provide a unique mix of research and clinical capabilities in a clinical department of a research-led university.
•To conduct innovative disease-oriented and patient-oriented research, and to test the relevance of findings for improved
care of patients.
•To provide leadership and role models for high-quality clinical teaching in the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery
program.
•To train Honours and postgraduate students to think critically and to equip them with excellent organisational and problemsolving skills.
•To interpret and disseminate research findings to the scientific and general communities.
•To provide leadership in collaboration and cooperation between the Department of Medicine (RMH/WH) and its host
hospitals and their staff, other research institutions both nationally and internationally, and partners in industry.
•To ensure a well-equipped, safe and supportive working environment for staff and students that stimulates creativity and
novel approaches to problem solving.
•To facilitate timely and relevant professional development opportunities for all staff.
Section
Head
of Title
Department’s Report
Head of Department’s Report
Professor Graham V. Brown
It is always a great pleasure to introduce the wide range
of activities undertaken each year by members of the
Department of Medicine (RMH/WH). As is evident from
this publication, we have a large number of individuals
and groups contributing to research and to the teaching
of clinical medicine and biomedical research within the
University of Melbourne, as well as a wide range of
collaborations beyond the department. We are fortunate
in having strong relationships with the hospitals in which
our work is based, and with our departmental Fellows who
play a critical role in our work through their professional
activities in hospitals and other organisations.
For the University of Melbourne, 2005 will be remembered
for the potentially radical reforms proposed by the new
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Glyn Davis, in his first year of
office. In order to improve, or at least retain, the status of
one of the world’s leading universities, Professor Davis
believes that it will be essential to focus on the best
performing areas of research and to increase the proportion
of our activities devoted to postgraduate and professional
courses. These programs will be preceded by a broad,
three-year ‘liberal arts’ degree that will include a mixture of
disciplines in arts and sciences. A critical component of his
strategy is to ensure that our knowledge is transferred for
the benefit of community and civil society.
The changed emphasis of focusing only on selected areas
of excellence creates challenges for clinical departments
that must provide breadth in research-led teaching across
the majority of disciplines in medicine. The change to
postgraduate medical education will alter the mix of
students undertaking our courses and, with the drive to
privatisation, there are major concerns about equity and the
impact of debt-ridden graduates on the costs of medical
care. The need to focus on the areas of research in which
we are one of the top three in Australia may lead to a
variation in the balance of our activities. Fortunately, our
research and teaching has been of the highest quality, and
our staff members contribute already to the third strand
of ‘knowledge transfer’ represented by engagement in
community projects and many forums for communication.
Our Role in Medical Education
The Royal Melbourne Hospital/Western Hospital
Clinical School for undergraduate medical students is
organisationally separate from the department, but we
are key partners in the shared goal of ensuring the best
educational experience for our medical students. Clinical
School head Geoff McColl plays an extremely important
role in ensuring that the program is well coordinated. The
second group of graduates completed the university’s
new medical curriculum in 2005 and we acknowledge the
enormous contribution of those departmental Fellows who
participated in designing and delivering the new curriculum.
We also acknowledge their contribution to postgraduate
training for physicians and those preparing for postgraduate
exams. The department continues to host interactive
sessions for undergraduates and postgraduates in the
context of a ‘learning organisation’ of continuing education
and enquiry into practice and theory of medicine, such as
professorial morning reports, journal clubs, and participation
in courses of evidence-based medicine to ‘train the trainers’
of medical graduates.
Our Research
The research of the department in 2005 retains the
same major themes as in previous years, with groups
devoted to arthritis and inflammation, infectious
diseases, gastroenterology, bone disease and epilepsy
and neuropharmacology. Fellows of the department
have excellent programs in neurosciences, oncology,
gastroenterology, cardiology and most of the clinical
disciplines represented in our hospitals.
Success in attracting competitive research grants is timely,
as this will be recognised as one component of assessing
productivity through the research assessment exercise
planned for 2006. Long-term funding allows team building
for increasing research output as measured by publications
in the highest quality journals, and complements the
application of results in the development of policy that
are such important components of our contributions at the
interface of basic science, clinical medicine and population
Head of Department’s
Section
Report
Title
health. I am particularly pleased that the leadership shown
by Terry O’Brien in the Molecular Medicine Informatics
Model project of Bioinformatics has been rewarded with a
further $4.3 million of Federal Government research funding
to increase current efforts.
The excellent research by our staff members has been
recognised with success in achieving substantial new
and ongoing funding from the National Health and
Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia and other
bodies including the National Heart Foundation, Atlantic
Philanthropies, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
and the Wellcome Trust, whose support we gratefully
acknowledge. Chief Investigators Terry O’Brien, John Wark,
Richard Osborne, Stephen Graves, Stephen Rogerson and
Joe Torresi led or contributed to eight new project grants
starting in 2006, and Graham Brown was part of a team
awarded a new Program Grant. Richard Osborne received
a NHMRC Career Development Award, and John Hamilton,
who recently stepped down as CEO of the Cooperative
Research Centre for Chronic Inflammatory Diseases (CRC–
CID), was awarded a NHMRC Senior Principal Research
Fellowship. John Hamilton and Gary Anderson were also
recipients of a 2005 Program Grant from the NHMRC.
Many departmental Fellows achieved success in funding
and particular mention must go to Stephen Jane at the Bone
Marrow Research Laboratory, Keith Hill at the National
Ageing Research Institute, and several of our PhD students
who received Public Health Medical Scholarships. Further
success in research was reflected by the high citation
indices of much of the published work from our team.
Our Centres
At its Royal Melbourne Hospital site, the department hosts
both the expanded CRC for Chronic Inflammatory Diseases,
with its focus on arthritis and lung disease, and the Centre
for Clinical Research Excellence in Infectious Diseases
(CCREID). More on the work of both of these centres can
be found elsewhere in this report, though it should be
mentioned here that the success of the World Congress in
Inflammation held in Melbourne last August owes much to
the hard work of several CRC–CID staff members.
We are fortunate to have built up the infrastructure
appropriate to our needs in microarray technology, access
to mass spectroscopy and improved facilities for flow
cytometry and cell sorting in association with the Bone
Marrow Research Laboratory and the CRC–CID.
Our Staff Movements
We are delighted to welcome Professor Peter Ebeling to the
Chair of Medicine at the Western Hospital. Peter brings a
history of expertise in general medicine and endocrinology
and an outstanding record of research in bone disease. The
team at Western continues to build with several overseas
visitors to the laboratories, the recent appointment of
Professor Edward Janus as a Professorial Fellow, and a
new associate professor to start early in 2006. We are
pleased that the Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences
(MDHS) Faculty has strengthened the educational efforts
by the appointment of a new half-time senior lecturer to
support the teaching of undergraduate students at Western
Hospital.
Our Partnerships
Partnerships with our host hospitals, Royal Melbourne
Hospital and Western Hospital, are extremely important to
us. I wish to thank Ms Sue Ralph, Mr Michael McCambridge
and their infrastructure support teams as well as Dr Gad
Trevaks, Dr Angela Watt, Ms Michelle Clemson and teams
from the RMH Research Directorate for their support of
our work. Members of this department also contribute to
the committee work of the Research Directorate, but I also
acknowledge the excellent work of the Human Research
Ethics Committee, headed by Professor Stephen Davis a
departmental Fellow, and the leadership of the Animal
Ethics Committee by the chair, Professor Colin Chapman.
At Western Hospital I would particularly like to thank the
Chief Medical Officer, Dr Arlene Wake, the Chief Executive
Office, Mr Jon Evans, and Ms Lydia Dennert, Infrastructure
Manager.
We are particularly pleased to be invited to work with the
Western Hospital to assist them in the development of their
plans for a new medical facility on the Sunshine campus.
This provides a wonderful opportunity to be involved in the
planning of a superb new centre that will be a home for
education and research activities is association with the
University of Melbourne.
Our Achievements
Many department members received recognition of their
work during 2005. Terry O’Brien was presented with the
prestigious National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia
and Depression 2005 Independent Investigator Award in
New York; Louise Judd was awarded the Faculty of MDHS
C. R. Roper Fellowship; Sharon van Doornum was the
recipient of the inaugural Melbourne–Boston Research
Exchange Fellowship; Professorial Fellow, Jonathan Kalman
won the Eric Susman Prize of the Royal Australasian
College of Physicians; and Gary Anderson was awarded the
Research Medal of the Thoracic Society of Australia and
New Zealand.
Department students also had an exceptional year, a
particular highlight being Stephen Ting winning the
Victorian Premier’s Award for Medical Research with
his PhD thesis supervised by Stephen Jane through this
department. The award-winning research—a tribute to the
superb performance of both of them—was undertaken at
the Bone Marrow Research Laboratories within the Royal
Melbourne Hospital.
The success of the department in 2005 has been the
result of many people’s hard work, but in particular I
wish to thank the administrative and technical support
staff under the leadership of Nick Christopher who, as
Department Manager, is responsible for the smooth running
of education and research activities. Lorraine Parker once
again performed wonderfully in ensuring that we meet
the requirements of SafetyMAP, and she has been well
supported by Tim Byrne and Paul Masendycz.
This has been a monumental year for Jenny Davis and her
team as we move to new facilities on the Dental Hospital
site. This high-standard facility will enable us to perform
experimental work and housing for animals at the highest
possible standards.
Our staff have participated actively in the Performance
Development Framework for staff development, and we
acknowledge the contribution of Bruce Elmer and Lana
Makarov from Human Resources who have worked closely
with our department. Our IT Managers, Gina Barri-Rewell
and Ann MacIntyre, provide superb work in meeting the
diverse technology needs across many different sites. We
also thank those who have encouraged us to be more active
in recycling, particularly Amanda Turner, and Emily Mann for
her wonderful job as President of DoMSA.
I acknowledge the superb effort put in by Heather Saunders
in preparing the Publication Research Report for the
university, supported by the meticulous work of Joe Torresi
in ensuring our documentation and recognition of output.
I commend Heather too for her ongoing management of
Section
Head
of Title
Department’s Report
Our Team
our Honours and AMS programs, ably coordinated by Gary
Anderson, and Bev Biggs and Terry O’Brien respectively.
Thanks also to Alex Boussioutas for organising our annual
reporting day of ‘Postdocs on Parade’, and to Megan Brooks
who once again did an excellent job in coordinating the
CCREID’s colloquium, which was well reviewed by the
Scientific Advisory Committee.
A mere listing of events does not do justice to all those
who helped to ensure a successful year for the department.
Many thanks go to those who organised meetings, morning
teas, Friday get togethers, fun on Cup Day, the bake-off
competition and other charity fund-raisers.
In concluding, I would like to pay special tribute to my
close colleagues in the department executive who provide
the leadership and inspiration for all of our activities. I
would again like to thank my assistant, Heather Saunders,
for a great contribution to the department on so many
levels and to our Communications Manager, Jane Yule,
for her excellent work both in preparing this report and in
redeveloping the department’s website (www.medrmhwh.
unimelb.edu.au), which I invite you to visit.
Graham V. Brown
James Stewart Professor of Medicine
Head, Department of Medicine (RMH/WH)
Department Executive
Back row, L–R: Professor Graham Brown (Head of Department), Dr Joe Torresi, Ms Robyn McLachlan (CRC–CID Business Manager), A/Professor Stephen Rogerson, Ms Lorraine Parker
(Laboratory Manager)
Middle row, L–R: Dr Glen Scholz, Ms Emily Mann (President, DoMSA), A/Professor Beverley-Ann Biggs, Dr Alex Boussioutas, Ms Jane Yule (Communications Manager)
Front row, L–R: A/Professor Geoff McColl, A/Professor Terry O’Brien, Professor Peter Ebeling, A/Professor Gary Anderson, Professor John Hamilton, A/Professor Andy Giraud
Absent: Mr John Barlow (NARI Manager), Mr Nick Christopher (Department Manager), Professor Stephen Davis, Professor Peter Disler, Professor Finlay Macrae, Professor Alan
McLean, Dr Richard Osborne, Dr Sharon Van Doornum, Professor John Wark, Professor Ian Wicks
Awards
Staff & Honorary Fellows
A/Professor Gary Anderson: Research Medal, Thoracic
Society of Australia and New Zealand
Professor Gavin Becker: Oshima Award, Asian Pacific
Society of Nephrology Award for outstanding contributions
to the development of nephrology in Asian–Pacific region
Ms Abbie Couper: Best Poster Award, 2005 Scientific
Meeting of the Epilepsy Society of Australia
Dr Stephen Ting: Victorian Premier’s Award for Medical
Research 2005 (Supervisor: Dr Stephen Jane; Thesis topic:
‘The role of the ectoderm-specific factor Grainyhead-like-3
in mammalian development’)
Dr Anita Vinton: Young Investigator Award, 2005 Scientific
President of Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology, 2005–08
Awards
Dr Alex Boussioutas: AstraZeneca Emerging Leaders in
Medicine Award
Peter MacCallum Research Medal for Research Excellence
during PhD
Dr Rima Staugas, MD
(President, Thoracic
Society of Australia
and New Zealand,
TSANZ) congratulates
A/Professor Gary
Anderson on his
award
Professor Graham V. Brown: Presidential Oration,
Australasian Society of Infectious Diseases
Dr Sharon van Doornum: Melbourne–Boston Research
Exchange (inaugural recipient)
Dr Michelle Giles: Clinical Medicine Presentation Award,
17th Annual Conference of The Australasian Society for HIV
Medicine
Australasian Society for HIV Medicine Undergraduate and
Junior Research Award
Ms Melanie Hawkins & Dr Richard Osborne: Award
(20 most meritorious papers), ‘Response shift: The
measurable & desired outcome of chronic disease selfmanagement programs that violates pre-post assessment’,
at National Conference on Chronic Disease Prevention and
Control, Atlanta, USA
Dr Louise M. Judd: The University of Melbourne’s C. R.
Roper Fellowship for ‘The role of the IL-6 and IL-11 family
of cytokines in the development of gastrointestinal disease
and cancer’
Professor Jonathan Kalman: Eric Susman Prize, an
annual award by RACP for best contribution by a RACP
Fellow to the knowledge of any branch of internal medicine
A/Professor Terry
O’Brien (right)
receiving his DreifussPenry Award from
Academy Awardwinning actor Cuba
Gooding, Jr, who was
recently honoured
with the American
Academy of Neurology
Foundation’s 2006
Public Leadership in
Neurology Award
Dr Sharon Van
Doornum receiving her
Melbourne–Boston
Research Exchange
Fellowship from
the Lord Mayor of
Melbourne, Councillor
John So
A/Professor Terence O’Brien: Dreifuss-Penry Epilepsy
Award 2005, American Academy of Neurology
NARSAD 2005 Independent Investigator Award, National
Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression,
New York, USA
Dr Ross Vlahos: 2005 European Respiratory Society Young
Scientist Sponsorship
Dr Leon Worth: Australasian Society for Infectious
Diseases Council Scholarship (2005)
Students
Dr Ilana Ackerman: New Presenter Award—Best
Presentation and Best Paper, ‘The long wait for hip and knee
surgery: Going from bad to worse’, at 11th Annual National
Health Outcomes Conference
Victorian Premier
Hon. Steve Bracks
presenting Stephen
Ting, Department of
Medicine (RMH/WH)
PhD student, with
the Premier’s Award
for Medical Research
2005
Dr Ashild Bjornerem, a specialist in gynaecology and
obstetrics from Tromsø, Norway, has been a visiting research
fellow with the Wark group researching into potential
hormonal mechanisms in the effects of smoking on bone
health.
Mr Edson Dembo, from Blantyre in Malawi, spent eight
weeks doing laboratory-based assays with the Malaria
group.
Professor Paul Dieppe, Director, MRC Health Services
Research Collaboration, University of Bristol, UK visited
the Centre for Rheumatic Diseases in April. The Victorian
Department of Human Services and the Commonwealth
Department of Health and Ageing sponsored Professor
Dieppe’s trip.
Dr David Ong, a clinician from Singapore, with a chosen
sub-specialty of gastroenterology, spent a year in the
Department of Medicine at Western Hospital.
Professor Michael Niederman MD, a world leader in
COPD and respiratory infections based in New York, spent
an afternoon with Gary Anderson’s and Professor Lou Irving’s
research groups discussing fundamental mechanisms in
COPD, particularly acute exacerbations of COPD.
Ms Michelle Sweidan, also a member of the VPHTS,
spent several months with the International and Immigrant
Health Group.
Visitors
Visitors
Ms Jane Goller, a member of the Victorian Public Health
Training Scheme (VPHTS), spent several months with the
International and Immigrant Health Group.
Professor Peter Fayers, Professor of Medical Statistics,
Department of Public Health, at the University of Aberdeen
Medical School, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, Scotland, visited
the Centre for Rheumatic Diseases in August, co-sponsored
by the Australian Health Outcomes Collaboration.
Professor Marc Feldmann, an alumnus of the University
and joint winner of the prestigious Albert Lasker Clinical
Medical Research Award, presented a fascinating lecture as
part of RMH’s Grand Rounds. Entitled ‘TNF: From mediator
of host defense to therapeutic target’, the lecture explored
aspects of his revolutionary research.
Mr Gaurav Kumar, from Sonpur in the Indian state of Bihar,
joined the Department as a Research Fellow (international
visitor) with the O’Brien group working on ‘How early
life stress and corticosteroids lead to development of
epileptogenesis in kindling model of epilepsy’. (Gaurav is
now undertaking his PhD with Terry O’Brien.)
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, Professor Glyn Davis, and
the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, Professor
James Angus (pictured here with Graham Brown and a December 2005 copy of the
Department’s tri-annual newsletter, Medicine Matters) paid a Yule-tide visit to the
Department
Professor Michael Niederman (sixth from left) with Gary Anderson (sixth from right) and his research team
Education
Postgraduate Program
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Education
The Department of Medicine at Royal Melbourne and
Western Hospitals offers PhD courses to suitably qualified
Science (with Honours) and Medicine graduates. We offer a
wide variety of biomedical research ranging from molecular
biology to clinical epidemiological research. PhD projects
are also undertaken in affiliated research units working
on such diverse areas as critical care and rehabilitation
medicine.
There are currently fifty-four PhD students enrolled with the
Department. Our students are supported by thirteen senior
academic staff members and twenty post-doctoral fellows,
as well as a large number of academic associates. Our
location close to on-campus departments and neighbouring
institutes allows us to offer collaborative projects and
students have the opportunity of attending external seminar
programs.
Doctor of Medicine (MD)
The Department offers the degree of Doctor of Medicine to
medical graduates as either a supervised research program
or via non-attending candidature. The Research Program
is a two-year full-time or four to five year part-time course
undertaken in a relevant field of research and a thesis is
submitted at the end of the supervised period of research.
Completed Programs
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Peter Kistler, ‘Effects of ageing—Hypertension on atrial
electrophysiology’
Prudence Pereira, ‘Trefoil peptides as therapeutic agents in
inflammatory bowel disease and mechanisms of action’
Vlado Perkovic, ‘Cardiovascular disease in renal failure’
Narmatha Satkunanathan, ‘The use of conotoxins to
alleviate neuropathic pain’
Stephen Ting, ‘The study of novel highly conserved
transcriptional factors of the mammalian NTF family in
development’
Doctor of Medicine (MD)
Dr Sharon Van Doornum, ‘Atherosclerosis and endothelial
dysfunction in rheumatoid arthritis’
Postgraduate Coordinator (MD and PhD):
Dr Sharon Van Doornum ([email protected])
MMed Coordinator:
A/Professor Geoff McColl ([email protected])
Non-attending candidature of six months is available
to University of Melbourne medical graduates who have
already completed their research and wish to prepare a
compilation of published work to be used as a basis for the
award of the degree. Approval to enrol as a non-attending
student is only for the purpose of preparing the compilation
of published work with the assistance of an approved
advisor.
Master of Medicine (MMed)
The Department offers a Master of Medicine (Internal
Medicine) course for overseas students. This is a two-year
course, the first year consisting of a lecture or tutorial
program combined with clinical attachments and with a
written examination at the end of the year. The second year
consists of a further clinical attachment in the area of subspecialty interest chosen by the student combined with a
research dissertation. Clinical attachments can be arranged
in the following areas: Dermatology; Endocrinology and
Diabetes; Gastroenterology; Haematology; Immunology /
Allergy; Infectious diseases; Intensive care; Nephrology;
Neurology; Oncology; Respiratory Medicine; Rheumatology.
10
PhD students (L–R): Dominic De Nardo, Andrew Fleetwood, Felix Clanchy
and Hang Dinh
Theses
Roya Lari, ‘The development of the macrophage lineage’,
PhD (Supervisor: John Hamilton)
PhD Students, Topics and Supervisors
Chris Lemoh, ‘HIV in Victoria’s African communities’, PhD
(Co-Supervisors: B-A Biggs, Alan Street & Margaret Hellard)
Andrew Briggs, ‘Strength and endurance of trunk extensor
muscles, thoracic range of motion and the role of
transversus abdominis in patients with vertebral fractures’,
PhD (Co-Supervisors: Kim Bennell & John Wark)
Rink-Jan Lohman, ‘The role of proteases and their receptors
in epilepsy’, PhD (Co-Supervisors: Tom Cox & Terry O’Brien)
Emily Mann, ‘Assessment of the immune response to
malaria during pregnancy’, PhD (Co-Supervisors: Stephen
Rogerson, Graham Brown & Anthony Hodder)
Lucy Busija, ‘The avoidable burden due to arthritis in
Australia’, PhD (Co-Supervisors: Richard Osborne & Rachelle
Buchbinder)
Chris MacIsaac, ‘The role of superantigens in septic shock’,
PhD (Co-Supervisors: Jack Cade, Kumar Visvanathan &
Nigel Curtis)
Margaret Chang, ‘Monocyte/macrophage gene regulation in
atherosclerosis’, PhD (Supervisor: Caryn Elsegood)
Christine Massa, ‘The role of plasminogen activators (PA)urokinase PA and tissue type PA in inflammatory arthritis’,
PhD (Supervisor: Andrew Cook)
Felix Clanchy, ‘Properties of macrophages in inflammation’,
PhD (Supervisor: John Hamilton)
Benjamin Cowie, ‘Epidemiology of hepatitis B virus in
Victoria’, PhD (Co-Supervisors: Sharon Lewin, Graham
Brown, Heath Kelly & Margaret Hellard)
Dominic DeNardo, ‘Molecular dissection of the regulation
of macrophage activation by Toll-like receptors’, PhD
(Supervisor: Glen Scholz)
Hang Dinh, ‘Analysis of gene expression in macrophage
differentiation’, PhD (Supervisor: John Hamilton)
Natalie El Haber, ‘Genetic and environmental determinants
of gait/balance in adult female twins’, PhD (Supervisor:
John Wark)
Emily Ericsson, ‘Cytotoxic and NKT cells responses in
the prevention of hepatitis C infection’, PhD (Principal
Supervisor: David Jackson & Joe Torresi)
Andrew Fleetwood, ‘Macrophage subpopulations in
inflammation’, PhD (Supervisor: Andrew Cook)
Theo Gouskos, ‘Mutations in the overlapping reading frames
of hepatitis B virus producing altered virus antigenicity and
replication’, PhD (Co-Supervisors: Joe Torresi & Graham
Brown)
Meegan Howlett ‘Regulation of gastric cancer development
and metastasis by cytokines that signal through GP130’,
PhD (Co-Supervisors: Andy Giraud & Louise Judd)
Ana Hutchinson, ‘Viral exacerbation of COPD’, PhD (CoSupervisors: James Black, Gary Anderson & Louis Irving)
Cameron Jackson, ‘Implications for gastric cancer initiation
and development of dysregulation of IL-6 family cytokine
signaling pathways’, PhD (Co-Supervisors: Andy Giraud &
Louise Judd)
Bianca Jupp, ‘PET hypometabolism and MRI perfusion and
diffusion changes during acquired epileptogenesis in a rat
kindling model of mesial temporal lobe Epilepsy’, PhD (CoSupervisors: Terry O’Brien & Sandra Rees)
Education
Adrian Achuthan, ‘Molecular regulation of SNARE proteins
in macrophages by CSF-1’, PhD (Supervisor: Glen Scholz)
Gabriela Minigo, ‘Modulation of immunity by malaria
parasites’, PhD (Co-Supervisors: M. Plebanski & Stephen
Rogerson)
Thao Nguyen, ‘Irak-1 and the regulation of macrophage
activation’, PhD (Supervisor: Glen Scholz)
Sandra Petty, ‘The effect of anti-epileptic medications on
bone mineral density, bone turnover and fracture risk’, PhD
(Co-Supervisors: Terry O’Brien & John Wark)
Susan Senn, ‘Pharmacogenomics: Valproate-associated
weight changes in nine inbred strains of mice’, PhD (CoSupervisors: Terry O’Brien & Sof Andrikopolous)
Sue Skull, ‘A case–cohort study: Impact of influenza and
pneumococcal vaccination on hospital admissions due to
community-acquired pneumonia among persons aged 65
years and older’, PhD (Co-Supervisors: Terry Nolan, Graham
Byrnes & Graham Brown)
Cassandra Szoeke, ‘Epilepsy, genetics and anti-epileptic
drugs’, PhD (Co-Supervisors: Terry O’Brien & Lorraine
Dennerstein)
Duangtawan Thammanichanond, ‘Identification and
characterisation of HLA associations, NKT and dendritic
cell responses with disease outcome in patients with acute
and chronic hepatitis C infection’, PhD (Co-Supervisors: Joe
Torresi & James McCluskey)
Dr Anita Vinton, ‘The mechanisms underlying
hypometabolism on FDG-PET and the relationship with EEG
activity’, PhD (Co-Supervisors: Terry O’Brien, Rodney Hicks &
Patricia Desmond)
Paul Vinton, ‘An evaluation of a new test for the detection
of latent TB infection’, PhD (Co-Supervisors: Beverley-Anne
Biggs, Paul Johnson, Janet Fyfe & Heath Kelly)
Leon Worth, ‘Risk factors and surveillance for catheterrelated bloodstream infections in patients with
haematological malignancy’, PhD (Co-Supervisors: Monica
Slavin, Jim Black & Graham Brown)
11
MD Students, Topics and Supervisors
Andrew Grigg, ‘Optimising the outcome of haemopoietic
stem cell transplantation’, MD (Supervisor: Geoff McColl)
(Supervisors: A/Professor Terry O’Brien, A/Professor
Margaret Morris)
Education
Monica Slavin, ‘Prevention of infection in patients
undergoing treatment of haematological malignancies,’ MD
(Co-Supervisors: Beverley-Anne Biggs & Richard Fox)
Mervyn Kyi, ‘Characterisation of calcium channel gene
expression and functional thalamocortical connections in
a rat model of absence epilepsy’ (Supervisors: A/Professor
Terry O’Brien, Dr Chris Reid, Dr Simon Foote)
Sophie Treleaven, ‘Prospective surveillance of pneumonia
and meningitis attributable to Haemophulus influenzae type
B (Hib) in Thailand’, MD (Co-Supervisors: Beverley-Anne
Biggs, Terry Nolan & M. Stein)
David Liu, ‘Progressive changes in Hippocampal GABAA/
Central Benzodiazepine Receptor binding in rat models of
temporal lobe epileptogenesis’ (Supervisors: A/Professor
Terry O’Brien, Dr Damian Myers)
Ian Woolley, ‘Determination of Fy numbers on erthyrocytes,
reticulocytes and its relevance to malaria susceptibility’,
MD (Supervisor: Beverley-Anne Biggs)
Cheng Long Lu, ‘A cross-sectional study: The relationship
between muscle mass, strength and regional BMD in
patients receiving glucocorticoids’ (Supervisors: Professor
John Wark, A/Professor Geoff McColl)
AMS Projects 2005–06
Richard Pranantyo, ‘HIV and humoral immunity to malaria’
(Supervisor: A/Professor Stephen Rogerson)
Hendra Handimulia, ‘Predictors of glucocorticoid induced
bone loss’ (Supervisors: Professor John Wark, A/Professor
Geoff McColl)
Enoch Wong. ‘The role of insulin autoimmunity in preclinical
detection of type 1 diabetes’ (Associate Professor Peter
Colman)
Jacqueline Hang, ‘Mesenchymal stem cell differentiation in
Gp130∆stat mice’ (Supervisor: Professor Stephen Graves)
Nadia Ifran, ‘Bone health in cirrhotic patients: Retrospective
analysis and preliminary prospective data’ (Supervisors:
Dr Geeta Srivatsa, Professor John Wark)
Navina Krishnasamy, ‘NPY and its receptor targets in
modulating absence seizures in a genetic rat model’
AMS Co-Coordinators:
A/Professor Beverley-Anne Biggs ([email protected])
A/Professor Terry O’Brien ([email protected])
AMS Administrator:
Ms Heather Saunders ([email protected])
AMS 2005–06, L–R: Daniel Khaw, Willy Handoko, Matthew Thuy, Ms Heather Saunders (AMS Administrator), Jue Wang, A/Professor Beverley-Anne Biggs (AMS Co-Coordinator),
Fei Fei Gong, A/Professor Terry O’Brien (AMS Co-Coordinator), William Ho, Arnaldi Sinaga
12
Honours Projects 2005
The Richard Larkins Prize
Ee-Ken Choong, ‘Identification of malaria antigens
associated with severe disease’ (Supervisor: Stephen
Rogerson)
Linda Dalic, ‘Imaging neuronal receptor changes during
acquired epileptogenesis using PET and in rat’ (Supervisor:
Terry O’Brien)
Education
Jenny Lackovic, ‘The role of differentially expressed genes
in the pathologies of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder’
(Supervisor: Dahlia Keriakous, Mental Health Institute)
Ming Yee Lee, ‘Effects of oxidative stress on mesenchymal
stem cells’ (Supervisor: Danny Park)
Nhu-Y Nguyen, ‘Growth factors regulating bone marrow
stem cell function’ (Supervisor: David Curtis, Bone Marrow
Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital)
Belinda Simpson, ‘AMP kinase regulation of metabolic
stress’ (Supervisor: Lance Macauley, CSIRO Health Sciences
& Nutrition)
Agnieszka Swierczak, ‘The role of podosomes in
macrophage migration’ (Supervisor: Caryn Elsegood)
Ann Vlass, ‘Dietary modulation of cancer-related gene
expression’ (Supervisor: Finlay Macrae)
Thomas Zheng, ‘Investigations into the mechanisms of
secure exacerbation by antiepileptic drugs utilising a
genetic epilepsy rat’ (Supervisor: Terry O’Brien)
Honours Co-Coordinators:
A/Professor Gary Anderson ([email protected])
Honours Administrator:
Ms Heather Saunders ([email protected])
Nhu-Y Nguyen (pictured here with Professor Richard Larkins and Professor Graham
Brown) won the 2005 Richard Larkins Prize awarded to the Department’s Best
Bachelor of Science Honours student
The recipient of the Richard Larkins Prize for the Best BSc
Honours Student in the Department of Medicine (RMH/WH)
for 2005 was Nhu-Y Nguyen. Professor Richard Larkins, now
Vice-Chancellor of Monash University and after whom the
prize is named, personally handed the award to the winner
at a ceremony held on 30 March 2006.
Nhu-Y’s project was supervised by Dr David Curtis from
Bone Marrow Laboratory at the Royal Melbourne Hospital
and departmental Fellow Professor Stephen Jane.
Professor Richard Larkins held the positions of Head of the
Department of Medicine (RMH/WH) and the James Stewart
Professor from 1984 to 1998, and was Dean of the Faculty
of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences from 1998 to
2003. Previous winners of the award are listed below.
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
Amanda Notini
Sonia Caruana and Sakeneh Zraika
Elizabeth Bond
Margaret Shaw
Amy Brennan and Anthea Pappas
Michael Braude and Andrew Lilja
Honours 2005, L–R: Professor Graham Brown
(Head of Department), A/Professor Gary
Anderson (Honours Coordinator), Jenny
Lackovic, Ming Yee Lee, Nhu-Y Nguyen, Ann
Vlass, Linda Dalic, Belinda Simpson, Thomas
Zheng, Agi Swierczak, Jenny Cuxson (Absent:
Ee-Ken Choong)
13
Principal:
Associate Professor Geoff McColl
Education
The 2005 teaching year has been memorable for many
reasons, most importantly because of the relocation of the
clinical school from the Charles Connibere Building, where
we had been resident for more than ten years, to our new
location in the north wing on the ground floor of the main
ward block at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. This prime
location is adjacent to the existing Function and Convention
Centre, the new library, and the Charles Latrobe Lecture
theatre. Our new facilities include three tutorial rooms, a
shared computer room, an eighty-seat lecture theatre and
offices for the clinical school staff. There are plans for a
clinical school laboratory and student common room to be
added to this educational precinct. The new facilities have
enhanced student learning and the central location has
improved the profile of undergraduate medical teaching in
the hospital.
The future of medical student teaching and learning remains
an interesting and challenging area. With reduced inpatient
numbers and decreased lengths of stay the opportunities
for student teaching using the acute inpatient spaces are
declining. This is occurring in parallel with the ageing
community and the dominance of chronic diseases in
the health care sector. The clinical school is, therefore,
delighted to be working with the RMH in developing a
vision for the delivery of ambulatory care in the twenty-first
century. The increased focus on a patient-centred clinic
structure, community outreach and a continuum of care is
ideal for training future doctors. The clinical school wishes
to contribute to the process of this change as well as
enhancing our long-standing arrangement with the inpatient
units.
In 2005 the RMH/WH Clinical School commenced a program
of research examining the methods used by ‘Master
Teachers’ to teach clinical reasoning to Semester 8 and 9
students. This project, the subject of a Masters of Education
by A/Professor Geoff McColl, has used a semi-naturalistic
tutorial with a surrogate patient, student group and tutor
(who has been the recipient of teacher of the year award)
to identify methods used to teach clinical reasoning skills.
The videotapes from these tutorials are currently being
evaluated and the results will be presented in 2006.
Congratulations go to A/Professor David Russell for winning
Teacher of the Year (for the second time), and thanks to all
of those who contribute so willingly to student teaching and
learning.
Contact Details
Associate Professor Geoff McColl
The University of Melbourne
Ground Floor, The Royal Melbourne Hospital
Victoria 3050 AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61 3 9342 7381
Fax: +61 3 9347 1863
Email: [email protected]
In addition to this improvement in our infrastructure the
clinical teaching program has continued at the RMH,
Western Hospital and at our affiliate sites. The new
curriculum from the University of Melbourne is now well
embedded and the process of evaluation and curriculum
improvement is becoming more of a focus for us. Student
recruitment has been positive with many high-quality
students electing to complete their clinical years at the
RMH/WH Clinical School. The results of assessment have
also been excellent with the top Semester 12 student,
Bernadette Young (a current intern at the RMH), coming
from this clinical school. Overall results were excellent with
the majority of the high-performing students electing to
remain at the RMH or Western Hospital for their intern year.
14
Research
Arthritis and Inflammation
Research Centre
Research
Principal: Professor John A. Hamilton
Back row, L–R: Andrew Cook, Derek Lacey, Martin Keene, Jacob Jackson, Lucy Crouch, Andrew Fleetwood, Sten Libregts, Thao Nguyen, Paul Masendycz
Middle row, L–R: Caryn Elsegood, Yi Mo Deng, Nelly Kua, Emma Braine, Alisa Turbic, Kerrie Way, Adrian Achuthan, Hang Dinh, Felix Clanchy
Front, L–R: Glen Scholz, John Hamilton, Mark Bailey, Roya Lari, Jason Lenzo, Dominic De Nardo, Christine Massa
Research Highlights
Publication Highlights
The overall goal of the centre is to understand the functions
of macrophage lineage cells in chronic inflammatory
diseases, in particular rheumatoid arthritis. More
specifically, macrophage lineage cells are isolated from
human and murine disease tissue and blood to assess
how different they are from controls; also, studies on the
molecular mechanisms governing macrophage lineage
survival, proliferation, differentiation and activation are
being explored. Techniques utilised include cell sorting,
microarray analysis and proteomics. Development of these
technologies has been one of the positive features of 2005.
More specifically, new signalling molecules involved in
the control of macrophage lineage cell development were
identified by molecular strategies that involved a novel
proteomic enrichment procedure. Other findings included:
Cross, M., Nguyen, T., Bogdanoska, V., Reynolds, E. &
Hamilton J. A. A proteomics strategy for the enrichment of
receptor-associated complexes, Proteomics. 5:4754–63
•Development of a model for peritoneal adhesions, a
complication of abdominal surgery.
•Characterisation of a subpopulation of human peripheral
blood monocytes, which is proposed to migrate into sites
of inflammation.
•Collaboration between oncogenic protein kinases and
molecular chaperones.
•Regulation of SNARE proteins by colony stimulating
factor-1 in macrophages.
•Understanding how molecular chaperones regulate Tolllike receptor mediated macrophage activation.
•Defining the role of IRAKs in regulating Toll-like receptor
mediated macrophage activation.
De Nardo, D., Masendycz, P., Ho, S., Cross, M., Hamilton, J.
A. & Scholz, G. M. A central for the Hsp90-Cdc37 molecular
chaperone module in IRAK-1-dependent signaling by Tolllike receptors. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 280:9813–22
Roiniotis, J., Masendycz, P., Ho, S. & Scholz, G. M. Domainmediated dimerization of the Hsp90 cochaperones Harc and
Cdc37. Biochemistry, 44:6662–9
Ishiko, J., Mizuki, M., Matsumura, I., Shibayama, H.,
Sugahara, H., Scholz, G. M., Serve, H. & Kanakura, Y.
Critical roles of tyrosine residues 845, 892 and 922 in
oncogenic activation of a murine FLT3 kinase domain
mutant. Oncogene, 24:8144–53
New Grants
NHMRC Program Grant: R. E. O’Hehir, G. P. Anderson, J. A.
Hamilton & J. M. Rolland, 2005–09, ‘The interface between
innate and adaptive immunity in allergy and asthma’:
$4,300,000
NHMRC Development Grant: J. A. Hamilton, J. W. Schrader
& G. P. Anderson, 2005–06, ‘Development of a highly potent,
fully human anti-GM-CSF monoclonal antibody’: $398,000
Ongoing Grants
NHMRC Grant: J. A. Hamilton, V. Kanagasundaram & E.
Brown, 2001–05, ‘Control of monocyte/macrophage function
by CSF-1’: $450,000
NHMRC Grant: A. Cook, R. Vlahos & J. A. Hamilton, 2004–
06, ‘The role of the plasminogen activators (PAs), urokinasePA and tissue-type PA in arthritis’: $473,250
15
CRC Program Grant: The University of Melbourne, University
of Queensland & Monash, 2001–07, ‘CRC for Chronic
Inflammatory Diseases’: $24,600,000
CRC Program Grant: The University of Melbourne,
University of Queensland & Monash, 2003–07, ‘CRC for
Chronic Inflammatory Diseases—Supplementary Funding’:
$9,500,000
CRC Program Grant: The University of Melbourne, 2004–07,
‘CRC for Oral Health Science’, $300,000
Research
Collaborations
Collaborations with:
G. P. Anderson, The University of Melbourne; S. Breit,
University of NSW; E. Brown, UCSF; R. Buchanan, Austin
Hospital; N. Busso, Lausanne; I. Cassady, University
of Queensland & IMB; H-C. Cheng, Department of
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of
Melbourne; D. Haynes, University of Adelaide; P. Hertzog,
Monash; D. Hume, University of Queensland & IMB; P.
Gleeson, The University of Melbourne; S. Graves, The
University of Melbourne & RMH; G. Guy, Singapore; D.
James, Garvan Institute, Sydney; W. Jessup, University
of NSW; L. Macaulay, CSIRO; A. Mansell, Monash
Institute of Medical Research, Monash Medical Centre;
C. Manthey, Johnson & Johnson, USA; S. Nutt, WEHI; J.
Quinn, St Vincent’s Institute; E. Reynolds, The University of
Melbourne; L. Roberts & S. van Doornum, The University of
Melbourne; G. Rodan & Le Duong, Merck, USA; P. Simmons,
MacCallum Institute; M. Sweet, University of Queensland;
K. Visvanathan, Murdoch Institute; A. Whetton, University
of Manchester; I. Wicks, WEHI & Royal Melbourne Hospital;
L. Wu, WEHI.
Conference and Seminar Presentations
John Hamilton
Presentation: ‘Autoimmunity and GM-CSF’, Rare Lung
Disease Consortium Conference, Cincinnati, USA, April
Presentation: ‘The biology of joint implant failure’,
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The
University of Melbourne, March
Presentation: ‘The significance and chronicity of
inflammation’, CSIRO Health Sciences and Nutrition, March
Presentation: ‘Inflammation and OA’, Kennedy Institute
(Imperial College), London, September
Glen Scholz
Presentation: ‘An international industry placement scheme’,
CRC Association Education and Training Workshop,
Melbourne, May
Presentation: ‘Protein kinase stability and Toll-like
receptor-mediated inflammation’, 7th World Congress on
Inflammation, Melbourne, August
Supervision
John Hamilton
Felix Clanchy, ‘Properties of macrophages in inflammation’,
PhD
Hang Dinh, ‘Analysis of gene expression in macrophage
differentiation’, PhD
Roya Lari, ‘The development of the macrophage lineage’,
PhD
Alan Rembach, ‘The role of microglia in motor neuron
disease’, PhD
Glen Scholz
Adrian Achuthan, ‘Molecular regulation of SNARE proteins
in macrophages by CSF-1’, PhD
Dominic DeNardo, ‘Molecular dissection of the regulation of
macrophage activation by Toll-like receptors’, PhD
Thao Nguyen, ‘Irak-1 and the regulation of macrophage
activation’, PhD
Caryn Elsegood
Margaret Chang, ‘Monocyte/macrophage gene regulation in
atherosclerosis’, PhD
Andrew Cook
Andrew Fleetwood, ‘Macrophage subpopulations in
inflammation’, PhD
Christine Massa, ‘The role of plasminogen activators (PA)urokinase PA and tissue type PA in inflammatory arthritis’,
PhD
Student Completions
Presentation: ‘The chronicity and significance of
inflammation’, Department of Immunology, Monash
University, June
Ming Yee Lee, ‘Effects of oxidative stress on mesenchymal
stem cells’, BSc(Hons) (Supervisors: Dr Lena Cross / Dr
Danny Park)
Presentation: ‘Macrophages and chronic inflammatory
diseases’, ChemGenex, Geelong, June
Agnieszka Swierczak, ‘The role of podosomes in
macrophage migration’, BSc(Hons) (Supervisor: Dr Caryn
Elsegood)
Presentation: ‘Strategies to identify the CSF-1 receptor
signalosome’, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology, The University of Melbourne, July
Presentation: ‘Macrophages and the chronicity of
Inflammation’, 7th World Congress on Inflammation, August
16
Contact Details
John Hamilton
Professor John A. Hamilton
Director, Arthritis and Inflammation Research Centre
Department of Medicine (RMH/WH)
The Royal Melbourne Hospital
Tel: +61 3 8344 5480
Fax: +61 3 9347 1863
Member: NHMRC Final Report Review Group
Member: Editorial Board, Inflammation Research
Member: Arthritis Research, Taskforce Scientific Advisory
Committee
Member: CRC–NHMRC working group
Member: NHMRC Glucosamine Research Study Review
Panel
Member: Scientific Advisory Committee, Victorian Centre for
Oral Health Science
Member: Scientific Advisory Board, EQiTX Limited
Member: Scientific Advisory Board, Microsurgery Research
Centre, St Vincent’s Hospital
Research
Professional Activities
Dr Glen Scholz
Tel: +61 3 8344 3298
Fax: +61 3 9347 1863
Board Member: International Association of Inflammation
Societies
Representative: Medical Sector on CRC Association
Member: Organising Committee, XVIIth Conference of the
International Society for Fibrinolysis and Proteolysis
Convenor: 7th World Congress on Inflammation
Glen Scholz
Chair: Young Investigator Award Committee, 7th World
Congress on Inflammation
Member: Program Committee, 2006 Australian Health &
Medical Research Congress
Member: Organising Committee, 7th World Congress on
Inflammation
Member: Program Committee, 7th World Congress on
Inflammation
Member: Royal Melbourne Hospital Institutional Biosafety
Committee
Chair: Education and Training Committee, CRC for Chronic
Inflammatory Diseases
Seminar Coordinator: Department of Medicine, The
University of Melbourne
17
Cooperative Research Centre
for Chronic Inflammatory
Diseases
Core Participants
Research
Industry:
AstraZeneca
University: The University of Melbourne
University of Queensland
Monash University
Supporting Participants
Industry:
Zimmer Inc
IngenKo Pty Ltd (to 30 September 2005)
Research Focus
The Cooperative Research Centre for Chronic Inflammatory
Diseases (CRC–CID) is a joint venture between three
universities and two major commercial organisations
(named above). At the CRC–CID, we are working to
understand the processes underlying serious chronic
inflammatory diseases and to discover and develop better
treatments to reduce the burden of these diseases. The
objectives of the CRC–CID are to:
1. Discover new molecular targets involved in the
pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory lung and joint
disease and use this information to develop novel
treatments for these disorders.
2. Reduce the burden of chronic inflammatory diseases.
3. Strengthen the Australian pharmaceutical/biotechnology
sector.
4. Apply our established macrophage biology discovery
platform to develop new methods to:
• treat debilitating joint diseases by targeting the
molecular processes that cause joint replacement failure,
particularly in osteoarthritis (OA); and
• generate synthetic tissues to repair injured joints.
Chronic inflammatory diseases are a substantial burden in
social and economic terms for the Australian community.
Arthritis alone afflicts 3.4 million Australians and the
financial costs for 2004 were in excess of $19.25 billion
(Access Economics 2005).
Areas of Research Expertise
The CRC–CID is focused on understanding the macrophage
biology of these core diseases. Macrophages (literally ‘big
eaters’) are named after their important physiological role
in host defence, which is to clear away cellular debris and
foreign materials including infectious bacteria, fungi and
18
viruses. Macrophages are further armed with a formidable
biochemical armature to destroy invading pathogens with
destructive proteases that break down the molecular
framework of cells, and potent antioxidants that chemically
burn invaders.
To complement this direct attacking ability, macrophages
secrete a diverse range of danger signal molecules that
prime host tissue for defence and recruit waves of other
defensive cells to broaden the assault. When the normal
defensive role of macrophages is turned against host tissue,
devastating disease states develop. Why this happens in
rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD) is obscure. There are good reasons to
believe that the same process is implicated in OA and
aseptic failure of joint implants.
The research program has been designed to address
several discrete areas of macrophage biology in Programs
1–4. Program 5 focuses on new technology platforms, for
example, bioinformatics, the set of information technologies
that allows complex biological data sets to be analysed,
integrated and compared with the vast biological, genomic,
protein and clinical databases worldwide.
CRC–CID Established: 1 July 2001
Supplementary Program Established: 1 July 2003
Round No: (Supplementary Funding Round 8)
Grant Period: 7 years (Supplementary Funding 5 years)
Incorporated: No
Personnel involved in CRC–CID: 278
Postgraduate students: 21
Full-time equivalent research staff: 69.8
Chair and Chief Executive Officer: Dr Julie-Anne White
(Dr John Flack, 2006)
Research Highlights
Program 1, Project 1:
Analysis of human COPD tissues and cells
Leader: Dr Steve Bozinovski
Analysis of human RA tissues and cells
Leader: Dr Kumar Visvanathan, Department of Medicine
(RMH/WH)
Program 1, Project 3: Murine COPD models
Leader: Dr Ross Vlahos, Department of Medicine (RMH/WH)
Murine arthritis and surrogate models
Leader: Dr Andrew Cook, Department of Medicine
(RMH/WH)
Macrophage lineage differentiation
Leader: Dr Bernie Scott
Program 2, Project 2: Macrophage survival and proliferation
Leader: Dr Caryn Elsegood, Department of Medicine
(RMH/WH)
Target gene validation using in vitro systems
Leader: Dr Stuart Kellie
Target gene validation using in vivo systems
Leader: Dr Trevor Wilson
Inflammation and periprosthetic osteolysis
Leader: Dr Kerrie Way, Department of Medicine (RMH/WH)
Program 4, Project 2: Inflammation and bone formation
Leader: Dr Barb Fletcher
Program 5, Theme 1: Computational Biology
Leader: Professor David Hume
Program 5, Theme 2: Structural and functional genomics
Bedoui, S., Velkoska, E., Bozinovski, S., Jones, J. E.,
Anderson, G. P. & Morris, M. J. Unaltered TNF-alpha
production by macrophages and monocytes in diet-induced
obesity in the rat. Journal of Inflammation (London),
21;2(1):2
Bozinovski, S., Cross, M., Vlahos, R., Jones, J. E., Hsuu, K.,
Tessier, P. A., Reynolds, E. C., Hume, D. A., Hamilton, J. A.,
Geczy, C. L. & Anderson, G. P. S100A8 chemotactic protein
is abundantly increased, but only a minor contributor to LPSinduced, steroid resistant neutrophilic lung inflammation in
vivo. Journal of Proteome Research, 4:136–45
Chen, H., Vlahos, R., Bozinovski, S., Jones, J. E., Anderson,
G. P. & Morris, M. J. Effect of short-term cigarette smoke
exposure on body weight, appetite and brain neuropeptide Y
in mice. Journal of Neurophsychopharmacology, 30:713–9
Fleetwood, A. J., Cook, A. C. & Hamilton, J. A. Functions of
granulocyte/macrophage colony stimulating factor. Critical
Reviews in Immunology, 25(5)
New Grants
Program 5, Theme 3:
Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry (MS)
NHMRC Grant: R. E. O’Hehir, G. P. Anderson, J. A. Hamilton
& J. M. Rolland, 2005–09, ‘The interface between innate
and adaptive immunity in allergy and asthma’: $4,300,000
Awards and Prizes
(by CRC–CID Department of Medicine (RMH/WH) members)
Dr Ross Vlahos: 2005 European Respiratory Society Young
Scientist Sponsorship
Anderson, G. P., Irving, L., Hamilton, J. A., Vlahos, R. &
Bozinovski, S. GM-CSF is underestimated as a mediator of
acute exacerbations of COPD. Chest, E-published 20 June
Beavitt, S. J. E., Harder, K. W., Jones, J. E., Quilici, C., Lam,
E., Brennan, S., Sly, P. D., Tarlinton D. M., Hibbs, M. L. &
Anderson G. P. Lyn-deficient mice develop severe, persistent
asthma: Lyn is a critical negative regulator of Th2 immunity.
Journal of Immunology, 175:1867–75
Research
Macrophage activation and recruitment
Leader: Dr Matt Sweet
G. P. Anderson
Poster Presentation (with S. Bozinovski, A. Hutchinson, M.
Thompson, D. Smallwood, C. Brand, J. Black, R. Vlahos & L.
Irving): ‘Systemic inflammatory markers in the Melbourne
Longitudinal COPD Exacerbation Cohort’, American Thoracic
Society Meeting, San Diego, USA, 21–25 May
CRC–CID PhD students (L–R): Adrian
Achuthan, Hang Dinh, Christine Massa
and Dominic De Nardo with presenter
Dr Andrea Horvath (aka ‘Dr Andi’) at the
workshop ‘Science Communication for
Non Scientists’, May 2005
19
Poster Presentation (with H. Chen, J. E. Jones, M. J.
Hansen, R. Vlahos, S. Bozinovski & M. Morris): ‘Orexigen
signal processing is reprogrammed in the brains of mice
with COPD—Associated weight loss and wasting’,
American Thoracic Society Meeting, San Diego, USA, 21–25
May
Research
Poster Presentation (with R. C. Gualano, J. E. Jones, M.
J. Hansen, R. Vlahos, K. A. Duca & E. Fulton): ‘Molecular,
metabolic and histopathological profiling reveal smoke
complexifies host pathogen reactions in a murine model
of viral COPD exacerbation’, American Thoracic Society
Meeting, San Diego, USA, 21–25 May
Contact Details
Ms Robyn McLachlan
Chief Operations Officer
CRC for Chronic Inflammatory Diseases
Suite 9, 87–89 Flemington Road
North Melbourne, Vic. 3051 AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61 3 9321 3330
Fax: +61 3 9328 8676
Website: www.crccid.org.au
J. A. Hamilton
Presentation: ‘The significance and chronicity of
inflammation’, CSIRO Health Sciences & Nutrition,
Melbourne, 1 March
Presentation: ‘The biology of joint implant failure’,
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The
University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 17 March
Presentation: ‘Autoimmunity and GM-CSF’, Rare Lung
Disease Consortium Conference, Cincinatti, USA, 8 April
Presentation: ‘Macrophages and chronic inflammatory
diseases’, ChemGenex, Geelong, June
Presentation: ‘The chronicity and significance of
inflammation’, Department of Immunology, Monash
University, June
20
Principal: Associate Professor Gary P. Anderson
Research Highlights
This laboratory focuses on the single objective of
understanding the fundamental nature of chronic
inflammatory lung diseases, in particular asthma and
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and
translating this knowledge into therapeutic advances. In
contrast to most other disease groups, inflammatory lung
diseases are increasing globally. Asthma remains one of the
most serious chronic diseases of children worldwide. COPD
will move to be the the thrid highest cause of death worldwide by 2010 and kill 500 million people by 2050. These two
diseases cost the Australian health care system well over
$1 billion annually in direct hospital costs alone.
A great strength of our research program is the collaborative
work with leading clinical research groups, particularly
with A/Professor Lou Irving (Head, Respiratory Medicine)
at the Royal Melbourne Hospital who is supported by Dr
David Smallwood (pulmonary physician), and Ms Anastasia
Hutchinson (PhD student) and Ms Michelle Thompson
(registered nurses). We also work closely with our
colleagues in respiratory medicine at the Alfred Hospital—
Professor Robyn O’Hehir (Head, Respiratory Medicine) and
A/Professor Jennifer Rolland.
To understand the basis of these diseases we have
developed a program of research that is currently focusing
on the following problems:
Regulation of severe persistent airway disease
by the c-src-related proto-oncogene lyn kinase.
In collaboration with Dr Margaret Hibbs at the Ludwig
Institute for Cancer Research, and Professor Robyn O’Hehir
at the Alfred Hospital, this project has led to a NHMRC
project grant and generated new understanding in how lyn
controls T cells by altering dendritic cell cytokine and costimulatory profiles.
Proteomic and genomic analysis of disease genes in
murine asthma and COPD models. This project, led by
Dr Steve Bozinovski and Dr Ross Vlahos, applies profiling
techniques to identify disease genes/proteins and their
regulatory networks in mouse disease models. The work
has identified novel disease determinants, such as S100A8,
published in J Proteomic Res., and ultra-sensitive SELDIToF methods to identify novel human serum biomarkers
that may be diagnostic for different classes of disease
exacerbation and, therefore, useful to guide treatment.
Mr Ken Lui, a PhD scholar, is working with Dr Bozinovski
on somatic mutations in the epithelium that may worsen
inflammation.
Research
Lung Disease Research
Mechanism of exacerbation of inflammatory
airways disease. This research focuses on novel in
vivo exacerbation models developed by Dr Rosa Gualano
in our laboratory employing live viruses (influenza, RSV,
adenovirus) combined with highly validated murine asthma
and COPD models. This basic research has extended
into a major clinical collaboration with A/Professor Lou
Irving (RMH) studying the cellular and molecular basis
of COPD exacerbations focusing on serum biomarkers of
viral and bacterial exacerbations of COPD As part of our
research program in COPD we established the Melbourne
Longitudinal COPD Cohort (MLCC) study more than three
years ago. This study has been designed in concert with
specialists in clinical epidemiology, and was structured to
follow GOLD (WHO Global Obstructive Lung Disease staging
definitions) stages 2–4 patients over time. The clinical work
has proven that viruses are causes of exacerbations of
COPD. The mouse work using microarrray profiling (with Dr
K. Duca, University of Virginia) is identifying entirely novel
disease pathways.
Back row, L–R: Ruth Park,
Michelle Hansen,
Jessica Jones, Andrew Lilja
Front row, L–R: Jamie Chan,
Gary Anderson,
Oliver Ferdinando, Ken Liu,
Rosa Gualano, Ross Vlahos,
Steven Bozinovski,
Anne-Sophie Karlsson
21
Innate immunity in asthma. This has become a major
focus of our group and we have specialised in in vivo
signal transduction analysis from Toll-like receptors that
are fundamental components of early infection detection.
Our work has identified GM-CSF as a co-regulator of NFKB
activation via an action on the PI3K related transducer AKT.
We have also recently demonstrated and published in
J Immunology that cigarette smoke may lead to more severe
infections in the lung via blockade of TLR4- the Toll receptor
that responds to endotoxin, which may be due to chemical
modification of the receptor.
Research
Proto-oncogene c-fms, G-CSF and GM-CSF in
macrophage activation in chronic airway disease:
These factors are major determinant of macrophage growth
and activation. We have demonstrated, in collaboration
with the department’s Professor John Hamilton, that their
blockade is broadly useful in models of lung disease.
This work was the foundation for both a NHMRC project
and program grant and a NHMRC development grant for
translation research. Ms Jamie Chan, a first-class Honours
Dean’s List graduate, has joined this program as a PhD
scholar.
gp130: the pivotal signaling molecule in the disease
airway epithelium: gp130 transduces signals from
the LIF/IL-6 family of cytokines. We have discovered,
in collaboration with Dr Mathias Ernst and Dr Brendan
Jenkins, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Dr Darryl
Knight (Perth/Vancouver) and Dr Steve Muester (Perth), that
it has a major role in lung disease.
Role of Hck kinases as a determinant of nonlymphocyte mediated chronic airway inflammation.
Hck is a src family kinase that was thought to be irrelevant
until we demonstrated its central role in macrophage innate
immunity and lung inflammation. We have now discovered
an entire novel mechanism of chronic inflammatory lung
disease that operates independently of classical pathways
and which may offer new insight into mechanism of severe
inflammatory lung disease.
Wasting in COPD. Skeletal muscle wasting is a predictor
of death and a major cause of morbidity in COPD. We have
established the first-ever mouse COPD wasting models
and demonstrated the worsening effect of steroids and
viral lung infection. This unique model is now being used
to identify molecular mechanisms of wasting in vivo,
developed by Dr Michelle Hanson, using genomic profiling
and proteomic methods.
IL-17. IL-17 represents a family of largely T cell derived
neutrophil chemotaxic factors that we have identified
as a major upregulated gene in diverse lung models. In
collaboration with A/Professor Anders Linden (Sweden) we
are performing extensive research into IL-17 lung biology
in vivo focusing on Lung Interstitial Macrophages. Lung
interstitial macrophages (LIMs) are the cells closest to
the tissue matrix components that are destroyed in COPD,
22
especially elastin fibres. However, the biology of these cells
is completely unstudied. We have initiated research work
in collaboration with A/Professor Linden on these cells
and find that one surface marker defined subpopulation is
a major source of protease when activated with smoke or
IL-17.
Characterisation of molecular targets identified in
the CRC for Chronic Inflammatory Diseases. This
work focuses on extensive in vivo, cell biology and clinical
material profiling of CRC-discovered genes, especially
the high-priority coded targets. These genes remain
‘commercial-in-confidence’ but extensive profiling suggests
that they may represent new treatment targets for COPD.
Our group has discovered another four therapeutically
tractable COPD disease genes currently in evaluation.
Stem cell repair mechanism in the injured lung. This
research, being pursued with the National Stem Cell Centre
and Professor Ivan Bertoncello and Professor Paul Hertzog,
is directed at finding safe ways to restore lung structure
and biochemical functions in COPD injury models. We use
embryonic stem cell technology to manipulate genes of
interest, and then to differentiate the ES cells into mature
macrophages ex vivo before adoptively transferring them
into recipient animals with underlying lung disease. This
strategy has been undertaken because it is known already
that bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells migrate
to injured lung but contribute to fibrosis rather than repair.
Mr Andrew Lilja, a first-class Honours student, Dean’s List
student and winner of the Larkins Prize, is working on this
project for his doctoral thesis.
Lindén, A., Laan, M. & Anderson, G. P. Neutrophils,
interleukin-17A and the lung. European Respiratory Journal,
25: 159–72
Bozinovski, S., Cross, M., Vlahos, R., Tessier, P., Geczy,
C., Hume, D., Hamilton, J. A. & Anderson, G. P. S100A8
chemotactic protein is abundantly increased, but only
a minor contributor to LPS-induced, steroid resistant
neutrophilic lung inflammation in vivo. J Proteome Res.,
4:136–45
Gualano, R., Vlahos, R. & Anderson, G. P. What is the
contribution of respiratory viruses and lung proteases to
airway remodelling in asthma and chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease? Pulmonary Pharmacology and
Toxicology, E-pub. 25 April
Bedoui, S., Velkoska, E., Bozinovski, S., Jones, J. E.,
Anderson, G. P. & Morris, M. J. Unaltered TNF-alpha
production by macrophages and monocytes in diet-induced
obesity in the rat. J Inflamm (Lond)., 2(1):2
Beavitt, S-J E., Harder, K. W., Jones, J., Quilici, C., Lam,
E., Brennan, S., Sly, P. D., Tarlinton, D. M., Hibbs, M. L.
& Anderson, G. P. Lyn-deficient mice develop severe,
Hanson, M., Bozinovski, S., Vlahos, R., Jones, J., Gualano,
R. & Anderson, G. P. Therapeutic strategies to ameliorate
skeletal muscle wasting in COPD. Journal of Pharmacology
and Therapeutics, 109:162–72.
Bozinovski, S., Vlahos, R., Hansen, M., Lui, K. & Anderson,
G. P. AKT in the pathogenesis of COPD. J COPD
Anderson, G. P., Irving, L., Hamilton, J. A., Vlahos, R. &
Bozinovski, S. GM-CSF is underestimated as a mediator of
acute exacerbations of COPD. Chest, E-pub. 20 June
O’Donoghue, R. J. J., Anderson, G. P., Bozinovski, S., Jones,
J., Ernst, M., Knight, D. A. & Musters, S. E. Directed gp130
mediated signalling dissociates inflammation from fibrosis
in bleomycin induced lung injury. Inflammation Research,
154(2):S216–6
Vlahos, R., Bozinovski, S. Jones, J., Gualano, R. & Anderson
G. P. Differential proteases, innate immunity and NFKB
induction profiles during lung inflammation induced by
subchronic smoke exposure in Balb/c mice. American
Journal of Physiology (Lung), E-pub. 16 December
Books and Multimedia
Anderson, G. P. & Irving, L. Gas Exchange. Multimedia
self-directed learning CD-ROM. University of Melbourne
Press and Biomedical Multimedia Unit, The University of
Melbourne
New Grants
NHMRC Development Grant: G. P. Anderson, J. A. Hamilton
& J. Schraeder, 2005–06, ‘Therapeutic antibodies’
NHMRC Program Grant: G. P. Anderson, R. O’Hehir, J.
Rolland & J. A. Hamilton, 2005–09, ‘The interface between
innate and adaptive immunity’: $4.3million
Asthma Victoria Grant: R. Vlahos, S. Bozinovski & G. P.
Anderson, ‘Macrophage proteomic in childhood asthma’
The University of Melbourne Grant: R. Vlahos, S. Bozinovski
& G. P. Anderson, ‘NHMRC near-miss grant’
Collaborations
Clinical research network affiliated with the
University of Melbourne. These include: Professor
Louis Irving, Professor and Head of Respiratory Medicine,
Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH); Dr David Smallwood,
Chest Physician; Dr James Black, Head Clinical
Epidemiology; Dr Caroline Brand, Clinical Epidemiology;
Dr Mike Caton, Head, VIDRL (Victorian Infectious Diseases
Reference Laboratory); Professor Graham Brown. The Respiratory Medicine clinical unit is supported by a
full complement of staff physicians and lung technicians
who provide the RMH respiratory medicine service and the
hospital-in-the-home program that facilities our research
on COPD.
Collaborations in Australia. These include: A/Professor
Margaret Hibbs (biochemistry cell biology, Src kinases,
especially Lyn, innate immunity and negative regulation
of inflammation; Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
supported by our NHMRC project grants) and A/Professor
Mathias Ernst (biochemistry, cell biology, Src Kinases
especially Hck in lung inflammation, a novel transduction
molecule implicated in induction and progression of
emphysema, innate immunity and negative regulation
of inflammation, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
supported by our NHMRC project grants). Dr Steven Turner
and Professor Peter Doherty (CD8+ T cell memoryeffector set immunobiology, The University of Melbourne
utilizing influenza viral specific tetramers they have
developed); Dr Shyamali Dharmage and Dr Melanie
Matheson (clinical genetics and genomics, especially the
Tasmanian Longitudinal Lung Cohort population, School
of Population Health, The University of Melbourne); Dr
Ivan Bertoncello (stem cell biology in lung inflammtion,
National Stem Cell Centre, Monash University); Professor
Doug Hilton (SOCS biology of wasting in murine COPD,
novel disease models and mechanisms, WEHI, Melbourne).
Professor Paul Hertzog, Dr Bernadette Scott, Dr
Trevor Wilson (stem Cell biology, Monash University); Dr
Brendon Jenkins (a novel signalling molecule implicated
in COPD, Monash University). Professor John Wark
(clinical and basic bone biology in lung disease), Professor
Margaret Morris (neurobiology and metabolic disease.
University of New South Wales); Professor Peter Sly
and Professor Patrick Holt (murine lung function, innate
immunity, in vivo viral biology, neutrophils protease deficient
mice, IL-17 and IL-23, advanced lung physiology in mice,
Institute for Child Health Research, Perth); Professor Peter
LeSoueff (genomic and clinical biomarkers in asthma,
Institute for Child Health Research, Perth); A/Professor
Alan James (lung histomorphometry, Princess
Margaret Hospital Perth) and Dr Peter Craick (a murine
CVS, stroke and oxidative stress expert, recently appointed
to our department).
Research
persistent asthma: Lyn is a critical negative regulator of Th2
immunity. Journal of Immunology, 175:1867–75
International collaborations. These include: Professor
Anders Linden (clinical cohorts, IL-17/IL-23 axis,
Gothenburg University, Sweden, who has spent a one
year sabbatical in my lab); Dr Karen Duca (mathematical
bioinformatics of viral infection in murine AECOPD model,
University of Virginia, USA, a Universitas 21 institution);
Professor Kjell Larson (neutrophil-epithelial biology in
COPD Karolinska Institute, Sweden, whose postdoctoral
work is a joint program of our universities); Professor
Geoffrey Maclennan and Dr Dwight Look (advanced
lung imaging and biomechanics, infection in AECOPD,
University of Iowa USA the subject of an NIH SCOR grant);
A/Professor Darryl Knight (a novel signalling molecule,
James Hogg iCapture Institute Canada); Professor John
Schrader (biological therapeutic strategies, Director
Biomolecular Research Institute, Vancouver Canada)
23
Awards and Prizes
Gary P. Anderson: Research Medal of the Thoracic Society
of Australia and New Zealand (see Awards page)
Gary P. Anderson
Presentation: ‘siRNA: small interfering RNAs’, Symposium
of the ERS, Copenhagen
Research
Presentation: ‘Development and use of mouse models
of viral exacerbations of asthma and chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD)’, 7th World Congress on
Inflammation, Melbourne (with R. C. Gualano, R. A. Park, J.
E. Jones, M. J. Hansen, R. Vlahos & S. Bozinovski)
Presentation: ‘Aberrant activation of the Src-family kinase
Hck results in spontaneous pulmonary inflammation and an
enhanced innate immune response in a T-cell independent
manner’, 7th World Congress on Inflammation, Melbourne
(with M. Ernst, M. Inglese, J. Jones, D. Grail, S. Bozinovski
& D. Waring)
Presentation: ‘Short term cigarette smoke exposure worsens
influenza infection in mice’, American Thoracic Society,
San Diego (with R. C. Gualano, J. E. Jones, R. Vlahos, M. J.
Hansen, R. A. Park, S. Bozinovski, K. A. Duca & B. E. Fulton)
Presentation: ‘Systemic corticosteroid administration
worsens the effect of cigarette smoke exposure on body
weight and skeletal muscle mass in mice’, American
Thoracic Society, San Diego (with M. J. Hansen, R. C.
Gualano, S. Bozinovski, J. E. Jones, R. Vlahos & M. Morris)
Presentation: ‘GM-CSF is a central pathogenic mediator in
experimental COPD’, American Thoracic Society, San Diego
(with R. Vlahos, S. Bozinovski, L. Irving, D. M. Smallwood, J.
A. Hamilton)
Presentation: ‘Systemic inflammatory markers in the
Melbourne Longitudinal COPD Exacerbation Cohort’,
American Thoracic Society, San Diego (with S. Bozinovski,
A. Hutchinson, M. Thompson, D. Smallwood, C. Brand, J.
Black, R. Vlahos & L. Irving)
Presentation: ‘Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)
overexpression in human bronchial epithelial cells amplifies
IL-8 release provoked by cigarette smoke and bacterial
surrogates implicated in COPD exacerbations’, American
Thoracic Society, San Diego (with K. Liu & S. Bozinovski)
Presentation: ‘Molecular, metabolic and histopathological
profiling reveal smoke complexifies host-pathogen reactions
in a murine model of viral COPD exacerbations’, American
Thoracic Society, San Diego (with R. C. Gualano, J. E. Jones,
M. J. Hansen, R. Vlahos, K. A. Duca & B. E. Fulton)
Presentation: ‘Neutrophil proteinase 3 is a potent stimulus
for IL-8 and mucin induction in human (H292) bronchial
epithelial cells’, American Thoracic Society, San Diego (with
A. Lilja, K. Liu & S. Bozinovski)
24
Presentation: ‘Contrasting effects of cigarette smoke on
IL-8 release induced by bacterial surrogates or respiratory
viruses in bronchial epithelial cells’, Thoracic Society of
Australia and New Zealand Meeting, Perth (with M. Laan &
R. C. Gualano)
Presentation: ‘Corticosteroid administration worsens the
effect of cigarette smoke exposure on body weight and
skeletal muscle mass in mice’, Thoracic Society of Australia
and New Zealand Meeting, Perth (with M. J. Hansen, R.
C. Gualano, S. Bozinovski, J. E. Jones, R. Vlahos & M. J.
Morris)
Presentation: ‘Aberrant activation of the Src-family kinase
Hck results in spontaneous pulmonary inflammation and an
enhanced innate immune response in a T-cell independent
manner’, Inflammation 2005 Conference, Melbourne (with
M. Ernst, M. Inglese, J. Jones, D. Grail, S. Bozinovski & P.
Waring)
Supervision
Gary P. Anderson
Ana Hutchinson, ‘Self-management strategy, microbial
infection patterns and bomarkers in patients with
exacerbations of COPD’, PhD (Co-Supervisor: Louis Irving &
Jim Black)
Gary P. Anderson
Member: Research Committee of the NHMRC
Chair: Development Grant Program, NHMRC
Member: Training Awards Committee (TAC)
Member: Evaluation and Outcomes Working Committee,
Member: Subcommittee for MOIRA (Measure of Impact of
Research Activity), The University of Melbourne
Member: Research Infrastructure Investment Priorities
Committee, for Federal National Competitive Research
Infrastructure Committee
Member: Review panel for Juvenile Diabetes Vaccine
Centre review
Contact Details
Associate Professor Gary P. Anderson
Principal, Lung Disease Research Group
Research Director, CRC–CID
Department of Medicine (RMH/WH) and Department of
Pharmacology
Tel: +61 3 8344 8602
Fax: +61 3 9347 1863
Research Staff
Heads: Associate Professor Stephen Rogerson and
•Professor Graham V. Brown
•A/Professor Stephen Rogerson
•Dr Wai-Hong Tham: ARC Research Fellow
•Dr Philippe Boeuf: Postdoctoral Fellow
•Dr Michael Duffy: Postdoctoral Fellow
•Dr Salenna Elliott: Postdoctoral Fellow
•Mr Tim Byrne: Research Assistant
•Ms Aphrodite Caragounis: Research Assistant
•Mr Paul Payne: Research Assistant
•Ms Francisca Yosaatmadja: Research Assistant
•Mr Ee-Ken Choong: BSc (Hons) Student
•Ms Emily Mann: PhD Student
Research Highlights
•A/Professor Stephen Rogerson, in collaboration with
Professor Steven Meshnick and Dr Jesse Kwiek
(University of North Carolina), Dr Victor Mwapasa
(University of Malawi College of Medicine) and others
showed that passage of HIV infection from mother to
baby is associated with small blood transfusions across
the placenta (see PLoS Medicine citation).
•In the same clinical study, we found that untreated
syphilis infection was particularly common in women with
HIV infection, and that it increased the risk that these
women will pass HIV infection to their babies—as well
as being an important cause of infant deaths in its own
right.
•Dr Wai-Hong Tham has begun to unravel the mechanisms
by which expression of members of the Plasmodium
falciparum rif family of 150 genes is controlled.
•Dr Michael Duffy, Ms Aphrodite Caragounis and others
have shown that malaria-infected erythrocytes from
women with placental malaria almost always transcribe
one specific var gene, out of many in each parasite. This
gene is called var2csa.
•Dr Salenna Elliott is investigating how P. falciparum
infected erythrocytes interact with dendritic cells,
important in regulating the immune response to malaria.
•Dr Philippe Boeuf joined the group in 2005, and has
begun investigating mechanisms underlying foetal growth
impairment bymalaria.
Research
Malaria Research
Beeson, J. G., Rogerson, S. J., Elliott, S. R. & Duffy, M.
F. Targets of protective antibodies to malaria during
pregnancy. J. Infect. Dis., 192:1647–50 (Children and
women in their first pregnancy are the groups most affected
by malaria. However women are typically protected from
malaria in their second and third pregnancies, probably by
antibody responses acquired during the first pregnancy.
This study suggests that the parasite molecules targeted
by the antibodies are sufficiently similar between parasites
infecting pregnant women to have potential as a vaccine.)
Duffy, M. F., Byrne, T. J., Elliott, S. R., Wilson, D. W.,
Rogerson, S. J., Beeson, J. G., Noviyanti, R. & Brown,
G. V. Broad analysis reveals a consistent pattern of var
gene transcription in Plasmodium falciparum repeatedly
selected for a defined adhesion phenotype. Mol. Microbiol.,
56(3):774–88 (Malaria parasites associated with pregnancy
malaria seem to all express variants of the same gene,
called var2csa, suggesting this might be a good target for
vaccination.)
From L–R: Joelle Dodin (Hons
Student, 2006), Graham
Brown, Paul Payne, Francisca
Yosaatmadja, Salenna Elliot,
Elizabeth Aitken (Hons Student,
2006), Tim Byrne, Stephen
Rogerson, Wai-Hong Tham,
Michael Duffy, Phillipe Boeuf,
Cleo Romagosa (Visitor, 2006)
Absent: Aphrodite Caragounis,
Emily Mann, Ee-Ken Choong
25
Duraisingh, M. T., Voss, T. S., Marty, A. J., Duffy, M. F.,
Good, R. T., Thompson, J. K., Freitas-Junior, L. H., Scherf,
A., Crabb, B. S. & Cowman, A. F. Heterochromatin silencing
and locus repositioning linked to regulation of virulence
genes in Plasmodium falciparum. Cell, 121:13–24 (Members
of a malaria multigene family are responsible for avoiding
the immune response and causing disease. Their function
depends on tight control of their activity. Elements
important in this control are identified.)
Research
Elliott, S. R., Duffy, M. F., Byrne, T. J., Beeson, J. G., Mann,
E. J., Wilson, D. W., Rogerson, S. J. & Brown, G. V. Crossreactive surface epitopes on chondroitin sulfate A-adherent
Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes are associated
with transcription of var2csa. Infect. Immun. 73(5):2848–56
(This study suggest that not only are the same genes
expressed by different parasite strains causing placental
malaria, but that the proteins encoded by these genes
and transported to the red blood cell surface are also very
similar.)
Elliott, S. R., Brennan, A. K., Beeson J. G., Tadesse, E.,
Molyneux, M. E., Brown, G. V. & Rogerson, S. J. Placental
malaria induces variant-specific antibodies of the cytophilic
subtypes immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) and IgG3 that
correlate with adhesion inhibitory activity. Infect. Immun.,
73(9):5903–07 (The sort of antibodies that are most common
in placental malaria are those that help white blood cells
remove malaria-infected cells from the circulation.)
Alker, A. P., Mwapasa, V., Purfield, A., Rogerson, S.
J., Molyneux, M. E., Kamwendo, D. D., Tadesse, E.,
Chaluluka, E. & Meshnick, S. R. Mutations associated with
sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and chlorproguanil resistance
in Plasmodium falciparum isolates from Blantyre, Malawi.
Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., September, 49(9):3919–21
(We showed that in pregnant women, mutations associated
with high levels of resistance to malaria drugs are becoming
common.)
Kwiek, J. J., Mwapasa, V., Milner, D. A. Jr, Alker, A. P.,
Miller, W. C., Tadesse, E., Molyneux, M. E., Rogerson, S.
J. & Meshnick, S. R. Maternal-fetal microtransfusions
and HIV-1 mother-to-child transmission in Malawi. PLoS
Med., 22 November, 3(1):e10 (We found that passage of
small amounts of blood across the placenta from mother to
baby is a very important mechanism by which babies may
become infected with HIV.)
New Grants
NHMRC Capacity Building Grant: C. R. Macintyre, N.
G. Becker, M. Law, A. Plant, T. M. Nolan & G. V. Brown,
2005–09, ‘Mathematical modelling for improved planning of
infectious disease control policy’: $3,000,000
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: Stephen Rogerson
with Feiko ter Kuile, University of Liverpool (PI), 2005–06,
‘Start up activities of malaria in pregnancy working group’:
US$358,735
Ian Potter Foundation Travel Grant: Stephen Rogerson,
November 2005, to attend ‘Multilateral Initiative on Malaria
conference’, in Yaoundé, Cameroon: $2500
Melbourne Research Grants Scheme: Stephen Rogerson,
2005, ‘Pathogenesis of fetal growth retardation in malaria’:
$30,000
Early Career Researcher Grant Scheme, The University of
Melbourne: Michael Duffy, 2005, ‘Identifying the parasite
protein responsible for placental malaria: $33,864
Ongoing Grants
NHMRC Program Grant 215201: A. F. Cowman, H.
Billman-Jacobe, G. V. Brown, B. S. Crabb, E. Handman,
M. J. McConville, G. I. McFadden, L. Schofield & T. P.
Speed, 2002–05, ‘The molecular basis of host-pathogen
interactions’: $11,540,000
NHMRC: G. V. Brown, S. Lewin, J. Sasadeusz, M. Richards,
M. Slavin, D. Campbell, S. J. Rogerson, J. Torresi, & B. A.
Biggs, 2003–07, ‘Centre for Clinical Research Excellence in
Infectious Diseases’: $2,000,000
Wellcome Trust: Stephen J. Rogerson, 2001–06, Senior
Overseas Research Fellowship: $1.4m
National Institutes of Health: Steven Meshnick, Stephen
Rogerson & Malcolm Molyneux, 2001–06, ‘Malaria and HIV
in pregnant Malawian women’: USD$250,000 p.a.
Collaborations
Graham V. Brown
Project: ‘The molecular basis of host-pathogen infections’
(NHMRC Program Grant). Collaborators: A. F. Cowman, H.
Billman-Jacobe, E. Handman, M. McConville, G. McFadden,
L. Schofield & T. Speed (collaboration among 10 Chief
Investigators).
Graham V. Brown & Michael Duffy
Project: ‘Studies of P. falciparum var gene transcription’
(funded by AusAID). Collaborator: Dr Rintis Noviyanti,
Eijkman, Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta Indonesia.
Graham V. Brown & Stephen Rogerson
Project: Centre for Clinical Research Excellence in Infectious
Diseases (funded by NHMRC). Collaborators: S. Lewin, J.
Sasadeusz, M. Richards, M. Slavin, D. Campbell, J. Torresi
& B. A. Biggs.
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: Stephen Rogerson with
John Reeder, PNG Institute of Medical Research (PI), 2005–
09, ‘Intermittent preventive treatment during EPI for the
prevention of malaria and anemia in Papua New Guinean
infants’: US$2,858,276
26
Project: ‘Malaria and HIV in pregnancy’ (field studies in
Malawi funded by NIH). Collaborators: Professor Steven
Meshnick & Dr Victor Mwapasa.
Project: ‘Pathogenesis of malaria in pregnancy’ (field studies
in Malawi). Collaborator: Professor Malcolm, Molyneux.
Convenor: ‘Designer babies: Are we going too far?’,
Dean’s Lecture Series Ethics Symposium, The University of
Melbourne
University Representative: U21 Health Research Planning
Workshop, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
Stephen Rogerson
Project: ‘Effect of HIV on opsonic phagocytosis of
malaria infected erythrocytes’. Collaborators: Dr Anthony
Jaworowski and Professor Suzanne Crowe, Burnet Institute.
Invited Speaker: Perinatal Research Centre Seminar,
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Women’s
Hospital, Melbourne
Project: ‘Identifying the targets of protective immunity to
malaria in pregnancy’. Collaborator: Dr James Beeson,
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.
Invited Speaker: Annual Network Meeting, Wellcome
Trust Centre for Clinical Tropical Medicine, University of
Liverpool, Liverpool
Project: ‘Malaria and pregnancy in Papua New Guinea’.
Collaborators: Dr James Beeson and Dr Danielle Stanisic,
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute; Dr Pascal Michon, Dr Ivo
Mueller and Professor John Reeder, PNG Institute of
Medical Research; Dr Chris King, Case Western Reserve
University Cleveland USA.
Invited Speaker: 3rd Multilateral Initiative on Malaria
Conference, Yaounde Cameroon, November
Project: ‘Var genes associated with severe malaria in
Malawi’. Collaborators: Dr Jacqui Montgomery and
Professor Malcolm Molyneux, Malawi–Liverpool–Wellcome
Trust Clinical Research Programme, College of Medicine,
Blantyre Malawi; and Dr Alister Craig, School of Tropical
Medicine, University of Liverpool.
Graham V. Brown
Salenna Elliott
Project: ‘Role of CD8 T cells in human cerebral malaria’.
Collaborators: Professor Nick Hunt, University of Sydney;
Dr Steve Kamiza, University of Malawi College of Medicine;
and Professor Terrie Taylor, Michigan State University.
Participant: American Society of Tropical Medicine and
Hygiene Annual Meeting, Washington DC, December
Teaching and Training
• Professorial morning report
• Professorial student report
• FRACP practice exams
• Lecture, Semester 5, Medical course
• Lecture, Semester 8/9, Medical course
Stephen Rogerson
• Coordination of and lectures for ‘Oral Health Sciences
3–Medicine’ (Medicine for dental students)
Awards and Prizes
Supervision
Graham V. Brown: Presidential Oration, Australasian Society
of Infectious Diseases
Ee-Ken Choong, ‘Identification of malaria antigens
associated with severe diseases’, BSc(Hons) (Supervisor:
Michael Duffy)
Graham V. Brown
Participant: International Society for Travel Medicine,
Lisbon, Portugal
Graham V. Brown
Invited Speaker: NHMRC Centre for Clinical Research
Excellence Workshop, Canberra
Invited Speaker: ‘Malaria vaccine Technology Roadmap
(TRM)’, MIM Pan–African Malaria Conference, Yaoundé,
Cameroon
Invited Participant: ‘Update of development of vaccines
against vivax malaria’, MALVAC, World Health Organization,
Cali, Colombia
President’s Address: Australasian Society for Infectious
Diseases, Busselton, WA
Convenor: ‘Healthy relations: Should global health be on the
foreign affairs agenda?’, Alfred Deakin Innovation Lectures,
Melbourne
Research
Stephen Rogerson
Head: Victorian Infectious Diseases Service (Royal
Melbourne Hospital)
Governor: Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation
Director: Australian International Health Institute, The
Chair: Strategy and Development Committee, Australian
International Health Institute
Chair: Expert Advisory Group on Antimicrobial Resistance
(EAGAR), NHMRC
Chair: Scientific Advisory Board, The Queensland Institute of
Medical Research, Brisbane
Chair: Greek Fund for Arthritis Research, RMH
27
Research
Chair: Inaugural Symposium, Nossal Institute for Global
Health, Melbourne
Member: Clinical Advisory Group, The Walter and Eliza Hall
Institute of Medical Research
Chair: Centres of Clinical Research Excellence Grants
Review Committee, NHMRC
Member: Advisory Committee, Clinical Epidemiology and
Health Service Evaluation Unit, RMH
Chair: Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Career Grants
Committee
Member: Medical Course Committee, MDHS, The University
of Melbourne
Chair: Board of Examiners, Semesters 8, 9 and 12, MDHS,
Member: Semester 8–12 Working Party, MDHS, The
Chair: Medicine Advisory Committee, Melbourne Health
Member: MDHS Faculty Executive, The University of
Melbourne
Convenor: ‘Healthy Relations: Should global health be
on the foreign affairs agenda’, Alfred Deakin Innovation
Lectures, Melbourne
Convenor: Deans Lecture Series—Ethics Symposium,
MDHS, The University of Melbourne
Member: Advisory Committee, Student Ambassador
Leadership Program, The University of Melbourne
University Representative: Victorian Medicines Advisory
Committee, Department of Human Services, Victoria
Member: Senior Appointments Committee, The University of
Melbourne
Member: Commonwealth Panel of Experts for Crisis
Management (CAPE)
Stephen Rogerson
Member: Vaccine Advisory Committee (MALVAC), World
Health Organization
Contact Details
Member: Scientific Consultants Group, USAID Malaria
Vaccine Development Program, Maryland, USA
Member: Advisory Committee, Victorian Nosocomial
Infection Surveillance Coordinating Centre
Member: Advisory Board, National Centre for Immunisation
Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases,
Westmead, NSW
Member: Scientific Advisory Committee, Bio21 Australia Ltd
Member: Advisory Board, Centre for International Child
Health, Royal Children’s Hospital
28
Member: MDHS Faculty Planning, Budget and Research
Committee, The University of Melbourne
Member: NHMRC Grant Review Panel 2B
Tel: +61 3 8344 6252
Fax: +61 3 9347 1863
A/Professor Stephen Rogerson: [email protected]
Dr Salenna Elliott: [email protected]
Dr Michael Duffy: [email protected]
Dr Wai-Hong Tham: [email protected]
Principal: Associate Professor Beverley-Ann Biggs
Research Highlights
International Health
Strengthening the capacity for research and control
of malaria and parasitic diseases in Vietnam.
This project has fully equipped a malaria laboratory at
the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and
Entomology (NIMPE) in Hanoi, and is now monitoring
malaria drug resistance in sentinel sites. Further funding
by Atlantic Philanthropies Inc. until 2008 has enabled a
new initiative in hookworm control to be undertaken in
collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO).
The introduction of a provincial demonstration project for
improved control and prevention of hookworm infection
and anaemia in Vietnamese people is the major initiative
planned for the next three years. A pilot project that
seeks to demonstrate the benefits of hookworm/anaemia
treatment in women of reproductive age in Yen Bai
province, where hookworm prevalence is high, is planned
to commence in 2006. Mr Gerard Casey was appointed in
October 2005 as manager of this project.
Immigrant and Refugee Health
HIV in Victoria’s African communities: reducing risks
and improving care. This project aims to identify the
factors that expose African Australians to risk of infection
with HIV, and impede timely diagnosis; to describe the
barriers faced by African Australians with HIV in gaining
access to social support; and to explore potential means of
providing Australia’s African communities with accurate,
relevant, culturally appropriate information about HIV.
Ethics approvals have been obtained and activities are well
underway.
Cambodian immigrant and refugee health study. This
project has identified that as many as a third of Cambodian
immigrants are infected with Strongyloides stercoralis, a
parasite that can cause chronic illness and death. This year
patients were followed up for repeat serology and further
treatment.
Middle Eastern and Afghan immigrant and refugee
health study. This project has highlighted the inadequate
health assessments in refugees from Iraq, Iran and
Afghanistan, and has begun the process of developing a
comprehensive refugee health assessment package. Most
newly arrived refugees, particularly those from war zones
and refugee camps, will have had minimal pre-arrival health
screening, hence the need for a careful and empathetic
history, thorough examination, and consideration of the
recommended investigations. An assessment guide was
developed by the physicians at the Victorian Infectious
Diseases Service (VIDS), Refugee/Travel Clinic: www.
mh.org.au/VIDS; Royal Children’s Hospital Immigrant Child
Health Clinic, Tel: +61 3 9345 5522;Victorian Foundation
for Survivors of Torture, www.survivorsvic.org.au, and GPs
in the Northern and Western Divisions of General Practice,
Melbourne.
Research
International and Immigrant
Health Research
An evaluation of a new test for the detection of latent
TB infection in Victoria. The aim of this study is to
evaluate a new diagnostic test (2nd Generation Quantiferon
Assay) as a potential alternative to the skin test for
the detection of latent tuberculosis (TB). Three studies
comparing the new test to the skin test were undertaken—
in contacts of active cases of TB, immigrants and health
care workers—the results of which are currently being
analysed and prepared for publication.
Epidemiology of TB in Victoria. This project will
contribute to the decrease in the burden of TB in Victorian
communities through improvements in TB control and
prevention, and evaluating the role that new technologies
L–R: Mirella Ozols,
Sophie Treleaven,
Beverley-Ann Biggs,
Beth Hilton-Thorp,
Christopher Lemoh
Absent: Sonia Caruana,
Gerard Casey
29
may play in improving the management and control of
TB, by combining epidemiological methods, clinical trials
and molecular typing of TB isolates using refined PCR
methodology. Molecular analysis of a large sample of the
so-called ‘Beijing’ strain was molecularly typed to study the
diversity of such strains among TB patients in Victoria.
Please see website www.internationalhealth.unimelb.
edu.au for further details.
Research
Chapters
Biggs, B-A. & McCarthy, J. Antiparasitic agents. In:
Infectious Diseases, A Clinical Approach. (2nd edn), A. P.
Yung, M. McDonald, D. Spelman, A. Street, P. Johnson,
T. Sorrell & J. McCormack (eds), IP Communications,
Melbourne
Articles
Men, B., Grundy, J., Cane, J., Rasmey, L. C., An, N. S.,
Soeung, S. C., Jenkinson, K., Boreland, M., Maynard, J.
& Biggs, B-A. Key issues relating to decentralization at
the provincial level of health management in Cambodia.
International Journal of Health Planning and Management,
January–March, 20(1):3–19
Caruana, S. R., Kelly, H., De Silva, S. L., Chea, L., Nuon, S.,
Saykao, P., Bak, N. & Biggs, B-A. Knowledge about hepatitis
and previous exposure to hepatitis viruses in immigrants
and refugees from the Mekong Region. Aust N Z J Public
Health, February, 29(1):64–8
Poster Presentations at RMH Research Week, 30
June–7 July 2005
Lemoh, C., Grierson, J., Street, A., Hellard, M. & Biggs, B-A.
‘HIV in Victoria’s African communities: Reducing risks and
improving care’
Caruana, S., Sweidan, M., Jolley,. D., Kelly, H., Leydon, J.,
Chea, L., Nuon, S., Bak, N. & Biggs, B-A. ‘Eradication of
Strongyloides stercoralis in Cambodian immigrants—Is
serology useful to monitor treatment?’
Caruana, S. R., Kelly, H., De Silva, S., Chea, L., Nuon, S.,
Bak, N. & Biggs, B-A. ‘Knowledge about and previous
exposure to hepatitis viruses in immigrants and refugees
from the Mekong region’
Department of Human Services Grant: Beverley-Ann Biggs,
Margaret Hellard & Alan Street, 2004–05, ‘Reducing the
risk of transmission of HIV/AIDS in African and Arabicspeaking communities in Victoria’: $75,627
Collaborations
Alfred and Austin Hospitals; Australian Research Centre in
Sex, Health and Society; Darebin Community Health Centre;
Key Centre for Women`s Health; Monash Institute of
Health Services Research; Multicultural Health and Support
Service; Victorian Department of Human Services; Victorian
Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL); Victorian
Infectious Diseases Service (VIDS) at the Royal Melbourne
Hospital; Western Region Health Centre; World Health
Organization (WHO); local GP medical clinics.
Affiliations and/or joint projects with:
VIDS; VIDRL; Australian International Health Institute;
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI); Burnet Institute;
NIMPE (Hanoi, Vietnam).
Beverley-Anne Biggs
Invited Speaker: ‘Strongyloides infections in Asian and
African settlers in Melbourne’, Third National Workshop on
Strongyloidiasis, Yeppoon, Qld. 10–11 June
Chris Lemoh
Invited Speaker: ‘Health assessments for recently arrived
refugees’, Researching Refugee Health in Australia
Conference: Networks, Methods and Practice, Melbourne,
16–17 June
Presentation: Annual Scientific Meeting for Australasian
Society for Infectious Diseases, Hobart, 22–27 August
Presentation: Colloquium for Victorian Centre for Clinical
Research Excellence in Infectious Diseases, Royal
Melbourne Hospital, 3 November
Presentation: Infection Control Day, St Vincent’s Hospital,
Melbourne, 27 October
Ongoing Grants
Michelle Sweidan
Atlantic Philanthropies Inc. Grant: Le Khanh Thuan, Alan
Cowman & Beverley-Ann Biggs, 2003–08, ‘Strengthening
program and research capacity in parasitic disease
surveillance and control in Vietnam’: $1,600,000
Invited Speaker: ‘Community-based assessment and
treatment of parasitic diseases in Cambodian refugees
who arrived in Victoria in the 1980s and early 1990s’,
Researching Refugee Health in Australia Conference:
Networks, Methods and Practice, Melbourne. 16–17 June
Department of Human Services Grant: B-A. Biggs, P. Vinton,
P. Johnson & J. Black, 2003–05, ‘An evaluation of a new
test for the detection of latent TB infection in Victoria’:
$69,020
30
TB Foundation Grant: Paul Vinton, Beverley-Ann Biggs, Paul
Johnson, Heath Kelly & Janet Fyfe, 2003–05, ‘Epidemiology
of TB in Victoria’: $40,000
Contact Details
Beverley-Anne Biggs
Associate Professor Beverley-Anne Biggs
(Consultant Infectious Diseases Physician, VIDS, RMH)
Tel: +61 3 8344 3256
Fax: +61 3 9347 1863
Web: www.internationalhealth.unimelb.edu.au
• Lecturing in ‘Infectious Diseases’ to undergraduate
Medical students
Sonia Caruana
• Advanced Medical Science (AMS) lecture series
Supervision
Beverley-Anne Biggs
Dr Paul Vinton, ‘An evaluation of a new test for the
detection of latent TB infection’, PhD (Co-Supervisors:
Paul Johnson, Janet Fyfe & Heath Kelly, The University of
Melbourne, 2004–07)
Research
Dr Chris Lemoh, ‘HIV in Victoria’s African communities’,
PhD (Co-Supervisors: Alan Street & Margaret Hellard, The
University of Melbourne, 2004–07)
Dr Sophie Treleaven, MD
Dr Ian Woolley, MD
Dr Albert Tiong, MAE
Ms Jane Goller, Public Health Trainee
Ms Michelle Sweidan, Public Health Trainee
Beverley-Anne Biggs
Fellow: Australasian College of Tropical Medicine
Fellow: Royal Australasian College of Physicians
Fellow: Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh
Advisory Group Member: RCH International
Member: AMS Taskforce, Faculty of MDHS, The University
of Melbourne
Co-Coordinator: AMS program, Department of Medicine
(RMH/WH)
Member: Nossal Institute for Global Health participant
group
Grant Reviewer: NHMRC (Aust)
Sonia Caruana
Member: Australian and New Zealand Public Health
Association
31
Hepatitis Molecular Virology
Research and Travel
Medicine Service, CCREID
Principal: Dr Joseph Torresi
Research Highlights
Hepatitis Research
Research
•Identification and characterisation of cellular and humoral
epitopes of hepatitis C virus (HCV)
•Identification and characterisation of neutralising
epitopes of HCV.
•Development of recombinant HCV coreE1-GFP-E2 VLPs to
study neutralising antibody responses to HCV.
•Identification of cross reactive CD8 epitopes of HCV.
•Discovery of unique and cross-reactive epitopes of HCV
genotype 3.
•Identification of CD4 epitopes of HCV.
•Characterisation of dendritic cell activation in hepatitis C
infected patients.
•Development of lipidated DNA-protamine vaccine
constructs.
•Modulation of MAPK and JAK/STAT/SOCS cell signalling
by HBV and HCV: mechanisms of viral persistence and
hepatocarcinogenesis
•Development of recombinant adeno-HBV and adeno-HCV
systems to study cell signalling events in liver derived cell
lines.
•Analyses of HBV and HCV modulation of ERK, p38 and
JNK signalling.
•Analyses of HBV and HCV modulation of cell regulatory
proteins p53, p21, p27.
•Analyses of cell cycle modulation by HBV and HCV.
•Analyses of SOCS3 expression in HBV and HCV
associated liver disease.
Travel Medicine Service, Victorian Infectious
Diseases Service, The Royal Melbourne Hospital
•GeoSentinel Surveillance Network (a worldwide
communications and data collection network of travel and
tropical medicine clinics of the International Society of
Travel Medicine and Center for Disease Control, Atlanta,
USA).
•Analysis of malaria in travellers.
•Analysis of gastrointestinal infections in travellers.
•Analysis of P.vivax malaria in travellers.
Torresi, J. Viral hepatitis. In: Infectious Diseases, A Clinical
Approach. (2nd edn), A. P. Yung, M. McDonald, D. Spelman,
A. Street, P. Johnson, T. Sorrell & J. McCormack (eds), IP
Communications, Melbourne
Kitchener, S., Nasveld, P., Bennett, S. & Torresi, J. Adequate
primaquine for vivax malaria. J Travel Med., May–June,
12(3):133–5
32
Ongoing Grants
NHMRC Grant: G. V. Brown, S. Lewin, J. Sasadeusz, M.
Richards, M. Slavin, D. Campbell, S. J. Rogerson, J. Torresi,
& B. A. Biggs, 2003–07, ‘Centre for Clinical Research
Excellence in Infectious Diseases’
Australian Centre for Hepatitis and HIV Virology, Population
Health Division of the Commonwealth Department of Health
and Ageing: J. Torresi, D. C. Jackson & E. J. Gowans, 2004–
mid 2005, ‘GB virus-B/HCV chimeras to evaluate potential
self-adjuvanting HCV vaccines that generate neutralising
antibody in vivo’
and Ageing: J. Torresi, D. R. Chin & E. J. Gowans, 2005–06,
‘Recombinant HCV coreE1-GFP-E2 VLPs providing authentic
particles to study neutralising antibody responses to HCV’
Melbourne Research Grants Scheme: D. C. Jackson, J.
Torresi & L. Brown, 2005, ‘Synthetic peptide-based vaccine
design using epitopes of hepatitis C virus’
and Ageing: D. C. Jackson, M. Bharadwaj & J. Torresi,
2005–06, ‘Pre-clinical development in HLA A2.1 transgenic
mice of self adjuvanting anti-HCV vaccine candidates that
target dendritic cells’
Major Collaborations
Dr David C. Jackson, Department of Microbiology and
Immunology, The University of Melbourne: Identification
of immunodominant epitopes of hepatitis C virus and
generation of a polymerised peptide HCV prophylactic and
therapeutic vaccine.
Dr Thomas Bock, Department of Molecular Pathology,
University Hospital, Tuebingen, Germany and Professor
Hanswalter Zentgraf, German Cancer Research Center,
Heidelberg, Germany: Modulation of hepatitis B virus and
hepatitis C virus interactions and persistence in coinfected
cells through cell signalling pathways. Hepatitis B virus
genotype mixtures: Clinical relevance and molecular
characteristics.
Professor Eric Gowans, Hepatitis Research, Burnet Institute
Melbourne: GB virus-B/HCV chimeras to evaluate potential
self-adjuvanting HCV vaccines that generate neutralising
antibody in vivo.
Joseph Torresi
Presentation: with Zoe Greenwood, James Black, Leisa
Weld, Daniel O’Brien, Karin Leder, Frank Von Sonnenberg,
Prativa Pandey, Eli Schwartz, Bradley A. Connor, David
Freedman and Graham V. Brown, ‘Regional relative risks of
gastrointestinal infection among international travellers—A
global perspective based on the GeoSentinel Surveillance
network’, 9th Conference of the International Society of
Travel Medicine, Lisbon, Portugal
Presentation: with D. P. O’Brien, K. Leder, E. Matchett &
G. V. Brown, ‘Illness in returned travellers and immigrants:
The 6-year experience of an Australian infectious diseases
unit’, 9th Conference of the International Society of Travel
Medicine, Lisbon, Portugal
• Semesters 5, 8 and 9 lectures to undergraduate Medicine
students
Presentation: with Karin Leder, Steven Tong, Leisa Weld,
Frank von Sonnenberg, Miriam Schunk, Kevin Kain,
Annelise Wilder-Smith, Jim Black & Graham V. Brown (for
the GeoSentinel Surveillance Group), ‘Illness in travelers
visiting friends and relatives: A review of the GeoSentinel
Network’, 9th Conference of the International Society of
Travel Medicine, Lisbon, Portugal
Supervision
Presentation: with Ruth Chin, Bernd Koeberlein, Nguyen
Linh Toan, Stefanie Illmann, Hanswalter Zentgraf
& C.-Thomas Bock, ‘Mechanism of HBV-associated
hepatocarcinogenesis by modulation of MAPK pathways
and cell-cycle regulation’, International Meeting on the
Molecular Biology of Hepatitis B Viruses, Heidelberg,
Germany, September
Presentation: with Nguyen Linh Toan, Le Huu Song, Bernd
Koeberlein, Ruth Chin, Peter G. Kremsner, Reinhard Kandolf
& Thomas C. Bock ‘Interactions of hepatitis B virus X
mutants identified in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with
the STAT1/3 pathway and Nuclear Factor-kB’, International
Meeting on the Molecular Biology of Hepatitis B Viruses,
Heidelberg, Germany, September
Presentation: with Bernd Koeberlein, Nguyen Linh Toan,
Stefanie Illmann, Axel zur Hausen, Hanswalter Zentgraf,
Ruth Chin, Reinhard Kandolf & C.-Thomas Bock, ‘Hepatitis
B Virus induces expression of suppressor of cytokine
signalling-3 (SOCS-3) in HuH7 cells and liver tissue’,
International Meeting on the Molecular Biology of Hepatitis
B Viruses, Heidelberg, Germany, September
Oral Presentation: with Lara Grollo, Owen Stock, Alex
Fischer, Heidi Drummer, Weiguang Zeng & David C.
Jackson, ‘Cross-reactive epitopes identified in hepatitis C
virus E1E2 proteins induce antibodies that capture virions
from infected patients’ sera and inhibit HCV/HIV pseudo
virus entry into susceptible cells’, 56th Annual Scientific
Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver
Diseases, San Francisco, November
Poster Presentation: with Ruth Chin, Bernd Koeberlein,
Hanswalter Zentgraf & Thomas Bock, Mechanism of
HBV-associated hepatocarcinogenesis by modulation of
MAPK and JAK/STAT/SOCS signal pathways’, 56th Annual
Scientific Meeting of the American Association for the
Study of Liver Diseases, San Francisco, November
• Assessor for undergraduate Medicine students
• OSCE examiner
Joseph Torresi
Duangtawan Thammanichanond, ‘Identification and
characterisation of HLA associations, NKT and dendritic cell
responses with disease outcome in patients with acute and
chronic hepatitis C infection’, PhD (Co-supervisor: Professor
J. McCluskey, Department of Microbiology and Immunology,
The University of Melbourne)
Research
Invited Speaker: ‘Workshop on traveller diarrhoea’, 9th
Conference of the International Society of Travel Medicine,
Lisbon, Portugal
Joseph Torresi
Emily Ericsson, ‘Cytotoxic and NKT cells responses in
the prevention of hepatitis C infection’, PhD (Principal
Supervisor: Dr David Jackson, Department of Microbiology
and Immunology, The University of Melbourne)
Lara Grollo, ‘Mass spectroscopic identification of
neutralising epitopes of hepatitis C virus’, PhD (Principal
Supervisor: Dr David Jackson, Department of Microbiology
and Immunology, The University of Melbourne)
Joseph Torresi
Organiser and Presenter: Fairfield Travel Health Symposium
for general practitioners and travel health specialists
(from 1996—conducted jointly with the Victorian Medical
Postgraduate Foundation and the Royal Australasian
College of General Practitioners
Senior Member and Founder: Melbourne Hepatitis
Molecular Research Group (from 2001)
Member: Scientific Committee of the 9th Conference of the
International Society of Travel Medicine
Site Director: GeoSentinel, Melbourne (since 1998)
Member: GeoSentinel Scientific Review Committee
Member: Melbourne Infectious diseases Group (since 1995)
Member: Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases
(since 1996)
Fellow: Australasian College of Physicians, (since 1997)
Member: Australasian Society for HIV Medicine (since 1998)
Member: Melbourne Liver Group (since 1999)
Member: International Society for Travel Medicine
(since 1999)
Member: Australian Centre for Hepatitis Research
(since 1999)
33
Contact Details
Research
Dr Joseph Torresi
Infectious Diseases Physician and Senior Lecturer
Hepatitis Molecular Virology Laboratory
Tel: +61 3 8344 3262
Fax: +61 3 9347 1863
Centre for Clinical Research
Excellence in Infectious
Diseases
Principal: Professor Graham V. Brown
The goal of the Centre for Clinical Research Excellence
in Infectious Diseases (CCREID) is to enhance Australia’s
capacity in patient-orientated research in the discipline of
infectious disease, building on the strengths of the Victorian
Infectious Diseases Service in clinical science and diseaseoriented research for the improvement of patient outcomes
and the betterment of human health. This program, funded
by the NHMRC, has enabled us to strengthen our programs
in clinical virology, infections in immunocompromised hosts,
infections of travellers and immigrants, and computerassisted decision making.
The CCREID capitalises on the strengths of the team of
infectious disease physicians at the Royal Melbourne
Hospital and its associated institutions, including the
Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL),
and facilitates collaboration with other hospitals and
centres.
Our goal of training clinical graduates in research continues
to be successful through our PhD, MD and Clinical Research
Fellowships. In 2005 we supported research fellows, PhD
students, and a Master of Clinical Pharmacy student.
The breadth of infectious diseases-related clinical research
projects undertaken through the Centre was on display at
our annual colloquium (see below) organised by Dr Megan
Brooks and Ms Mary Ljubanovic. We would like to thank
Professor Joe McCormack for attending and providing
feedback on behalf of our Scientific Advisory Committee
(SAC).
Research Highlights
The use of severity scores for community acquired
pneumonia. Data were collected prospectively from
patients presenting with community-acquired pneumonia
and used to calculate several different published severity
scores. Predicted severity was compared with actual
patient outcomes using different constructs to define severe
disease. In this cohort, simple tools were shown to have
comparable performance to more complex tools for clinically
meaningful outcomes. The independent predictors of poor
outcome were assessed in this patient group. Modifications
of the tools will be tested in a separate cohort. The use of
severity scores will be promoted in a computerised decision
support program, and any effect on antibiotic prescribing
practices will also be monitored.
A multi-centre randomised controlled clinical
trial comparing two strategies for the diagnosis
of invasive Aspergillosis (IA) in high-risk
haematological patients. Invasive Aspergillosis is
a leading cause of mortality in recipients of allogeneic
34
Mannose binding lectin deficiency as a susceptibility
factor for infectious diseases. Analysis of data from
a prospective study of the role of mannose-binding lectin
(MBL) deficiency in adults with sepsis showed that
MBL functional deficiency predisposed to bloodstream
infection. Patients with higher MBL function were shown
to be protected against the severe manifestations of
sepsis associated with poor prognosis. These data
were the basis for a provisional patent application for
hypersupplementation of MBL in patients with sepsis.
Articles
Brand, C., Sundararajan, V., Jones, C., Hutchinson, A. &
Campbell, D. Readmission patterns in patients with chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic heart failure and
diabetes mellitus: An administrative dataset analysis.
Intern Med J., May, 35(5):296–9
Buising, K. L., Thursky, K. A., Bak, N., Skull, S., Street,
A., Presneil, J. J., Cades, J. F. & Brown G. V. Antibiotic
prescribing in response to bacterial isolates in the intensive
care unit. Anaesth Intensive Care, October, 33(5):571–7
Chang, J. J., Wightman, F., Bartholomeusz, A., Ayres, A.,
Kent, S. J., Sasadeusz, J. & Lewin, S. R. Reduced hepatitis
B virus (HBV)—specific CD4+ T-cell responses in human
immunodeficiency virus type 1 HBV coinfected individuals
receiving HBV active antiretroviral therapy. J Virol., March,
79(5):3038–51
Cowie, B. C., Breschkin, A. & Kelly, H. Hepatitis E virus:
Overseas epidemics and Victorian travellers. Med J Aust., 7
November, 183(9):491
Dean, M. M., Minchinton, R. M., Heatley, S. & Eisen, D. P.
Mannose binding lectin acute phase activity in patients with
severe infection. Journal of Clinical Immunology, 4:346–52
Eisen, D. P. Locally acquired lymphogranuloma venereum in
a bisexual man. Med J Aust., 15 August, 183:218–9
Emery, S., Workman, C., Puls, R., Bloch, M., Baker, D.,
Bodsworth, N., Anderson, J., Crowe, S., French, M. A.
H., Hoy, J., Aichelberg, A., Ward, L. D., Boyle, D. B.,
Law, M. G., Kelleher, A. D. & Cooper, D. A. Randomised,
placebo-controlled, phase I/IIa evaluation of the safety and
immunogenicity of fowlpox virus expressing HIV gag-pol
and interferon-gamma in HIV-1 infected subjects. Human
Vaccines, 1:6, 232–8
Research
haemopoetic stem cell transplant (HSCT) and in those
undergoing treatment for acute leukaemia. The major
contributing factor to this is that our current standard
diagnostic strategy is neither sensitive nor specific. New
diagnostic tests have been developed in recent years,
namely Aspergillus galactomannan ELISA and Aspergillus
PCR methods. To date, studies have shown that these
assays are sensitive, specific and allow an early diagnosis
of IA to be made, but the impact on clinically important
patient outcomes has not been evaluated. The ASPID study
is a randomised controlled trial to determine if the new
diagnostic strategy for IA (which uses Aspergillus ELISA
and an Aspergillus nested PCR assay to diagnose/exclude
IA and direct further management including timing of highresolution computerised tomography [HRCT ]scan of thorax)
in high-risk haematology patients will result in lower rates
of empiric antifungal therapy administration, drug-related
toxicities, IA-related mortality rates and overall mortality
rates compared with the current standard diagnostic
strategy.
Judd, F., Komiti, A., Chua, P., Mijch, A., Hoy, J., Grech, P.,
Street, A., Lloyd, J. & Williams, B. Nature of depression in
patients with HIV/AIDS. Aust N Z J Psychiatry, September,
39(9):826–32
MacIsaac, C. M., Page, M. A., Biggs, B.A. & Visvanathan,
K. [Letter:] Staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome: still a
problem. Med J Aust., 20 June, 182(12):651–2
Mijch, A., Sasadeusz, J., Hellard, M., Dunne, M., McCaw,
R., Bowden, S. & Gowans, E. J. A study to investigate the
impact of the initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy
on the hepatitis C virus viral load in HIV/HCV coinfected
patients. Antivir Ther., 10(2):277–84
Ng, A. P., Worth, L., Chen, L., Seymour, J. F., Prince, H. M.,
Slavin, M. & Thursky, K. Cytomegalovirus DNAemia and
disease: Incidence, natural history and management in
settings other than allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
Haematologica, December, 90(12):1672–9
Richards, M. & Johns, J. Effusive-constrictive pericarditis
associated with human parvovirus B19 infection. Scand J
Infect Dis., 37(8):609–11
Richards, J., Black, J. & Marshall, C. [Letter:]
Methodological errors in staphylococcal equivalence study.
Clin Infect Dis., 40:771
Saul, A., Lawrence, G., Allworth, A., Elliott, S., Andersen,
K., Rzepczyk, C., Martin, L., Taylor, D., Eisen, D., Irving, D.,
Pye, D., Crewther, P., Hodder, A., Murphy, V. & Anders, R.
A human phase 1 vaccine clinical trial of the Plasmodium
falciparum malaria vaccine candidate Apical Membrane
Antigen 1 in Montanide ISA720 adjuvant. Vaccine, 23:
3076–83
Worth, L. J., Dooley, M. J., Seymour, J. F., Mileshkin,
L., Slavin, M. A. & Thursky, K. A. An analysis of the
utilisation of chemoprophylaxis against Pneumocystis
jirovecii pneumonia in patients with malignancy receiving
corticosteroid therapy at a cancer hospital. Br J Cancer, 14
March, 92(5):867–72
Cowie, B. C., Adamopoulos, J., Carter, K. & Kelly, H.
Hepatitis E infections, Victoria, Australia. Emerg Infect Dis.,
March, 11(3):482–4
35
Books
Yung, A. P., McDonald, M., Spelman, D., Street, A., Johnson,
P., Sorrell, T. & McCormack, J. Infectious Diseases:
A Clinical Approach. (2nd edn), IP Communications,
Melbourne
Chapters
The following chapters by CCREID associates appear in
Yung, et al. Infectious Diseases: A Clinical Approach.
(2nd edn), IP Communications, Melbourne
Research
Hoy, J., McDonald, M. & Yung, A. Fever: Mechanisms and
symptomatic treatment. Chapter 3:17–25
Brown, G. V., Yung, A. & McCormack, J. Infectious diseases:
A global perspective. Chapter 6:50–7
Jenkin, G., Johnson, P. & Street, A. Fever and upper
respiratory tract symptoms. Chapter 9:89–102
Yung, A., Sasadeusz, J. & Beaman, M. Fever and acute
neurological symptoms. Chapter 12:135–47
Looke, D. & Eisen, D. Post-operative fever.
Chapter 15:171–81
Industry: Gilead Sciences, Inc.; GlaxoSmithKline; Novartis;
Roche Products Pty Ltd; Ribapharm Inc; Bristol Myers
Squibb; Human Genome Sciences; Intercell AG; Theravance,
Inc, Schering-Plough Inc.
Awards and Prizes
Dr Michelle Giles: Clinical Medicine Presentation Award,
17th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for HIV
Medicine
Dr Michelle Giles: Australasian Society for HIV Medicine
Undergraduate and Junior Research Award
Dr Leon Worth: Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases
Council Scholarship
James Black
Lewin, S. R. Urinary tract infections. Chapter 23:265–75
Presentation: ‘Regional relative rates of gastrointestinal
infection among international travellers—A global
perspective based on the GeoSentinel surveillance
network’, 9th Conference of the International Society for
Travel Medicine (CISTM9), Lisbon, May
Torresi, J. Hepatitis. Chapter 24:279–90
Kirsty Buising
Brown, G. V. & Anstey, N. Malaria. Chapter 27:316–29
Presentation: ‘The use of severity scores in patients with
community acquired pneumonia’, Australasian Society for
Infectious Diseases Annual Scientific Meeting, Busselton,
WA, April
Jennens, I. Intra-abdominal infections. Chapter 20:230–6
Sasadeusz, J., Beaman, M. & Yung, A. Neurological
infections. Chapter 21:237–50
Street, A. Tuberculosis. Chapter 29:338–51
Slavin, M. & Chen, S. Systemic fungal infections.
Chapter 31:361–71
Leder, K., O’Brien, D., Yung, A. & Ruff, T. Infections in
returned travellers and immigrants. Chapter 38:443–59
Biggs, B-A. & McCarthy, J. Antiparasitic agents. Chapter
46:551–9
Ongoing Grants
NHMRC Grant: G. V. Brown, B-A. Biggs, D. Campbell, S.
Lewin, M. Slavin, M. Richards, J. Sasadeusz, J. Torresi & S.
Rogerson, 2003–07, ‘Centre for Clinical Research Excellence
in Infectious Diseases’: $2,000,000
National Institutes of Health (USA) RO1 Project Grant: J.
Sasadeusz, S. Locarnini, S. Lewin, J. Hoy, G. Dore & G.
Mathews, 2004–09, ‘Liver Disease and HIV/HBV coinfection
in the era of HAART’: US$998,552
Collaborations
Non-Industry: Department of Human Services, Victoria;
MedSeed; GeoSentinel Network, Centres for Disease
Control & Prevention (CDC); Mycosis Interest Group (MIG)
of the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID);
36
National Centre for HIV Epidemiology & Clinical Research;
Alfred Hospital; Burnet Institute; Walter and Eliza Hall
Institute; International Collaboration on Endocarditis;
Clinical Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplant Unit,
Royal Melbourne Hospital; Royal Adelaide Hospital
Ben Cowie (PhD student)
Presentation: ‘Increasing hepatitis E infections in Victorian
travellers’, Communicable Diseases Control Conference,
Sydney, May
Presentation: ‘Venous thromboembolism in travellers’, Vic.
Medical Postgraduate Foundation Seminar: Advice to the
Traveller—A Seminar on Travel Health, Melbourne, March
Michelle Giles (PhD student)
Presentation: ‘A study investigating obstetricians’ screening
practice and knowledge base for management of women
with a blood-borne virus in Australia pre- and postintervention’, 17th Annual Conference of the Australasian
Society for HIV Medicine, Hobart, August
Chris Lemoh (PhD student)
Presentation: ‘Developing guidelines to assess the health
of refugees from Liberia’, Researching Refugee Health
Conference, LaTrobe University, Bundoora, June
Poster Presentation: ‘HIV in Victoria’s African communities.
The first stage: Horn of Africa’, Australasian Society for HIV
Medicine, Hobart, August
Plenary Speaker: ‘HIV pathogenesis and HIV-hepatitis coinfection’, Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases
Annual Scientific Meeting, Busselton, WA
Invited Participant: ‘HIV and T-cell turnover workshop’,
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
Invited Speaker: ‘HIV-HBV co-infection: A dangerous
liaison’, Royal Adelaide Hospital, University of Adelaide
Presentation: ‘A Statewide Smaller Hospital Nosocomial
Infection Surveillance Program: The first report, Victoria,
Australia’, Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America
15th Annual Scientific Meeting, Los Angeles, April
Australia’, Improving Patient Safety: Preventing Associated
Infections (Change Champions), Brisbane, August
Invited Seminar Presentation: ‘Understanding the adaptive
immune response to hepatitis B virus’, Centre for the Study
of Liver Diseases, University of Hong Kong
Australia’, New Zealand Infection Control Conference,
Auckland, August
Invited Seminar Presentation: ‘Immunology and
pathogenesis of hepatitis B virus’, Department of Medicine
(RMH/WH) Seminar Series, The University of Melbourne
Presentation: A Statewide Smaller Hospital Nosocomial
Infection Surveillance Program. 3rd Australasian Conference
on Safety and Quality in Health Care, Adelaide, July
Caroline Marshall
Presentation: ‘Surveillance for smaller hospitals—What are
the alternatives?’, Victorian Infection Control Professionals
Biennial Conference, Melbourne, November
Invited Speaker: MRSA: Myths, Realities, Sensationalism,
Anarchy’, Victorian Infection Control Professionals
Association Annual Confernce, Melbourne, November
Poster Presentation: ‘Development of a system to support
the clinical and laboratory investigation of undiagnosed
encephalitis’, Communicable Diseases Control Conference,
Sydney, May
Orla Morrissey (PhD student)
Invited Speaker: ‘Combination antifungal therapy’,
Australasian Society of Microbiology Mycology Master
Classes, Hamilton Island, Qld, July
Invited Speaker: ‘Update on invasive fungal infections’,
Australasian & New Zealand Children’s Haematology
Oncology Group Annual Scientific Meeting, Melbourne,
June
Mike Richards
Presentation: ‘Data from larger hospitals participating in the
VICNISS Hospital Acquired Infection Surveillance System—
Victoria’, Communicable Diseases Control Conference,
Sydney
Presentation: ‘Data from larger hospitals participating in the
VICNISS Hospital Acquired Infection Surveillance System—
Victoria’, Australian Resource Centre for Healthcare
Innovations (ARCHI), Brisbane, May
Presentation: ‘The establishment of a Statewide
Surveillance Program for Hospital Acquired Infections in
Victorian public hospitals’, Communicable Diseases Control
Conference, Sydney
Presentation: ‘The establishment of a Statewide
Surveillance Program for Hospital Acquired Infections in
large acute public hospitals, Victoria, Australia’, Society for
Healthcare Epidemiology of America 15th Annual Scientific
meeting, Los Angeles, March
Research
Sharon Lewin
Poster Presentation: The establishment of a Statewide
Surveillance Program for hospital acquired infections
in large Victorian public hospitals’, Association of
Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology 32nd
Annual Conference and International Meeting, Baltimore,
June
Poster Presentation: ‘Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis
in Victorian public hospitals: Results from VICNISS, a
Statewide Surveillance Program’, Society for Healthcare
Epidemiology of American 15th Annual Scientific Meeting,
Los Angeles, April
Poster Presentation: ‘Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis
in Victorian public hospitals: Results from VICNISS,
a Statewide Surveillance Program’, 3rd Australasian
Conference on Safety and Quality in Healthcare, Adelaide,
July
Poster Presentation: ‘Performance of the NNIS Risk Index in
predicting surgical site infections in an Australian setting’,
VICNISS Hospital Acquired Infection Surveillance System
Coordinating Centre, Melbourne, Australia.
Poster Presentation: ‘Performance of the NNIS Risk Index in
predicting surgical site infections in an Australian setting’,
Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 15th Annual
Scientific Meeting, Los Angeles, April
Poster Presentation: ‘The potential for surgical site infection
rate surveillance in smaller acute public hospitals, Victoria,
Australia’, Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America
15th Annual Scientific Meeting, Los Angeles, April
Poster Presentation: ‘A Statewide Smaller Hospital
Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program: The first
report, Victoria, Australia’, Communicable Diseases Control
Conference, Sydney, May
37
Poster Presentation: A Statewide Smaller Hospital Nosocomial
Infection Surveillance Program. 3rd Australasian Conference on
Safety and Quality in Healthcare, Adelaide, July
Chair: ‘Consensus conference: Australian Antiretroviral
Guidelines’, Australasian Society for HIV Medicine Annual
Conference, Hobart, August
Poster Presentation: ‘Drug usage evaluation of antibiotic
prophylaxis in cardiac surgery’, Research Week 2005,
Melbourne Health
Presentation: ‘Post-exposure prophylaxis’, Victorian
Infection Control Practitioners Association Annual Meeting,
Melbourne, November
Poster Presentation: ‘Development of a system to support
the clinical and laboratory investigation of undiagnosed
encephalitis’, Communicable Diseases Control Conference,
Sydney, May
Leon Worth (PhD student)
Research
Poster Presentation: ‘When Guidelines and education are
not enough: An audit of gentamicin use’, VICNISS Hospital
Acquired Infection Surveillance System Coordinating Centre,
Melbourne, Australia.
Poster Presentation: ‘When Guidelines and education are
not enough: An audit of gentamicin use’, Research Week
2005, Melbourne Health
Attendee: New South Wales Multi-Resistant Organism
Conference, Sydney, October
Attendee: Victorian Multi-Resistant Organism Consensus
Summit, Melbourne, December
Attendee: Victorian Infection Control Professional
Associations Annual Conference, Melbourne, November
Joe Sasadeusz
Invited Speaker: ‘A pilot study of treatment of chronic
hepatitis C in a patient population on pharmacotherapy’,
Australasian Society for HIV Medicine, Hobart, August
Invited Speaker: ‘Debate: Combination therapy for hepatitis
B’, Australasian Society for HIV Medicine, Hobart, August
Invited Speaker: ‘Immune reconstitution disease’, Pan
Pacific HIV/AIDS Conference, Auckland, November
Invited Speaker: ‘HIV and hepatitis coinfection’, Pan Pacific
HIV/AIDS Conference, Auckland, November
Monica Slavin
Invited Speaker: ‘Update on fungal infection’, Ninth Annual
Scientific Meeting, Hong Kong Society for Infectious
Diseases, Hong Kong
Invited Speaker: ‘Empiric antifungal therapy’, Annual
Meeting Haematology Society, Kuala Lumpur
Invited Speaker: Update on antifungal therapy’, Korean
Society for Mycology, Seoul
Invited Speaker: ‘What’s new in antifungal prophylaxis.
Fusarium and Scedosporium infections’, Australian Society for
Microbiology, Mycology Master Class, Hamilton Island, Qld
Alan Street
Presentation: ‘TB and HIV’, Australasian Society for Infectious
Diseases Annual Conference, Busselton WA, April
38
Presentation: ‘Preventing Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia
in patients with malignancy receiving corticosteroid therapy:
Room for improvement’, Australasian Society for Infectious
Diseases Annual Conference, Busselton, WA
James Black
• Lectures for Graduate Programs, Clinical Research.
Melbourne University Private
• Lecture on Disease Surveillance in Emergencies to Short
Course on Refugee Health, Burnet Institute
• Lecture on Communicable Disease Control in Developing
Countries, Burnet Institute
• Lecture on International Surveillance to Infectious
Disease Epidemiology Unit, The University of Melbourne
• Lecture on Research Ethics to Introduction to Clinical
Research Unit, The University of Melbourne
• Lecture on Principles of Infectious Disease to MPH
Infectious Disease Epidemiology Unit, Department
of Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine, Monash
University
• Coordinator and Lecture, Master of International
Research Bioethics (MIRB) course, Critical Appraisal Skills
Unit, Monash University
• Associate Director, Master of International Bioethics
(MIRB) course, Monash University
Damon Eisen
• Director of Physician Training, RMH
• Lectures on Infectious Diseases to undergraduate
Medicine students (semesters 8/9)
Jennifer Hoy
Mike Richards
• Lectures on nosocomial infection surveillance and
hospital epidemiology for postgraduate students, School
of Population Health, The University of Melbourne
• Lectures and group learning for GPs
Monica Slavin
• FRACP lecture series: ‘Infection in the immunocompromised
host’
• Revision course FRACP: ‘Treatment of invasive fungal
infections’
• Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre resident medical officer
lecture series: ‘Infections in cancer patients’
• Postgraduate nursing course in BMT nursing, The
University of Melbourne: ‘Infections in marrow transplant
recipients’
• Master of Pharmacy course, Monash University ‘Update
on antifungals’
Alan Street
Medicine students (semesters 8/9 and semester 12)
• Preparation of candidates for part 1 examination, RACP
Supervision
Dr Ben Cowie, ‘Epidemiology of hepatitis B virus in Victoria’,
PhD (Co-Supervisors: Sharon Lewin, Graham Brown, Heath
Kelly & Margaret Hellard, The University of Melbourne,
2005–08)
Ms Judy Chang, ‘HBV-specific T cell immunity’, PhD
(Supervisor: Sharon Lewin, The University of Melbourne,
2004–07)
Ms Vanessa Evans, ‘The interaction of HIV-1 with human
dendritic cells in vitro’, BSc(Hons) (Supervisor: Sharon
Lewin, Monash University)
Dr Michelle Giles, ‘HIV and pregnancy in Australia’,
PhD (Co-Supervisors: Sharon Lewin, Suzanne Garland &
Margaret Hellard, Monash University, 2005–08)
Ms Ana Hutchinson, ‘Viral exacerbation of COPD’, PhD
(Co-Supervisors: James Black, Gary Anderson & Louis Irving,
The University of Melbourne, 2004–07)
Dr David Iser, ‘Interactions between HIV and Hepatitis B
virus’, PhD (Supervisor: Sharon Lewin, The University of
Mr Nick Jones, ‘Bedside monitoring for aminoglycoside:
Induced vestibular toxicity’, Master of Clinical Pharmacy
(Co-Supervisors: Mike Richards, David Kong, & Owen White)
Ms Natalie Lane, BSc(Hons) (Supervisor: Sharon Lewin,
Monash University)
Dr Chris Lemoh, ‘HIV in Victoria’s African communities’,
PhD (Co-Supervisors: Beverley-Anne Biggs, Alan Street &
Margaret Hellard, The University of Melbourne, 2004–07)
Dr Chris MacIsaac, ‘The role of superantigens in septic
shock’, PhD (Co-Supervisors: Jack Cade, Kumar Visvanathan
& Nigel Curtis, The University of Melbourne, 2002–05)
Dr Orla Morrissey, ‘Early diagnosis and management of
invasive aspergillosis in patients with haematological
malignancy’, PhD (Co-Supervisors: Monica Slavin, Steve
Wesselingh & Tania Sorrell, Monash University)
Ms Jean Spinks, ‘Public Health Trainee’, Victorian Public
Health Training Scheme (Supervisor: Jim Black)
Dr Irani Thevarajan, ‘Use of large databases for surveillance
of post-discharge surgical site infections’, PhD (CoSupervisors: Mike Richards and Jim Black)
Research
Joe Sasadeusz
Dr Paul Vinton, ‘An evaluation of a new test for the
detection of latent TB infection’, PhD (Co-Supervisors:
Beverley-Anne Biggs, Paul Johnson, Janet Fyfe & Heath
Kelly, The University of Melbourne, 2004–07)
Dr Leon Worth, ‘Risk factors and surveillance for
catheter-related bloodstream infections in patients with
haematological malignancy’, PhD (Co-Supervisors: Monica
Slavin, Jim Black & Graham Brown, The University of
Dr Tabish Zaidi, ‘Evaluating the impact of computerised
antibiotic decision support system at RMH’, PhD (CoSupervisors: Jennifer Marriott & Roger Nation, Monash
University, 2004–07)
RACP Advanced Trainee Infectious Diseases
(Co-Supervisors: Monica Slavin & Andrew Block)
Damon Eisen
Member: Australian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID)
Member: Australasian Society for HIV Medicine (ASHM)
Caroline Marshall
Member: Multi-drug Resistant Organism Consensus Conference
Steering Group, Department of Human Services, Victoria
Member: Advisory Group, ‘A Literature and Guidelines
Review on Standards for Isolation and Negative Pressure
Room Facilities for Hospitals’, Department of Human
Services Victoria
Jennifer Hoy
Chair: Protocol Working Group, NCHECR
Member: ARV Guidelines Panel (ASHM)
Sharon Lewin
Invited Reviewer: MRC Project/Program Grants, UK
Invited Reviewer: Wellcome Trust Grants, UK
Orla Morrissey
Session Chair: Mycoses Interest Group Scientific
39
Symposium, Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases
Annual Scientific Meeting, Busselton, WA, April
Monica Slavin
Session Chair and Organiser: Mycology Interest Group
Meeting, Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases, Alice
Springs, May
Session Chair: ‘Invasive fungal infection’ session,
Australasian Society for Microbiology, Sydney
Research
Co-Chair: Mycology Interest Group of Australasian Society
for Infectious Diseases
Co-Chair: Supportive Care Group, Australasian Leukemia
and Lymphoma Study Group
Alan Street
Member: Ministerial Advisory Committee on Tuberculosis,
Department of Human Services
Member: Australian Antiretroviral Guidelines Panel,
Australasian Society of HIV Medicine
Member: Expert Writing Group, Therapeutic Guidelines:
Antibiotic Version 13
Member: Organising Committee and Session Chair, TB
symposium, ASID Annual Meeting, Busselton WA, April
Session Chair: Australasian Society for HIV Medicine
(ASHM) Annual Meeting, Hobart
CCREID Annual Colloquium,
3 November 2005: Program
Welcome Professor Graham Brown
Epidemiology update: The Guidance DS decision support
project, and the SynSurv Emergency Department syndromic
surveillance project Dr Jim Black
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and identification
of inflammatory markers to differentiate between viral and
bacterial aetiology of AECOPD
Ms Ana Hutchinson
HIV clinical research at VIDS: Past, present and future Dr
Alan Street
Women, HIV and reproduction in Australia
Dr Michelle Giles
Fungal infections in immunocompromised hosts
Dr Monica Slavin
Invasive Aspergillosis in patients post stem cell
transplantation and in those with acute leukaemia:
Epidemiology and methods of improving survival
Dr Orla Morrissey
Please note: Specific details relating to Seminars,
Teaching and Training, Conference and Seminar
Presentations, and Professional Activities of CCREID
Investigators Professor Graham Brown, A/Professor
Beverly-Ann Biggs, Dr Joe Torresi and A/Professor Stephen
Rogerson, are described elsewhere in this report.
Contact Details
Dr Megan Brooks, Clinical Trials Manager
Centre for Clinical Research Excellence in Infectious Diseases
Victorian Infectious Diseases Service
9 North, City Campus, Main Block
Tel: +61 3 9342 8896
Fax: +61 3 9342 2107
Web: www.ccreid.unimelb.edu.au
The seroprevalence, molecular characterisation and
mathematical modeling of hepatitis B virus infection in
Victoria Dr Ben Cowie
HIV in Victoria’s African Communities Dr Chris Lemoh
Methadone Study Dr Joe Sasadeusz
Mannose binding lectin deficiency as a susceptibility factor
for infectious diseases Dr Damon Eisen
VIDS’ funniest hand hygiene videos—A new way to assess
hand hygiene compliance Dr Caroline Marshall
Clinical surveillance and risk factors predictive of catheterrelated bloodstream infection Dr Leon Worth
VICNISS research projects: Recent and proposed
Dr Mike Richards
40
Bedside testing for aminoglycoside: Induced vestibular
toxicity Mr Nick Jones
Participants at the CCREID Annual Colloquium, 3 November 2005
Role of new technology in TB Dr Paul Vinton
Middle row, L–R: Jim Black, Michelle Giles, Mary Ljubanovic, Caroline Marshall,
Megan Brooks, Damon Eisen
Causative role of viruses in exacerbations of Chronic
Front row, L–R: Ben Cowie, Alan Street, Paul Vinton
Back row, L–R: Chris Lemoh, Graham Brown, Mike Richards, Joseph McCormack
(SAC), Leon Worth, Joe Sasadeusz
Bone and Mineral Research
Completed Research Projects
Principal: Professor John D. Wark
•A major randomised controlled trial of vitamin D
supplementation in the prevention of falls and fractures
in the elderly in residential care.
•A randomised controlled trial of calcium supplementation
in young females.
Activities of the Bone and Mineral Service are underpinned
by an integrated approach to research, teaching and
patient care. High-profile publications have been published
on prevention of falls by vitamin D supplementation in
residential care, the association of maternal vitamin D
status with foetal long bone growth, genetic determinants
of mammographic density and bone density, the association
between antiepileptic drug mineral density, effects of dance
training on growth, maturation and bone acquisition, and
the utility of sub-regional vertebral bone mineral density
measurements.
Current Research Projects
•Heritability of gait and balance function.
•Effects of smoking on bone health.
•Genetic and environmental influences on bone
biomechanics at the hip.
•The epidemiological study of bone health in Asian–
Australians.
•A collaborative research program with the RMH
Department of Neurology is studying the effects of antiepileptic drugs on bone health.
•Patient preferences in osteoporosis therapy.
•The effectiveness of a patient support program in
osteoporosis.
•Potential benefits of table tennis in reducing fracture risk.
•Vertebral sub-regional bone density measurements in
osteoporosis.
•Predictors of glucocorticoid induced bone loss.
•A randomised controlled trial of vertebroplasty in painful
vertebral fracture.
Articles
Nowson, C. A., Diamond, T. H., Pasco, J. A., Mason, R. S.,
Sambrook, P. N., Wark, J. D. & Eisman, J. A. Vitamin D and
adult bone health in Australia and New Zealand: A position
statement of the Australian and New Zealand Bone and
Mineral Society, Osteoporosis Australia and the Endocrine
Society of Australia. MJA, 21 March, 182(6):281–5
Research
Research Highlights
Briggs, A. M., Wark, J. D., Kantor, S., Teh, R., Greig, A.
M., Fazzalari, N. L. & Bennell, K. L. In vivo intrarater and
interrater precision of measuring apparent bone mineral
density in vertebral subregions using supine lateral
dual-0 energy X-ray absorptiometry. Journal of Clinical
Densitometry, 8(3):314–19
Dite, G. S., Wark, J. D., Giles, G. G., English, D. R.,
McCredie, M. R. E. & Hopper, J. L. Is there overlap between
the genetic determinants of mammographic density and
bone mineral density? Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev.,
September, 14(9)
Morley, R., Carlin, J. B., Pasco, J. A. & Wark, J. D.
Maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D and parathyroid hormone
concentrations, and offspring birth size. Journal of Clinical
Endocrinology and Metabolism, 13 December [E-print]
Back row, L–R: Nigel Kwok,
Sandra Petty, Caroline
O’Donnel, Wendy Cadd, Liz
Hristov, John Wark, Gurinder
Mudher
Front row, L–R: Li Lan,
Mark Bradbeer, Lauren Day,
Bree Norton, Fei Fei Gong
41
Nowson, C., Lowndes, C., Thomas, J., Hopper, J., Wark, J.,
Mead, Stein M., MacInnis R. & Scherer, S. Should older
people in residential care receive vitamin D to prevent falls?
Results of a randomized trial. Journal of American Geriatrics
Society, November, 53(11):1881–8
Petty, S., Paton, L., O’Brien, T. J., Sambrook, P., Berkovic,
S. F., Erbas, B. & Wark, J. D. The effect of anti-epileptic
medication on bone mineral measures: A twin and sister
study. Neurology, 8 November, 65(9):1358–65
Research
Wark, J. D., Paton, L. M., Beck, T. J., Semanic, L., Nowson,
C. A., Margerison, C. & Kantor, S. A twin study of hip
strength associated with hormone replacement therapy.
Bone, 36(2):S432
Senn, S., Kantor, S., Andrikopoulos, S., O’Brien, T. J., Morris,
M. J. & Wark, J. D. Valproate has strain-specific effects on
bone mineral content in mice. Bone, 36(2):S231–S234
Nowson, C. A., Conn, J., Lucas, M. & Wark, J. D. The
relationship of nutrient intake to blood pressure in females.
Nutrition Society
Recommendations from the Vitamin D and Calcium Forum.
Scientific Program Committee. Medicine Today, December,
6(12):43–50
Chapters
Larkins, R. G. & Wark, J. D. Abnormal laboratory results:
Chapter—Calcium. In Australian Prescriber, 2nd edn. The
McGraw-Hill Companies
Published Conference Proceedings
Wark, J. D. On the genetic-environmental aetiology of hip
fractures. 2005 World DNA and Genome Day, Dalian, China,
25–29 April, p. 115
Briggs, A., Wark, J. D., Fazzalari, N., Greig, A., Wrigley,
T. & Bennell, K. Distribution of bone mineral density in
thoracic and lumbar vertebrae: An ex vivo study using dual
energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). In Proceedings of the
International Society of Biomechanics XXth Congress, 31
July–5 August, Cleveland, Ohio
Briggs, A., Wark, J. D., Fazzalari, N., Greig, A. & Bennell,
K. Mineral density in thoracic and lumbar vertebrae: An
ex vivo study using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. In
Proceedings of the Australian and New Zealand Bone
and Mineral Society 2005 Annual Scientific Meeting, 7–9
September, WA
Briggs, A., Wark, J. D., Phillips, B., Greig A, Kantor, S.,
Fazzalari, N. & Bennell, K. Subregional bone mineral density
characteristics in the lumbar spine. An in vivo pilot study
using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. In Proceedings of
the Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society
2005 Annual Scientific Meeting, 7–9 September, WA
Morley, R., Wark, J. D., Carlin, J. & Pasco, J. Maternal
vitamin D status and offspring birth size: A prospective
study. In ANZBMS Annual Scientific Meeting, Perth, p.49
Greig, A. M., Briggs, A. M., Hodges, P. W., Wrigley, T.
W., Wark, J. D. & Bennell, K. L. Balance characteristics
in individuals with osteoporotic vertebral fractures. In
ANZBMS Annual Scientific Meeting, Perth, p.73
Briggs, A. M., Wark, J. D., Phillips, B., Greig, A., Kantor,
S., Fazzalari, N. & Bennell, K. L. Subregional bone mineral
density characteristics in the lumbar spine as in vivo pilot
study using DXA. In ANZBMS Annual Scientific Meeting,
Perth, p.74
Briggs, A. M., Wark, J. D., Kantor, S., Greig, A. & Bennell,
K. L. Distribution of bone mineral density in thoracic and
lumbar vertebrae: An ex vivo study using DXA. In ANZBMS
Annual Scientific Meeting, Perth, p.75
El Haber, N., Hill, K., Cassano, A. M. & Wark, J. D.
Population-based reference data on measures of balance,
strength, gait and activity in women. In ANZBMS Annual
Scientific Meeting, Perth, p.77
Senn, S,. Kantor, S., Andrikopoulos, S., O’Brien, T. J., Morris,
M. J. & Wark, J. D. Valproate-induced bone mineral deficits
in mice. In ANZBMS Annual Scientific Meeting, Perth, p.81.
Day, L., Osborne, R., Hristov, E. & Wark, J. D. Evaluation of
a patient support program (ACTNOW) in the treatment of
osteoporosis. In ANZBMS Annual Scientific Meeting, Perth,
p.88
Hristov, E., Osborne, R., Dalton, A. & Wark, J. D. Patient
preferences in osteoporosis therapy: Evaluation using time
trade-off. In ANZBMS Annual Scientific Meeting, Perth, p.91
Petty, S. J., Paton, L. M., El Haber, N., O’Brien, T. J., Metcalf,
B., Bennell, K. L., Berkovic, S. F. & Wark, J. D. Chronic
anti-epileptic drug treatment is associated with clinically
significant impairment in balance function—A twin and
matched sibling pair study. In ANZBMS Annual Scientific
Meeting, Perth, p.92
Senn, S., Kantor, S., Andrikopoulos, S., O’Brien, T. J.,
Morris, M. J. & Wark, J. D. Developing an animal model
that resembles Valproate-induced bone fragility. In Epilepsy
Society of Australia
Lu, C. L., Hadimulla, H., McColl, G., Bennell, K. L., Wrigley,
T., Kantor, S. & Wark, J. D. Glucocorticoid-induced myopathy
and bone loss: A pilot study. In ANZBMS Annual Scientific
Meeting, Perth, p.95
Senn, S., Kantor, S., Andrikopoulos, S., O’Brien, T. J., Morris,
M. J. & Wark, J. D. A mouse model—differential effect
of genetic background on Valproate-induced bone loss. In
World Congress of Neurology
Nowson, C. A., Conn, J., Lucas, M. & Wark, J. D.
Relationship of dietary intake to blood pressure in females.
In High Blood Pressure Research Council, December
42
Grants
Supervision
NHMRC Project Grant: J. D. Wark, C. J. Segan, R. H.
Osborne, C. Nowson & P. Ebeling, 2004–06, ‘Smoking
cessation and bone health: Observational and intervention
studies in twins and a Quitline population’: $634,613
N. El Haber, ‘Genetic and environmental determinants of
gait/balance in adult female twins’, PhD
Grant-in-Aid, Aventis Pharma: 2004–05, ‘Evaluation of an
osteoporosis education and support program: A randomized
controlled trial’: (Stage 1 funding approx.) $60,000
NHMRC Project Grant: R. Buchbinder, D. Connell, R.
Osborne, J. Wark, P. Ebeling & S. Graves, 2004–07, ‘Efficacy
and safety of vertebroplasty for the treatment of painful
osteoporotic spinal compression fractures’: $568,000
Collaborations
The University of Melbourne: School of Physiotherapy,
Centre for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Physiology,
Department of Medicine (St Vincent’s Hospital), Centre for
Gender Health, Dental Science; World Health Organization
(Ageing and Health/Life Course and Health Program);
Deakin University; Department of Gerontology, University
of Western Australia; School of Human Kinetics, University
of British Columbia, Canada; Edith Cowan University,
Western Australia; Royal Freemasons Homes of Victoria;
Institut Recherche Medical, Geneva, Switzerland; Johns
Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA; Institute of Medical
and Veterinary Science, Adelaide; Department of Anatomy,
University of Queensland
Invited Speaker: ‘The impact of osteoporotic agents on bone
quality (The role of EVISTA and the bisphosphonates)’, Eli
Lilly Endocrine Symposium 2005, 9 April
Invited Speaker: ‘On the genetic–environmental aetiology
of hip fractures’, 2005 World DNA and Genome Day, Dalian,
China, 25–29 April
Invited Speaker: ‘Medical update: An update on the
commonest bone and mineral disorders. Osteoporosis—
New concepts and their clinical implications’, Royal
Melbourne Hospital, 31 May
Invited Speaker: ‘Falls and falls prevention’, Osteoporosis
Australia—Vitamin D & Calcium Forum, Melbourne, July
A. Briggs, ‘Strength and endurance of trunk extensor
muscles, thoracic range of motion and the role of transversus
abdominis in patients with vertebral fractures’, PhD
S. Petty, ‘The effect of anti-epileptic medications on bone
mineral density, bone turnover and fracture risk’, MSc
Research
ANZ Charitable Trust: K. Bennell, A. Greig & J. Wark.
‘Efficacy of a physiotherapy intervention programme for
individuals with a history of osteoporotic vertebral fracture:
A randomised controlled pilot study’: $15,000
A. M. Greig, ‘Effects of a physiotherapy intervention
programme on individuals with a history of osteoporotic
vertebral fracture’, PhD
K. Bolton, ‘The effect of exercise and physiotherapy on
bone density in osteoporotic post menopausal women’,
MPhysio (Research)
F. F. Gong, ‘Predicting of glucocorticoid-induced
osteoporosis’, AMS
Student Completions
H. Hadimulia, ‘Early bone loss in glucocorticoid treated
patients’, AMS
Long Lu, ‘Early mechanisms of glucocorticoid-induced bone
loss’, AMS
N. Ifram, ‘Predictors of osteoporosis in patients with hepatic
cirrhosis’, AMS
Member: Endocrine Society of Australia
Member: Australian Society for Medical Research
Member: Endocrine Society (US)
Member: Australia and New Zealand Society for
Cell Biology
Member: American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Member: Australian Diabetes Society
Member: Bone and Tooth Society
Foundation Member of Council: Australian and New
Zealand Bone and Mineral Society (ANZBMS)
Member: Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee,
ANZBMS
Member: International Bone and Mineral Society
Member: Medicolegal Society
Member: Medical Research Society
Invited Speaker: ‘An update on osteoporosis including the
new vitamin D guidelines’, Arthritis Victoria—National
Healthy Bones Week, August
Member: Asia Pacific Menopause Federation
Presentation: ‘Genetic and environmental influences on
falls and hip fracture risks’, British Geriatric Society Autumn
Meeting, Nottingham, UK, 20 October
Member: Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation
Research, Scientific Advisory Council
Member: International Society of Musculoskeletal and
Neuronal Interactions
43
Member: Stakeholders Group, Inner Melbourne Vitamin D
Deficiency Working Party
Associate Member: Prevention of Falls Network Europe
(ProFaNE)
Chair: ANZ Trustees Research Committee
Editorial Board: Clinical Science
Editorial Board: Osteoporosis International
Contact Details
Research
Professor John Wark
Tel: +61 3 8344 5201
Fax: +61 3 9347 1863
Epilepsy and
Neuropharmacology
Research
Principal: Associate Professor Terence O’Brien
Research Highlights
The Epilepsy and Neuropharmacology Research Group’s
active projects cover a wide range of basic science,
translational and clinical research related to epilepsy and
neuropharmacology, including basic laboratory work with
animal models of epilepsy, neuroimaging with MRI, PET
and SPECT, genetics, clinical outcome and quality of life
and epidemiological studies. The two main themes of the
research are: the better understanding and prediction of
why different people’s outcomes to epilepsy treatment
differ; and the development, adaptation and validation of
new functional neuroimaging techniques to better select
patients for epilepsy surgery. Some of the key research
projects being undertaken by the group are listed below:
Basic Models of Epilepsy
•Investigation into the effect of neuropeptide Y-related
mechanisms in a genetic model of absence epilepsy.
•The neuropharmacological mechanisms underlying the
aggravation of absence seizures by carbamazepine
utilising a genetic rat model.
•Development of a mouse model to investigate the
mechanisms underlying the adverse weight and bone
effects of treatment with the anti-epileptic drug
valproate.
•The effect of stress, hypercortisolaemia and early life
exposures on epileptogenesis in a rat model of temporal
lobe epilepsy.
•Serial functional (PET) and structural (MRI) neuroimaging
of changes occurring during epileptogenesis in a rat
model of temporal lobe epilepsy.
•Saturation ENU mutagenesis screen for novel antiepileptic and anti-epileptogenic genes.
•Role of proteases in the mechanisms of acquired limbic
epileptogenesis.
•Functional genomics of rodent models of epilepsy.
Human Function Neuroimaging Studies
•Pathological and clinical significance of the region of
hypometabolism on FDG-PET in medical refractory TLE.
•Diffusion tensor MRI, contrast-enhanced perfusion MRI
and MRI spectroscopy in TLE.
•Patterns of hyperperperfusion on ictal SPECT in subtypes
of partial epilepsy and relationship to outcome.
Clinical Outcome Studies
•Pharmacogenetic study of the outcome of newly treated
epilepsy.
•Long-term outcomes (seizure, psychosocial and quality of
life) of the ‘First Seizure’ population.
44
Research Staff
•Associate Professor Terence O’Brien: Neurologist and
Head of Group
•Associate Professor Christine Kilpatrick: Neurologist
•Dr Zelco Matkovic: Neurologist
•Dr Raju Yerra: Neurologist and Senior Epilepsy Fellow
•Dr Cassandra Szoeke: Epilepsy Fellow
•Dr Simon Jones: Joint Epilepsy and Neuropsychiatry
Fellow
•Dr Damian Myers: Senior Scientist
•Ms Valentina Jovanovska: Research Assistant
•Ms Bianca Jupp: Research Assistant
•Mr Rink-Jan Lohman: Research Assistant
•Mr Gaurav Kumar: Research Fellow
Stroud, L. M., O’Brien, T. J., Jupp, B., Wallengren, C. &
Morris, M. J. Neuropeptide Y suppresses absence seizures in
a genetic rat model. Brain Research, 1033:151–6 [I.F. 2.389]
Vinton, A., Kornberg, A. J., Cowley, M., Matkovic, Z.,
Kilpatrick, C. & O Brien, T. J. Tiagabine induced generalised
non convulsive status epilepticus in patients with lesional
focal epilepsy. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, 12:128–33
[I.F. 0.834]
Wallengren, C., Li, S., Morris, M. J., Jupp, B. & O’Brien, T.
J. Aggravation of absence seizures by carbamazepine in a
genetic rat model does not induce neuronal c-Fos activation.
Clinical Neuropharmacology, 28:60–5 [I.F. 2.204]
Vinton, A., Fahey, M. C., O’Brien, T. J., Shaw, J., Storey, E.,
Gardner, R. J. McK., Mitchell, P. J., Du Sart, D. & King, J.
O..Dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy in three generations,
with clinical courses from nearly asymptomatic elderly to
severe juvenile, in an Australian family of Macedonian
descent. American Journal of Medical Genetics, 136:201–
04 [I.F. 3.659]
Research
•Long-term neuropsychiatric outcomes of medically
refractory partial epilepsy, and relationship to markers of
neurobiological progression of the disease.
•Long-term outcome of non-epileptic seizures (seizure,
psychosocial and quality of life).
•Long-term discordant twin–sister cohort study of effects
of anti-epileptic drug use on bone health and fracture risk.
Lohman, R-J., Liu, L., Morris, M. J. & O’Brien, T. J.
Validation of a method for localised microinjection
of drugs into thalamic subregions in rats for epilepsy
pharmacological studies. Journal of Neuroscience Methods,
146:191–7 [I.F. 1.894]
Taher, T. R., Salzberg, M., Morris, M. J., Rees, S. & O’Brien,
T. J. Chronic low-dose corticosterone Supplementation
enhances acquired epileptogenesis in the rat amygdala
dindling model of TLE. Neuropsychopharmacology, 30:1610–
16 [I.F. 5.201]
Carne, R., O’Brien, T. J., Kilpatrick, C., MacGregor, L., Hicks,
R., Murphy, M., Kaye, A., & Cook, M. J. [Letter:] Normal
magnetic imaging and temporal lobe epilepsy: The clinical
syndrome of paradoxical temporal lobe epilepsy. Journal of
Neurosurgery, 103:768–9 [I.F. 2.286]
Petty, S. J., Paton, L. M., O’Brien, T. J., Makovey, J., Erbas,
B., Sambrook, P., Berkovic, S. F. & Wark, J. D. The effect of
antiepileptic medication on bone mineral measures: A twin
and sister study. Neurology, 65:1358–63 [I.F. 5.678]
Back row, L–R: Willy Handoko, Rink-Jan Lohman, Valentina Jovanovska, Thomas Zheng, Damian Myers, Kim Powell, Stefanie Dedeurwaerdere, Anna Tostevin
Front row, L–R: Lainie Sutton, Terry O’Brien, Nigel Jones, Bianca Jupp, Caroline Ng
45
New Grants
Department of Education, Science and Training Grant: T. J.
O’Brien (PI), B. Appelbe, M. Hibbert, M. Georgeff, P. Gibbs,
T. Burgess, F. Macrae, P. Colman, S. Foote, R. Lowenthal,
G. Jerums, S. Panagiotopoulos, G. Donnan, N. Freezer,
P. Robinson, J. Wilson, T. Kay, T. Dwyer, A. Polglass, P.
McMurrick, J. Shapiro, A. Strickland, T. Kilpatrick, S.
Davis, P. Hand, W. D’Souze, R. Hicks & W. Hart (AIs),
2005–07, ‘Molecular Medicine Informatics Model: A
multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary research and training
platform for clinical research’: $4,370,669
Research
National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and
Depression: T. J. O’Brien, 2005–06, ‘NARSAD 2005
Independent Investigator Award’: US$100,000
Ongoing Grants
Victorian Government Science, Technology and Innovation
(STI) Grant: P. Gibbs, M. A. Rosenthal, P. Colman, T.
J. O’Brien, M. Wollmering & S. Anderson, 2004–05,
‘Molecular Medicine Informatics Model (MMIM)—
Melbourne Health pilot project’: $1,600,000
Awards and Prizes
Terence O’Brien: Dreifuss-Penry Epilepsy Award, American
Academy of Neurology (see Awards page)
Terence O’Brien: NARSAD 2005 Independent Investigator
Award, National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and
Depression, New York
Abbie Couper: Best Poster Award, 2005 Scientific Meeting
of the Epilepsy Society of Australia
Anita Vinton: Young Investigator Award, 2005 Scientific
Supervision
Rosemary Panelli, ‘Effect of an epilepsy support program in
a first seizure clinic’, PhD
Bianca Jupp, ‘PET hypometabolism and MRI perfusion and
diffusion changes during acquired epileptogenesis in a rat
kindling model of mesial temporal lobe Epilepsy’, PhD
Dr Anita Vinton, ‘The mechanisms underlying
hypometabolism on FDG-PET and the relationship with EEG
activity’, PhD
Brendan Adams, ‘Thalamocortical network activity in a
model of childhood absence epilepsy’, PhD
Susan Senn, ‘Pharmacogenomics: Valproate-associated
weight changes in nine inbred strains of mice’, PhD
Dr Sandra Petty, ‘The effect of anti-epileptic medications on
bone mineral density, bone turnover and fracture risk’, PhD
Dr Cassandra Szoeke, ‘Epilepsy, genetics and anti-epileptic
drugs’, PhD
Dr Raju Yerra, ‘Psychosocial and seizure outcome following
new onset epilepsy’, PhD
Willy Hando, ‘New MRI imaging techniques in TLE with and
without HS’, AMS
Student Completions
Dr Ross Carne, ‘Relationship between regional cortical
atrophy and hypometabolism on FDG-PET images in
intractable TLE’, MD
Thomas Zheng, ‘The mechanisms underlying the aggravation
of seizures by anti-epileptic medication’, BSc(Hons)
Linda Dalic, ‘Changes in benzodiazepine receptor binding
during epileptogenesis in rat models of temporal lobe
epilepsy’, BSc(Hons)
Caroline Ng Li Min, ‘Changes in HCN mRNA expression in
the hippocampus during epileptogenesis in rat models of
temporal lobe epilepsy’, BSc(Hons)
David Liu, ‘Autoradiography and PET study of changes
in hippocampal flumazenil during epileptogenesis in rat
models of TLE’, AMS
Mervyn Kyi, ‘Changes in calcium T-type channel structure
and function in a rat model of generalised absence
epilepsy’, AMS
Lauren Supit, ‘Maternal depravation as a susceptibility
factor for the development of epileptogenesis in adult rats’,
AMS
Navina Krishnasamy, ‘The effect of focal enhancement in
NPY expression in brain regions in a rat model of genetic
generalised epilepsy’, AMS
Contact Details
Associate Professor Terence O’Brien
Tel: +613 8344 3260
Fax: +613 9348 2254
Sophie Adams, ‘Long-term follow-up study of
neuropsychiatric co-morbidity in focal epilepsy’, PhD
Rink-Jan Lohman, ‘The role of proteases and their receptors
in epilepsy’, PhD
46
Principal: Professor Ian Wicks
Research Highlights
The Centre for Rheumatic Diseases (CRD) conducts clinical
research into patient education, quality of life and service
delivery in the musculoskeletal diseases. The following is
a summary of projects being undertaken in the CRD, and
collaborations with other groups, most of which are then
explained in more detail):
•The Orthopaedic Waiting List (OWL) cohort study.
•Development of the orthopaedic waiting list prioritisation
and management tool.
•The efficacy and safety of vertebroplasty for treatment of
painful osteoporotic spinal fractures: A randomised trial
(with A/Professor R. Buchbinder, Monash University).
•Development and implementation of a National SelfManagement Quality and Monitoring System, including
the construction and validation of the HEI-Q, Health
Education Impact Questionnaire.
•Evaluation of the Chronic Health Self-Management
Course delivered to people with arthritis and related
disorders.
•The burden of musculoskeletal medicine on the Victorian
health care system.
Although the rising demand for joint replacement
surgery has produced large waiting lists in Victorian
public hospitals, until now comprehensive information
about the health status of people awaiting surgery was
unavailable. This research found that people entering the
Royal Melbourne Hospital orthopaedic waiting list for joint
replacement had severely compromised quality of life,
which was equivalent to that reported by people following
recent stroke. An alarming 15% of people on the list were
found to have quality of life that was described as being
bad as, or worse than, death. Further deterioration in quality
of life occurred during the waiting period. People awaiting
surgery also had a higher prevalence of psychological
distress than the general population. Substantial indicators
of inequity were also observed, with women and people
from lower socio-economic backgrounds having the poorest
health. This research also showed that poor well-being
before joint replacement predicted poorer outcomes after
surgery; however, in Victoria there are few programs in
place to monitor or improve the health status of people
awaiting surgery.
Much of this work has been undertaken within the PhD
work program of Ms Ilana Ackerman and has informed the
development of other CRD projects, namely the large project
funded by the Department of Human Services to develop
a Management and Prioritisation Tool for Orthopaedic
Waiting Lists. The waiting list for elective joint surgery is
a growing problem at all levels of the health care system,
particularly as the population ages. This project involves
several sites across Victoria—Melbourne Health, Western
Hospital, Dandenong, Geelong, and Goulburn Valley Health
(Shepparton) Hospitals—reflecting a variety of local factors
in service delivery environments. Its aim is to harness the
cooperation and goodwill of all stakeholders to produce a
standardised, equitable approach to this important problem.
The design of the prioritisation tool was completed in 2005
through extensive consultation with patients, surgeons
and other health service providers and has generated
considerable national and international interest.
Research
Centre for Rheumatic
Diseases
In 2004 the CRD developed a questionnaire to evaluate
the impact of chronic disease education programs—the
HEI-Q (Health Education Impact Questionnaire). Throughout
2005, the HEI-Q was implemented nationally as a qualitymonitoring tool funded by the Commonwealth Department
of Health and Ageing. It is being used in numerous
clinical trials and is providing valuable evidence about the
effectiveness of health interventions at the community
level. More than 1000 participants have completed the
HEI-Q and national norms have been developed to support
researchers, service providers and policy makers understand
the value to health educations programs across settings.
Back row, L–R: Richard Osborne, Ian Wicks,
Dianne Ferguson, Deb Robbins
Middle row, L–R: Linda Wataszczuk, Joanne Jordan,
Christina (Bella) Laidlaw, Peta Chubb, Melissa Morgan,
Amanda Springer
Front row, L–R: Lucy Busija, Joan Nankervis, Melanie
Hawkins, Kerry Haynes
47
Hawthorne, G. E. & Osborne, R. H. Population norms for the
Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) measure. Australian
and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 29:136–42
Osborne, R. H. [Invited Editorial:] Is there a future in
psychological predictive factors in breast cancer?. European
Journal of Cancer, 41:1665–6
Research
Ackerman, I. N., Graves, S. E., Wicks, I. P., Bennell, K. L.
& Osborne, R. H. Severely compromised quality of life in
women and those of lower socioeconomic status waiting
for joint replacement surgery. Arthritis Care & Research,
53:653–8
New Grants
Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, Sharing
Health Care Initiative: Richard H. Osborne, 2004/5–2005/4,
‘Systematic application of the Stanford model of Chronic
Conditions Self-Management (CCSM) in Australia’:
$350,118
Victorian Department of Human Services Grant: Richard
Osborne & Caroline Brand, 2005–06, ‘Chronic disease
self-management and education programs: Where should
Victoria go?’: $72,000
Ongoing Grants
NHMRC Project Grant: Rachelle Buchbinder, David Connell,
Richard H. Osborne, John Wark, Peter Ebeling & Stephen
Graves, 2004–07, ‘Efficacy and safety of vertebroplasty
for treatment of painful osteoporotic spinal fractures: A
randomised trial’: $612,360
NHMRC Project Grant: John Wark, Cathy Segan, Richard H.
Osborne, Carly Nowson & Peter Ebeling, 2004–06, ‘Smoking
cessation and bone health: Observational and intervention
studies in twins and a Quitline population’: $634,612
Victorian Department of Human Services: Stephen
Graves, Richard H. Osborne, Ian Wicks & Caroline Brand,
2004–05, ‘Development and implementation of a model
for comprehensive prioritsation and management of
orthopaedic waiting lists (OWL)’: $791,704
•The RMH OWL (orthopaedic waiting list)—people on the
waiting list enter our cohort and are followed until one
year after their surgery: Ms Ilana Ackerman (PhD Scholar).
Collaborators: Dr Richard Osborne; Professor Stephen
Graves, Professor of Orthopaedic Research, Department
of Medicine (RMH/WH); A/Professor Kim Bennell, School
of Physiotherapy, The University of Melbourne; and
Professor Ian Wicks, CRD.
•The OWL Prioritisation and Management Project—a
major DHS-funded elective surgery healthcare reform
initiative. Collaborators: Professor Stephen Graves, Dr
Richard Osborne and Professor Ian Wicks; Dr Caroline
Brand, CEHSRU, RMH; and Mr Richard de Steiger,
Department of Orthopaedics; Professor Paul Dieppe,
Director of the Medical Research Council Health Services
Research Collaboration, University of Bristol, UK.
•A four-year NHMRC funded multi-centre randomised
controlled trial of vertebroplasty for painful osteoporotic
lumbar spine fractures. Collaborators: Professor Rachelle
Buchbinder (Chief Investigator: Monash University);
Dr David Connell (Cabrini Hospital); Dr Richard Osborne;
Professor John Wark, Department of Medicine (RMH/
WH); Professor Peter Ebeling, Department of Medicine
(RMH/WH); Professor Stephen Graves.
•Smoking cessation and bone health: Observational and
intervention studies in twins and a Quitline population.
Collaborators: Professor John Wark, Dr Richard Osborne
and others.
•Health status prior to hip and knee joint replacement
surgery: An international comparison. Collaborators:
Dr Richard Osborne, Ms Ilana Ackerman, Mr Graham
Brown, Department of Surgery, Barwon Health; Ms Karen
Sloan, Royal Perth Hospital; A/Professor Lyn March,
University of Sydney; Professor Paul Dieppe; A/Professor
Ewa Roos, Lund University, Sweden; Dr Anna Nilsdotter,
Department of Orthopedics, Halmstad County Hospital,
Halmstad, Sweden; and Dr Beth Pollard.
Awards and Prizes
Novartis Consumer Health Inc.: John Wark, Richard Osborne
& Andrew Dalton, 2004–05, ‘A naturalistic (real-life)
comparison of osteoporosis therapies: The comprehensive
cohort study (CCS) design including a nested randomized
controlled trial (RCT): A pilot study’: $62,618
Ilana Ackerman: New presenter award—Best Presentation
and Best Paper, ‘The long wait for hip and knee surgery:
Going from bad to worse’, Eleventh Annual National Health
Outcomes Conference: Making a Difference, Australian
Health Outcomes Collaboration, Canberra, 17–18 August
Health Promotion & Aged Care Branch, Department of
Veterans’ Affairs: Richard H. Osborne, 2004/5–2005/6,
‘Evaluation of chronic disease self-management courses for
veterans’: $110,000
Melanie Hawkins & Richard Osborne: Award (20 most
meritorious papers) for ‘Response shift: The measurable
and desired outcome of chronic disease self-management
programs that violates pre-post assessment’, at National
Conference on Chronic Disease Prevention and Control,
Health Disparities: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities.
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion (CDC), Atlanta, USA, 2–4 March
Collaborations
Extensive collaborations exist between staff at the Centre
for Rheumatic Diseases and musculoskeletal health
researchers within the Royal Melbourne Hospital and other
48
hospitals and/or universities. These include the following
studies:
Richard H. Osborne
Presentation: ‘Advancements in the evaluation and quality
monitoring of self-management programs: Does your
program have impact and how can you inform clinicians,
policymakers and funders?’, International Conference on
Patient Self-management: New Perspectives, Co-hosted
by the BC Ministry of Health Services and University
of Victoria, Centre on Aging. Victoria, British Columbia,
September
Presentation: ‘Advancements in chronic disease selfmanagement research and evaluation’, Annual Scientific
Meeting of the Association of Rheumatology Health
Professionals, Hosted by the American College of
Rheumatology, San Diego, USA, November
Presentation: ‘Self-management programmes: Friend or
foe?’, MRC Health Services Research Collaborative, Bristol,
UK, November
Presentation: ‘Self-management programmes: What
policymakers, clinicians, researchers and people with
chronic diseases need to know’, Expert Patients Program—
Making a Difference for People with Long-term Conditions,
National Conference, Hosted by Department of Health,
London, UK, November
Presentation: ‘Advancements in chronic disease selfmanagement research and evaluation’, Health Foundation,
Coventry and London, UK, November
Presentation: ‘The group-based chronic disease health
education and self management programs: How can we
communicate their value to punters, practitioners through to
policymakers’, School of Public Health, La Trobe University,
September
Presentation: ‘Identifying and communicating the
value of chronic disease self-management programs:
What policymakers, clinicians, researchers and people
with chronic diseases need to know’, Commonwealth
Department of Health and Ageing, Sharing Health Care
Initiative. Chronic Disease Self-Management Workshop,
Melbourne, 15 August
Supervision
Lucy Busija, ‘Population avoidable burden due to arthritis
in Australia’, PhD (Epi) (Supervisors: Richard Osborne &
Rachelle Buchbinder)
Kate Francis, ‘Evaluation of the osteoporosis prevention and
self-management course’, MSc (Supervisors: Kim Bennell &
Richard Osborne)
Tracey Kane, ‘Quality of life and disability of people waiting
for hip and knee joint replacement across 6 Victorian
Hospitals’, MEpi/Biostats (Supervisors: Richard Osborne &
Mark Jenkins)
Bella Laidlaw, ‘Does type of course leader affect patient
reported outcomes of chronic disease self management
programs?’, MPH (Supervisor: Richard Osborne)
Sandra Nolte, ‘Outcomes evaluation of chronic disease
education programs’, MSc (Supervisors: Richard Osborne,
Gerald Elsworth & Andrew Sinclair)
Research
Student Completions
Dr Terry Haines, PhD (Physiotherapy), ‘Randomised
Controlled Trial of falls prevention in subacute setting’,
(Supervisors: Kim Bennell, Keith Hill & Richard Osborne)
Richard H. Osborne
Member: Data Working Group Committee, National Arthritis
and Musculoskeletal Conditions Advisory Group
Member: Working Group, National Service Improvement
Framework for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Conditions
Grant Reviewer: National Health and Medical Research
Council of Australia
Other Prominent Activities
International Visiting Professors
Professor Paul Dieppe, Director, MRC Health Services
Research Collaboration, University of Bristol, UK. Sponsors:
Victorian Department of Human Services, Commonwealth
Department of Health and Ageing, 10–24 April
Professor Peter Fayers, Professor of Medical Statistics,
Department of Public Health, University of Aberdeen
Medical School, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. Cosponsor: Australian Health Outcomes Collaboration, 8–20
August
Contact Details
Dr Richard H. Osborne
AFV Centre for Rheumatic Diseases
7 East Main Building
Tel: +61 3 8344 3144
Fax: +61 9342 7632
Joanne Jordan, ‘The concordance between interview-derived
and questionnaire-derived outcomes in chronic disease
education programs’, MPH (minor thesis) (Supervisors:
Richard Osborne, Kerry Haynes & Jenni Livingston)
49
Rheumatology Research
Principal: Dr Sharon Van Doornum
Van Doornum, S., McColl, G. & Wicks, I. P. Tumour necrosis
factor antagonists improve disease activity but not arterial
stiffness in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford).
November, 44(11):1428–32
Research Highlights
Research
Screening and management of cardiovascular risk
factors in rheumatoid arthritis patients. This project is
evaluating the attitudes towards, and behaviour directed at,
screening and management of cardiovascular risk factors
in rheumatoid patients by Australian and New Zealand
rheumatologists. It includes a baseline audit, development
of clinical guidelines and assessment of improvements in
quality of care.
Mortality rates following a first acute cardiovascular
event—A comparison between rheumatoid arthritis
patients and the general population. This project
measures 30-day mortality rates following a first acute
cardiovascular event (stroke or myocardial infarction) in
rheumatoid arthritis patients compared with the general
population. Using a large, population-based database,
we found that rheumatoid arthritis patient have twice the
mortality of the general population. Follow-up studies are
in progress to determine the reasons for this higher than
expected mortality rate.
The Arthritis Tissue Bank. This is a non-profit service
that supports approved research using human tissue.
The Arthritis Tissue Bank, located at the Department of
Medicine (RMH/WH), collects and stores blood and tissue
samples and information from patients who may have
arthritis, for use in various research projects.
New Grants
National Heart Foundation: Sharon Van Doornum, 2005,
‘Travel Grant’: $750
Arthritis Foundation of Australia Grant-in-Aid: Sharon Van
Doornum, ‘Mortality following cardiovascular events in
rheumatoid arthritis’: $15,000
Collaborations
Professor Ian Wicks, Department of Rheumatology, Royal
Melbourne Hospital; Dr Caroline Brand, Clinical Epidemiology
& Health Service Evaluation Unit, RMH; Dr Vijaya
Sundararajan, Victorian Department of Health Services;
Dr Lynden Roberts, Department of Rheumatology, RMH
Awards and Prizes
Sharon Van Doornum: City of Melbourne and the Melbourne–
Boston Sister Cities Association ‘Melbourne–Boston
Research Exchange Fellowship 2005’ (see Awards page)
Sharon Van Doornum
Poster Presentation: ‘Screening and management of
cardiovascular risk factors in RA patients’, Australian
Rheumatology Association Annual Scientific Meeting, May
Poster Presentation: ‘Time to institution of DMARD therapy
in Victoria: An early rheumatoid arthritis pilot study’,
Australian Rheumatology Association Annual Scientific
Meeting, May
Poster Presentation: ‘Screening and management of
cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) in RA patients’, Royal
Melbourne Hospital Research Week, June
Poster Presentation: ‘TNF antagonists improve disease
activity but not arterial stiffness in RA’, Royal Melbourne
Hospital Research Week, June
Invited Speaker: ‘Is atherosclerosis a manifestation of
rheumatoid arthritis?’, Australasian Stroke Association
Annual Conference, September
Oral Presentation: ‘Mortality rates following a first acute
cardiovascular event—A comparison between rheumatoid
arthritis patients and the general population’, American
College of Rheumatology Annual Conference, November
Sharon Van Doornum performing a high-resolution ultrasound of an inflamed joint in a
rheumatoid arthritis patient (Photo: Arthur Wigley, Mike Purves and John Gollings)
50
• Postgraduate Coordinator, Department of Medicine
(RMH/WH)
Endocrinology Research,
Western Hospital
Principal: Professor Peter R. Ebeling
• Professional Development Tutor
• Rheumatology student teaching
Member: Australian Rheumatology Association (ARA)
Research
Member: ARA Education and Training Subcommittee
(2000–05)
Member: ARA Quality and Safety Subcommittee (from 2005)
Chairperson: Victorian Branch, ARA
Advisor: Medical Workforce, Royal Melbourne Hospital
Member: Royal Australian College of Physicians
Contact Details
Dr Sharon Van Doornum
Tel: +61 3 8344 3279
Fax: +61 3 9347 1863
Peter Ebeling heads the Endocrinology Lab. based at Western Hospital
Research Highlights
Clinical trials are evaluating new treatments in
osteoporosis—antibodies against the bone cytokine
RANK-ligand, vertebroplasty to relieve pain safely in
acute vertebral compression fractures, a new monthly
oral bisphosphonate in postmenopausal osteoporosis,
intravenous bisphosphonates for prevention of bone loss
after bone marrow transplantation)—the effect of smoking
cessation on bone health; relationships between bone
density, body composition and cartilage volume in normal
men; and studies of genetic determinants of bone mineral
density in families of men with osteoporosis.
Completed Research Projects
Mobile Study. A multi-centre, international study
comparing daily oral ibandronate with two doses of
monthly oral ibandronate in postmenopausal women with
osteoporosis.
First Study. Multi-centre international study comparing
six-monthly subcutaneous injections of AMG 162, a human
antibody to RANK-ligand (an osteoclastogenic cytokine)
with placebo in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.
Vertebroplasty Study. Multi-centre Australian NHMRCfunded study to compare vertebroplasty with a sham
procedure in safely reducing pain following acute vertebral
compression fractures (with Department of Radiology, RMH).
Smoking Cessation Study. A NHMRC-funded study to
examine the effect of smoking cessation on bone health in
twins and a Quitline population.
Recruit Bone Health Study. A Department of Defencefunded project to determine the risk factors for stress
fractures in new military recruits, including novel
biochemical bone turnover markers and heel ultrasound.
51
Bone Marrow Transplant Studies. 1. Multi-centre
Australian study of an intravenous bisphosphonate
(pamidronate) in preventing bone loss following allogeneic
bone marrow transplantation (with Bone Marrow Transplant
Unit, RMH). 2. Dose-finding study with zoledronate after
allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (with Bone Marrow
Transplant Unit, RMH).
Research Coordinators, Osteoporosis Trials
•Ms Stella Yeung
•Ms Erin Wijaya Ng
Research
Hooper, M., Ebeling, P. R., Roberts A., Nicholson, G.,
D’Emden, M., Ernst, T. F. & Wenderoth, D. Risedronate
prevents bone loss in perimenopausal women: A prospective
randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Climacteric, 8:251–62
King, S. J., Topliss, D., Kotsimbos, T., Nyulasi, I. B., Bailey,
M., Ebeling, P. R. & Wilson, J. W. F508 genotype is an
independent predictor of reduced bone mineral density in
cystic fibrosis. Thorax Eur Respir J., 25:54–61
Cicuttini, F. M., Teichtahl, A. J., Wluka, A.E., Davis, S.,
Strauss, B. J. G. & Ebeling, P. R. The relationship between
body composition and knee cartilage volume in healthy,
middle-aged subjects. Arthritis Rheum., 52:461–7
Wang, Y., Ebeling, P. R., Hanna, F., O’Sullivan, R. & Cicuttini,
F. M. Relationship between bone markers and knee cartilage
volume in healthy men. J. Rheumatology, 32:2200–04
Lee, P., Chrysostomou, A., Tress, B. & Ebeling, P. R.
lymphocytic hypophysitis: a rare cause of hypoglycaemia in
a man with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Int. Med. J., 35:254–7
Chatfield, S. & Ebeling, P. R. Osteoporosis prevention and
treatment: The importance of vitamin D. Modern Medicine,
6:16–32
Ebeling, P. R. [Invited Editorial:] Is defective osteoblast
function responsible for bone loss from the proximal femur
despite pamidronate therapy? J. Clin Endocrinol Metab.,
July, 90(7):4414–6
Ebeling, P. R. [Invited Editorial:] Mega therapy for vitamin D
deficiency. Treating the paradox of an important emerging
public health problem. Med. J. Aust., 4 July, 183(1):4–5
Book Chapter
Ebeling, P. R. Chapter 19. Bone disease after bone marrow
transplantation. In: Bone Disease of Organ Transplantation.
J. Compston & E. Shane (eds), Elsevier, Academic Press, pp.
339–52
Grants and Other Funding
NHMRC; Amgen; Novartis
Supervision
Dr Danny Sullivan (Co-supervisor: Professor Paul Mullens,
Monash University)
Ms Vivienne Leung, BSc (Honours)
Ms Nicole Goh, AMS (with Department of Neurosurgery,
RMH)
Contact Details
Professor Peter Ebeling
Western Hospital
Tel: +61 3 8345 6252
Fax: +61 3 9318 1157
Hanna, F., Ebeling P. R., Wang Y., O’Sullivan, R., Davis, S.,
Wluka, A. & Cicuttini, F. Factors influencing longitudinal
change in knee cartilage volume measured from magnetic
resonance imaging in healthy men. Ann. Rheum. Dis.,
64:1038–42
Cicuttini, F., Ding, C., Wluka, A., Davis, S. & Ebeling, P. R.
& Jones, G. Cartilage defects are associated with knee
cartilage loss in healthy, middle-aged adults. A prospective
study. Arthritis Rheum., 52:2033–9
Wang, Y., Ding, C., Wluka, A. E., Davis, S., Ebeling, P. R.,
Jones, G. & Cicuttini, F. M. Factors affecting progression of
knee cartilage defects in normal subjects over 2 years:
A cohort study. Rheumatology (Oxford), 27 September |
[E-pub ahead of print]
Ebeling, P., Eisman, J. A., Flicker, L., Hearnden, N., Mason,
R., Pasco, J., Reid, I., Sambrook, P., Stenmark, J. & Wark, J.
Recommendations from the vitamin D and calcium forum.
Medicine Today, 6:43–50
52
Head: Associate Professor Andy Giraud
Research Highlights
The Gastrointestinal Cancer Laboratory, led by Associate
Professor Andy Giraud, focuses on understanding
the molecular mechanisms underlying the initiation,
development and metastasis of gastric and colorectal
cancer. There is also a subsidiary program centred on
inflammatory bowel disease, particularly the application
of novel, natural therapeutics in alleviating disease
progression and relapse. Research highlights include:
•The role of the transcription factor STAT3 in gastric
neoplasia.
•The role of inflammation in STAT3 induced gastric
neoplasia.
•gp130 ligands differentially regulate gastric cancer
invasion and growth.
•Dysregulation of IL-6 family cytokine signaling in
precancerous lesions of the human stomach.
•The role of A33, Reg 1 and TFF2 in gastric cancer
initiation and progression.
•Mechanisms of anti-tumour actions of NSAID’s in the gut.
•Pro-GRP-derived peptides in colorectal cancer.
Waite, R., Giraud, A. S., Old, J., Howlett, M., Shaw, G.,
Nicholas, K. & Familari, M. Cross-fostering in Macropus
eugenii leads to increased weight but not accelerated
gastrointestinal maturation. J.Exp.Zool., 303A:331–44.
Franic, T., Gleeson, P., van Driel, I., Giraud, A. S. & Judd, L.
M. Reciprocal regulation of trefoil factors 1 and 2 in mouse
models of gastritis and hyperplasia. J. Pathol., 207:43–52
(Showed loss of trefoil factor 1 and gain of trefoil factor 2
coincident with increased gastric proliferation in 2 different
mouse models.)
Judd, L. M., Andringa, A., Rubio, C. S., Spicer, Z., Shull,
G. E. & Miller, M. L. Chronic gastric achlorhydria in mice
lacking Atp4a produces severe hyperplasia, muco-cystic
metaplasia and upregulation of growth factors. Journal of
Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 20:1266–78
Jenkins, B. J., Grail, D., Nheu, T., Najdovska, M., Wang, B.,
Waring, P., Inglese, M., McLoughlin, R. M., Jones, S. A.,
Topley, N., Baumann, H., Judd, L. M., Giraud, A. S., Zhu,
H. J. & Ernst, M. Exaggerated STAT3 activity promotes
gastric hyper-proliferation in gp130 mutant mice due to
desensitized TGF signalling. Nature Medicine, 11:845–52
(Showed that one means by which elevated STAT3 activity
promotes tumourigenesis is by inhibition of TGFβ after
activating the inhibitory SMAD7.)
Research
Gastrointestinal Cancer
Research, Western Hospital
Howlett, M.,* Judd, L.,* Jenkins, B., La Gruta, N. L., Grail,
D., Ernst, M. & Giraud, A. S. Differential regulation of
gastric tumor growth and submucosal invasion by cytokines
that signal exclusively through the co-receptor gp130.
Gastroenterology, 129:1005–18 *equal first author (Showed
that IL-6 inhibits gastric cancer submucosal invasion, the
first step in the metastatic process, while IL-11 which signals
through the same receptor subunit may drive tumour growth.)
Idilman, T., Erden, E., Arat, M., Soydan, E., Erkan, O., Kuzu,
I., Sahin, Y., Coban, S., Bozdayi, M., Giraud, A. S., Akan,
H., Karayalcin, S. & Ozden, A. Trefoil factor expression
in biliary epithelium of graft- versus- host disease of the
liver after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.
Transplantation, 80:1099–104 (Trefoil expression is
increased in biliary tract associated with graft-versus-host
disease in humans.)
L–R: Cameron Jackson, Karin Bredin, Tony Peterson, Lyn Kalms, Shelley Delaland, (Santa) Andy Giraud, Colleen McGregor, Marian Croft, Biba Horvatic,
Louise Judd, Meegan Howlett, Anastasia Kalantzis, Julie Holland
53
New Grants
Awards and Prizes
NHMRC Equipment Grant: A. S. Giraud, P. Senior & A.
Boussioutas, ‘Real-time PCR’: $44,000
L. M. Judd: The The University of Melbourne’s C. R. Roper
Fellowship for ‘The role of the IL-6 and IL-11 family of
cytokines in the development of gastrointestinal disease
and cancer’
Gastric Cancer Research Grant (donor): A. S. Giraud,
‘Translational research in gastric cancer’: $10,000
Ongoing Grants
Research
NH&MRC Project Grant: B. G. Jenkins, A. S. Giraud & M.
Ernst, 2003–05, ‘Genetic dissection of the gp130 signaling
network; implications in the initiation of gastric cancer’:
$425,000
A. S. Giraud
NHMRC Project Grant: A. S. Giraud, L. M. Judd, N. Yeomans
& M. Ernst, 2004–06, ‘Factors that regulate the initiation,
progression and submucosal invasion in gastric cancer’:
$442,500
Invited Speaker: ‘Cancer in the gastrointestinal tract’, 7th
World Congress on Inflammation, Melbourne
Collaborations
Invited Speaker: ‘Developmental biology of gastric glands
and parietal cells’, 10th International Proton Transport
Conference, San Diego, USA
Key Speaker: Helicobacter Club of Japan, Kobe
Organiser and Chair: Helicobacter and Gastric Cancer
Meeting, Melbourne
Project: ‘Mammalian bombesin (gastrin releasing peptide)
as a hormone in pregnancy’ (1993–). Collaborator: Professor
A. Shulkes, Dept of Surgery, The University of Melbourne
at Austin Hospital. Outcomes: 10 papers published; 2
successful NHMRC grants: 1997–99, 2002–04.
Presentation: DDW/AGA, Chicago, USA
Project: ‘Cytokine signalling via gp130 regulates trefoil
peptide gene expression’ (2000–). Collaborator: Dr Mathias
Ernst, Colon Biology group, Ludwig Institute, Melbourne.
Outcomes: 4 papers; 2 successful NHMRC applications
2003–05, 2004-2006.
Invited Speaker: ‘Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer: A
local perspective’, Melbourne
Project: ‘The role of Helicobacter pylori Cag pathogenicity
island proteins in imbalancing IL-6/IL-11 signalling
pathways and promoting gastric neoplasi’ (2003–).
Collaborators: Professor Rick Peek, Vanderbilt University,
USA; Professor Takeshi Azuma, Kobe University, Japan;
Professor M. Hatakeyama, Hokkaido University, Japan; Dr
Richard Ferrero, Monash University; Professors Richard
Strugnell and Roy Robins-Browne, The University of
Melbourne.
Project: ‘The role of Reg gene members in gastric cancer
initiation and progression’, and ‘The role of trefoil factor
peptides in gastric pathology’ (2004–). Collaborator:
A/Professor Ian van Driel, The University of Melbourne.
Outcomes: ARC Discovery grant 2006–08; 2 papers
published.
Project: ‘The role of trefoil factor peptides in biliary
disease’. Collaborator: Dr R. Idilman, Ankara University
School of Medicine, Turkey. Outcomes: 1 paper published.
Project: ‘Gut maturation in the wallaby’. Collaborators:
Dr Mary Familari and Dr Kevin Nicholas, The University of
Melbourne. Outcomes: 1 paper published.
Presentation: ‘Gastric cancer initiation and development’,
Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute Seminar Series
L. M. Judd
Invited Speaker: ‘IL-6 signalling in gastric cancer’,
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The
Presentation: ‘IL-6 signalling in gastric cancer’, Department
of Medicine (RMH/WH) Seminar Series, The University of
Melbourne
Presentation: ‘Inhibition of the tff1 gene and activation of
STAT3 are early events which may predispose to neoplasia
following Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection of the human
stomach’, DDW/AGA, Chicago
A. S. Giraud
• BSc (Hons) lecture series
• PhD student supervision
• Visiting student supervision
L. M. Judd
• PhD student supervision
• Visiting student supervision
Supervision
Anthony Peterson, ‘Tumour suppressor genes in gastric
cancer’, PhD
Cameron Jackson, ‘Implications for gastric cancer initiation
and development of disregulation of IL-6 family cytokine
signalling pathways’, PhD
54
Meegan Howlett, ‘Differential signaling through gp130 by
cytokines to regulate submucosal invasion and growth in
gastric cancer’, PhD
David Ong, ‘The role of GDDR/TFIZ1 in tumour suppression
in gastric cancer’, Visiting Fellow (Singapore)
Gastric Cancer Research,
Western Hospital
Head: Dr Alex Boussioutas
Karin Bredin, ‘Inhibition of bacterial induced inflammation
reduces tumour burden in gastric cancer’, Visiting MPharm
student (Sweden)
Research
A. S. Giraud
Member and Acting Chair: Melbourne Health Animal Ethics
Committee
Grant Reviewer: NHMRC (Australia)
Alex Boussioutas heads the
Gastric Cancer Lab. based at
Western Hospital
Grant Reviewer: Irish Science Foundation
Member: OHS Committee, Department of Medicine
(RMH/WH)
L. M. Judd
Member: American Gastroenterological Association
Grant Reviewer: NHMRC (Australia)
Contact Details
Associate Professor A. S. Giraud
Western Hospital
Tel: +61 3 8345 6210/6252
Fax: +61 3 9318 1157
Dr Louise M. Judd
Western Hospital
Tel: +61 3 8345 6829/6252
Fax: +61 3 9318 1157
Research Highlights
The Gastric Cancer Group is divided between Western
Hospital and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Research
Division. At Western Hospital we focus on the pathogenesis
of gastric cancer through the investigation of premalignant
stages of gastric cancer that involve chronic inflammation,
intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia. The model for this
study is to use human material collected at endoscopy
to determine gene candidates involved specifically with
the premalignant progression of gastric cancer, and study
those genes in an available animal model to investigate
potential mechanism. This is occurring in collaboration
with A/Professor Giraud using his animal model of gastric
malignancy that was created at the Ludwig Institute of
Cancer Research.
The Peter MacCallum projects deal with genomic studies
into the sub-classification of gastric cancer and the use
of microarray technology as a potential prognostic tool.
Another project is the evaluation of biomarkers for early
disease using proteomics and correlating the results with
microarray data. More recently the project is starting
to investigate tumour-stroma interactions in the setting
of gastric cancer and how this impacts invasion and
metastasis.
Jenkins, B. J., Grail, D., Nheu, T., Najdovska, M., Wang,
B., Waring, P., Inglese, M., McLoughlin, R. M., Jones, S.
A., Topley, N., Baumann, H., Judd, L. M., Giraud, A. S.,
Boussioutas, A., Zhu, H. J. & Ernst, M. Hyperactivation
of Stat3 in gp130 mutant mice promotes gastric
hyperproliferation and desensitizes TGF-beta signaling.
Nat Med., 11:845–52
Gorringe, K. L., Boussioutas, A. & Bowtell, D. D. Novel
regions of chromosomal amplification at 6p21, 5p13, and
12q14 in gastric cancer identified by array comparative
genomic hybridisation. Genes, Chromosomes and Cancer
42:247–59.
55
Research
Ongoing Grants
Member: American Gastroenterological Association
NHMRC Project Grant (288714): Professor David Bowtell
& Dr Alex Boussioutas, 2004–06, ‘Gastric cancer: Early
detection of disease, relapse and prediction of extent of
disease: $420,000
Founding Member: Asia–Pacific Gastric Cancer Consortium
Collaborations
Reviewer: Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Dr Boussioutas has collaborations with Professor David
Bowtell at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and has
been involved in the creation of an Asia–Pacific Consortium
investigating gastric cancer with collaborators: Dr Patrick
Tan, National Cancer Center, Singapore; Dr SY Leung, Queen
Mary Hospital, Hong Kong; Professor Hiroyuki Aburatani,
University of Tokyo, Japan; Professor Hyun Cheol Chung,
Yonsei Cancer Centre, Korea.
Reviewer: Genes, Chromosomes and Cancer (journal)
Other collaborators include: Professor Hong Li, Dalian
Medical Center, PR China; Professor Stephen Meltzer,
University of Maryland, USA; Professor Eleftherios
Diamandis, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada;
Professor Ben Cravatt, Skripps, La Jolla, USA.
Grant Reviewer: NHMRC Grants Review Panel
Reviewer: NHMRC Australia and Singapore
Contact Details
Dr Alex Boussioutas
Western Hospital
Tel: +61 3 8345 6252
Fax: +61 3 9318 1157
Awards and Prizes
A. Boussioutas: AstraZeneca Emerging Leaders in Medicine
Award
A. Boussioutas: Peter MacCallum Research Medal for
research excellence during PhD
A. Boussioutas
Speaker: Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Grand Rounds
Convener and Presenter: Inaugural Asia–Pacific Gastric
Cancer Conference, Couran Cove, Queensland.
A. Boussioutas
• Lectures to undergraduate Medicine students (including
clinical examination), Western Hospital
• AMS assessment
• FRACP clinical tutorials
• RACP lecture series in Gastroenterology
A. Boussioutas
Member: Melbourne Health Human Research Ethics
Committee
Member: Hereditary Bowel Cancer Committee, Cancer
Council of Victoria
Member: Medical Advisory Committee, Western Hospital
Deputy Chair: NHMRC Grants Review Panel
Examiner: Australian Medical Council
Member: Gastroenterological Society of Australasia
56
Research Highlights
Laboratory and clinical research has continued in aspects of
chronic kidney diseases especially related to mesenchymal
cells and fibrosis. Completion of a controlled trial of the
aldosterone antagonist Spironolactone in chronic proteinuria
kidney disease has caused an alteration in direction, now
focusing on its role. A multitude of multi-centre trials
addressing better care of dialysis and transplant patients
continues.
Awards and Prizes
Oshima Award: Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology Award
for outstanding contributions to the development of
nephrology in the Asian–Pacific region
President of APSN: Elected President of the Asian Pacific
Society of Nephrology, 2005–08
Supervision
Vlado Perkovic, ‘Cardiovascular aspects of kidney disease’,
PhD (The University of Melbourne)
Prominent Activities
Masterson, R. M., Hewitson, T. D., Leikis, M., Cohney, S.,
Walker, R. & Becker, G. J. Impact of early statin treatment
on one-year renal allograft outcome. Transplantation,
80:332–8
Phillipines Society of Nephrology, Manila, Philippines
(3 lectures)
Hewitson, T. D, Martic, M., Kelynack, K. J., Pagel, C. N.,
Mackie, E. J. & Becker, G. J. Thrombin is a pro-fibrotic factor
for rat renal fibroblasts in vitro. Nephron Exp Nephrol.,
101:42–9
Becker, G. J. & Hewitson, T. D. Molecular developments in
the treatment of renal fibrosis. In: Fibrogenesis: Cellular and
Molecular Basis, Landes Bioscience, Texas, USA
Nelson, C. L., Karschimkus, C. S., Dragicevic, G., Packham,
D. K., Wilson, A. M., O’Neal, D., Becker, G. J., Best, J. D.
& Jenkins, A. J. Systemic and vascular inflammation is
elevated in early IgA and type 1 diabetic nephropathies and
relates to vascular disease risk factors and renal function.
Nephrol Dial Transplant, 20(11):2420–6
Owen, J. E., Walker, R. G., Edgel, L., Collie, J., Douglas,
L., Hewitson, T. D. & Becker, G. J. Implementation of a
predialysis clinical pathway for patients with chronic kidney
disease. Int J Qual Health Care, 1–7
Nicholls, K. & Becker, G. [Letter to the Editor General
Correspondence:] Actuarial survival in Australian male
patients with Fabry’s disease. Internal Med J., 35(10):641–2
Becker, G. J. [Book Review:] Chronic kidney disease, dialysis
and transplantation: A companion to Brenner and Rector’s
the kidney. (2nd edn, B. J. G. Pereira, M. H. Sayegh & P. G.
Blake (eds), Elsevier Saunders). Am J Kid Dis., 46:990–1
International Invited Lectures
Malaysian Society of Nephrology, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
(3 lectures)
World Congress of Nephrology, Singapore (2 lectures)
Managing Mineral Metabolism in Renal Practice, Budapest,
Hungary (Chair) (lecture)
Member: Board of Directors, Kidney Disease: Improving
Global Outcome (KDIGO) 2003–
Member: Nominating Committee KDIGO, 2005, 2006
Associate Editor: Clinical Journal of American Society of
Nephrology
Member: Editorial Board, American Journal of Kidney
Diseases
Member: Editorial Board, Journal of Nephrology
Member: Editorial Board, Kidney: A Current Survey of
World Literature
Senior Consultant Editor: Nephrology
Contact Details
57
Dr James G. Beeson
Research Highlights
Major Research Programs
•Immunity to malaria among children
•Immunology and pathogenesis of malaria in pregnancy
Study Sites and Populations
•Kilifi District, Kenya, in collaboration with the Kenya
Medical Research Institute
•Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, in collaboration
with the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical
Research
•Blantyre, Malawi, in collaboration with the MalawiLiverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Program,
College of Medicine, University of Malawi
Among pregnant women in Malawi and Papua New Guinea,
we have identified specific immune responses that appear
important in protecting against placental malaria and
adverse consequences. We have examined the expression
of specific antigens among malaria parasites infecting
pregnant women and identified ways in which malaria
evades these protective antibody responses. Evasion
of these antibodies enables malaria parasites to cause
repeat infections over many years. We are also examining
the molecular basis of malaria infection of the placenta.
Malaria parasites adhere to specific molecules, including
chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronic acid, in the placental
vasculature and this enables them to accumulate in large
numbers in the placenta leading to severe consequences for
both mother and baby.
58
Beeson, J. G., Rogerson, S. J., Elliott, S. R. & Duffy, M.
F. Targets of protective antibodies to malaria during
pregnancy. J Infect Dis., 192:1647–50
Beeson, J. G. & Duffy, P. E. The pathogenesis and
immunology of malaria in pregnancy. Current Topics
Microbiol Immunol., 297:187–227
Crabb, B. S. & Beeson, J. G. Promising functional readouts
of immunity in a blood-stage malaria vaccine trial. PLoS
Med., 2:e380
Elliott, S. R., Brennan, A. K., Beeson, J. G., Tadesse, E.,
Molyneux, M. E., Brown, G. V. & Rogerson, S. J. Placental
malaria induces variant specific antibodies of the cytophilic
sub-types, IgG1 and IgG3, which correlate with adhesion
inhibitory activity. Infect Immun., 73:5903–07
Elliott, S., Duffy, M. F., Byrne, T. J., Beeson, J. G., Mann,
E. J., Wilson, D. W., Rogerson, S. J. & Brown, G. V. Crossreactive surface epitopes on chondroitin sulfate A-adherent
Plasmodium falciparum infected erythrocytes are associated
with transcription of var2csa. Infect Immun., 73:2848–56
Duffy, M. F., Byrne, T. J., Elliott, S. R., Wilson, D. W.,
Rogerson, S. J., Beeson, J. G., Noviyanti, R. & Brown, G.
V. Broad analysis reveals a consistent pattern of var gene
transcription in Plasmodium falciparum repeatedly selected
for a defined adhesion phenotype. Molec Microbiol.,
56:774–88
New Grants
The identification of protective antibodies, and their targets,
in childhood malaria is essential for the development of
an effective malaria vaccine. In Kenya, we have focused
our studies on a long-term cohort study of children to
understand the acquisition and loss of anti-malarial
antibodies, and identify antibody types that protect
against malaria. Of particular interest is the acquisition
of antibodies that inhibit malaria parasite replication and
growth. These antibodies appear to be very important
in protection as they prevent parasite replication in the
bloodstream and the development of severe disease.
However, the specific antigens that these antibodies target
is not presently understood.
Project Grant, NHMRC, Australia: J. G. Beeson & A. F.
Cowman, 2005–08, ‘Antibodies that inhibit erythrocyte
invasion by P. falciparum and their role in protective
immunity’: $127,000p.a.
We are also examining this in detail using novel approaches
with transgenic parasites to identify the specific targets
of inhibitory antibodies. Our studies have identified two
families of parasite proteins that appear to be important
targets. In Papua New Guinea we are conducting similar
studies of children to identify protective responses, with
comparison to African populations, and will determine
whether different populations are infected with the same or
different serotypes or variants.
•Studies of malaria among children and pregnant women
•Completed a longitudinal cohort study of malaria among
rural school-age children
•Commenced a cohort study of malaria and morbidity
among pregnant women
•Made a research visit in June 2005
Program Grant, Wellcome Trust UK: K. Marsh, P. Bull, B.
Urban & J. Beeson, 2005–10, ‘An integrated program on the
immuno-epidemiology of human blood stage immunity to P.
falciparum malaria’: $800,000p.a.
Major Collaborative Research Activities:
Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research
Centre for Geographic Medicine Research, Kenya Medical
Research Institute
•Studies of malaria among children, with a focus on a 4year longitudinal cohort study of rural children
•Made research visits in August and October 2005
Dr James G. Beeson
The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Infection and Immunity Division
1G Royal Parade
Parkville Vic. 3050 AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61 3 9345 2555
Fax: +61 3 9347 0852
Associate Professor
Damon Eisen
Contact Details
Research Highlights
Analysis of data from a prospective study of the role of
mannose-binding lectin (MBL) deficiency in adults with
sepsis showed that MBL functional deficiency predisposed
to bloodstream infection. Patients with higher MBL
function were shown to be protected against the severe
manifestations of sepsis associated with poor prognosis.
These data were the basis for a provisional patent
application for hypersupplementation of MBL in patients
with sepsis.
Saul, A., Lawrence, G., Allworth, A., Elliott, S., Andersen,
K., Rzepczyk, C., Martin, L., Taylor, D., Eisen, D., Irving, D.,
Pye, D., Crewther, P., Hodder, A., Murphy, V. & Anders, R.
A human phase 1 vaccine clinical trial of the Plasmodium
falciparum malaria vaccine candidate Apical Membrane
Antigen 1 in Montanide ISA720 adjuvant. Vaccine,
23:3076–83
Dean, M. M., Minchinton, R. M., Heatley, S. & Eisen, D. P.
Mannose binding lectin acute phase activity in patients with
severe infection. Journal of Clinical Immunology, 4:346–52
Contact Details
Dr Damon Eisen
Victorian Infectious Diseases Service
Tel: +61 3 9342 7212
Fax: +61 3 9342 7277
59
Associate Professor
Peter B. Greenberg
Dr Peter Hand
•Commencement of new NHMRC funded project,
‘Retinal microvascular signs in acute stroke:
Prognostic significance and relevance to underlying
pathophysiology’.
•AMS project: ‘The influence of hyperglycemia on outcome
in patients with transient ischaemic attack’.
•Member of the Steering Committee of EPITHET, a
NHMRC-funded multi-centre, randomised controlled trial
in acute stroke.
•Involvement in a number of industry-sponsored stroke
trials.
Scott, I. A. & Greenberg, P. B. Cautionary tales in the
clinical interpretation of therapeutic trials reports. Internal
Medicine Journal, 35:611–21
Bergin, S. M., Wraight, P., Dewapura, N., Greenberg, P.,
Campbell, D. & Colman, P. Silver based wound dressings
and topical agents for diabetic foot ulcers (Protocol). The
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 1
Chair: Quality Committee, Board of Directors, Western
Health Service
Research Highlights
Teaching evidence-based practice to medical
undergraduates
Hand, P. J., Wardlaw, J. M., Rowat, A. M., Haisma, J.
A., Lindley, R. I. & Dennis, M. S. MR brain imaging in
patients with acute stroke—Feasibility and patient-related
difficulties. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and
Psychiatry, 76:1525–7
Contact Details
New Grants
Associate Professor Peter B. Greenberg
Physician, General Medicine and Principal Fellow
The University of Melbourne Department of Medicine
(RMH/WH)
and Project Director, Evidence Based Practice
Clinical Epidemiology & Health Care Evaluation Unit
Department of General Medicine, 4 West
Tel: +61 3 9342 7459
Fax: +61 3 9342 8082
NHMRC Grant ID 352337: R. I. Lindley, T. Y. Wong, J.
J. Wang, P. Mitchell, V. Fung & P. Hand, 2005, Retinal
microvascular signs in acute stroke: Prognostic significance
and relevance to underlying pathophysiology: $124,150
Member: Board of Directors, Western Health Service
Member: NHMRC Health Advisory Committee
Victorian Convenor: Education and Training Committee of
the Australian Association of Neurologists
Committee Member: Stroke Society of Australasia
Member: Local organising committee, 2005 Stroke Society
of Australasia Annual Scientific Meeting, Melbourne
Member: Editorial Committee, Journal of Clinical
Neuroscience (with responsibility for Reviews and Images in
Neurosciences sections)
Examiner: FRACP Part 1 Clinical Examination, RMH
Invited Lecturer: ‘How I do it: Unusual causes of stroke’,
AAN Advanced Trainee’s Weekend, Canberra
Invited Lecturer: VMPF on stroke in Hamilton and Foster
Contact Details
Dr Peter Hand
Deputy Director, Department of Neurology
and Co-Head, Stroke Care Unit
Tel: +61 3 9342 8448
Fax: +61 3 9342 8427
Email [email protected]
60
Professor
Anne-Maree Kelly
Research Highlights
Research Highlights
Research interests include the physiology and
pathophysiology of gastric emptying and oesophageal
transit.
The Joseph Epstein Centre for Emergency Medicine
Research (JECEMR) is located at Sunshine Hospital in St
Albans, Melbourne. The aim of the JECEMR is to translate
evidence into better health care by:
Scheffer, R. C. Samsom, M., Haverkamp, A., Oors, J.,
Hebbard, G. S. & Gooszen, H. G. Impaired bolus transit
across the esophagogastric junction in postfundoplication
dysphagia. Am J Gastroenterol, 100(8):1677–84
Scheffer, R. C. Gooszen, H. G., Hebbard, G. S. & Samsom,
M. The role of transsphincteric pressure and proximal
gastric volume in acid reflux before and after fundoplication.
Gastroenterology, 129(6):1900–09
Contact Details
Associate Professor Geoff Hebbard
Department of Gastroenterology
Tel: +61 3 9342 7470
Fax: +61 3 9342 7848
Associate Professor
Geoff Hebbard
•Performing high-quality clinical research in the areas of
emergency medicine and pre-hospital care.
•Developing partnerships for research, both across
regional (intrastate, national and international) and across
disciplines (ambulance, medical, nursing and community).
•Providing education and support to workers in prehospital care and emergency medicine in order to develop
research that will improve outcomes for patients.
•Demonstrating the translation of evidence into improved
practice.
Key areas of interest are the management of cardiovascular
disease, pain assessment and management, therapeutics
for emergency conditions, pre-hospital care research and
process/outcome improvement.
The year 2005 saw the publication of the pilot study and
the development of the next phase of our research, in
partnership with Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre and
the Metropolitan Ambulance Service, into the effectiveness
of intranasal naloxone for acute heroin toxicity. This has
been supported by a grant from the Department of Human
Services, Victoria and is being led by JECEMR’s Deputy
Director, Debra Kerr.
Patient response to heart attack, specifically their use of
ambulance transport and awareness of symptoms, was
explored in a prospective study conducted at Western
and Bendigo Hospitals. It identified a number of factors
associated with the use of ambulances and should help
inform future patient/ population education programs.
Results were presented at national Emergency Medicine
and Cardiology meetings and have been submitted for
publication.
In the field of pain research, we commenced a study
investigating the effectiveness of oral dexamethasone in
preventing rebound headache after migraine treatment. This
project, funded by a grant from the Eirene Lucas Foundation,
is progressing well and results are expected in 2006.
A new program of research centred on the management of
spontaneous pneumothorax commenced in 2005. We have
completed projects quantifying the rate of re-expansion
of pneumothoraces in ambulant patients and are in the
process of setting up a prospective cohort study comparing
management strategies.
JECEMR’s international collaboration with the Medical Care
Research Unit of the University of Sheffield was further
developed in 2005, and two new collaborations—with
61
the Accident and Emergency Medicine Research Unit of
the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Ottawa Health
Research Institute, Canada—were forged.
Kelly, A. M., Brumby, C. & Barnes, C. Nurse-initiated,
titrated intravenous opioid analgesia reduces time to
analgesia for selected painful conditions. Can J Emerg
Med., 7(3):149–54.
Kelly, A. M., Kerr, D. & Middelton, P. Validation of venous
pCO2 to screen for arterial hypercarbia in patients with
chronic obstructive airways disease. J Emerg Med.,
28:4:377–9
Sampson, F., Goodacre, S., Kelly, A. M. & Kerr, D. How
is deep vein thrombosis diagnosed and managed in UK
and Australian emergency departments? Emerg Med J.,
22:780–2
Anne-Maree Kelly
Keynote Speaker: EMCON 2005, Annual Scientific Meeting
of the Society for Emergency Medicine of India
Member: Steering Committee (Pethidine Project), Victorian
Drug Usage Advisory Committee
Member: Victorian Quality Council
Member: Policy and Advisory Committee on Clinical Practice
and Technology, Department of Human Services, Victoria
Member: Better and Safer Transfusion Advisory Committee
Debra Kerr
Member: RMIT Research and Ethics Committee
PhD Candidate: Monash Institute of Health Sciences,
Monash University
Kelly, A. M., Kerr, D., Dietze, P., Patrick, I., Walker, T. &
Koutsogiannis, Z. A randomised trial of intranasal versus
intramuscular naloxone in prehospital treatment for
suspected opioid overdose. MJA, 182:24–7
Contact Details
Menon, S. & Kelly, A. M. How accurate is weight estimation
in the emergency department? Emerg Med Australas.,
17:113–6
Ms Debra Kerr
Professor Anne-Maree Kelly
Kelly, A. M. & Kerr, D. A snapshot of COAD in Australia.
Hong Kong J Emerg Med., 12:4–90
Badcock, D., Kelly, A. M., Kerr, D. & Reade, T. Has the
quality of retrospective chart review studies in the
emergency medicine literature improved? Ann Emerg Med.,
45:444–7
Kerr, D., Bradshaw, L. & Kelly, A. M. Implementation of the
Canadian C-Spine rule reduces cervical spine x-ray rate for
alert patients with potential neck injury.
J Emerg Med., 28:127–31
Cunnington, D., Smith, N., Steed, K., Rosengarten, P., Kelly,
A. M. & Teichtahl, H. Oral versus intravenous corticosteroids
in adults hospitalised with asthma. Pulm Pharmacol
Therapeutics, 18:207–12
Erbas, B., Kelly, A. M., Physick, W., Code, C. & Edwards,
M. Air pollution and childhood asthma emergency hospital
admissions: estimating intra-city regional variations. Int J
Envir Health Res., 15:11–20
New Grants
Department of Human Services Victoria: ‘Intranasal
naloxone study phase 2’
Eirene Lucas Foundation: ‘Dexamethasone in migraine
study’
62
Colorectal Medicine and Genetics is an academic
department at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, which
focuses on large bowel diseases, notably colorectal
cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Research Highlights
The philosophy of the department is that every clinical
decision not based on evidence represents a clinical
research opportunity to address that issue. A strong
interaction, therefore, operates between clinical and
research activities of the department. Some of these are:
•gene discovery projects in familial bowel cancer and
polyposis syndromes;
•chemoprevention in familial bowel cancer families and
sporadic adenoma patients;
•evaluation of new techniques for detection of early
colorectal cancer, including MR colonography, and a
comparison of screening modalities In a randomised
controlled trial;
•analysis of 25 years experience in screening for colorectal
cancer, including engagement with the Bio21 MMIM
bioinformatics project;
•prediction of natural history and drug responsiveness
through genotyping and MRI scanning in Crohn’s disease;
•new therapies in inflammatory bowel disease;
•new indications for capsule endoscopy in the small
bowel;
•enzyme therapy to ‘detoxify’ gluten in coeliac disease;
•evaluation of new biomarkers for colorectal cancer;
•dietary modulation of cancer related gene expression; and
•double balloon enteroscopy to evaluate the entire small
bowel.
A highlight has been our collaboration with the CSIRO pHealth flagship in its focus on colorectal cancer. This has
included, with their e-Health team, data analysis of our
colorectal cancer screening experiences. Another highlight
was the presentation of our work, and that of the p-Health
flagship, to Federal Parliamentarians in November 2005. We
have also joined forces with the CSIRO molecular biology
division at North Ryde, NSW, in a genome-wide search for
new genes predisposing to colorectal cancer, based on our
extensive clinical experience in familial bowel cancer, and
their expertise in SNP-based technology.
International acceptance of endoscopic research was
acknowledged through oral presentations to the following
international and national meetings in 2005–06: the Chicago
meeting of the American Gastroenterology Association
on confocal endomicroscopy and the development of a
self-advancing colonoscope; the International Society
for Gastrointestinal Hereditary Tumours in Newcastle,
UK; and the Australian Gastroenterology Week, where
our department presented 15 papers. Perhaps the most
penetrating research in which we were involved was the
trial of celecoxib for prevention of colorectal neoplasia:
efficacy results are about to be published, but, for the
first time, cardiovascular risk associated with high-dose
celecoxib was definitively identified in this randomised
controlled trial. This has had major effects on clinical
practice across the world.
Dr Gregor Brown has been a driving force behind much of
the research, and has added substantial strength with his
management of high-risk families, his endoscopic expertise,
and in capsule endoscopy.
Dr Elizabeth Chow completed her MD thesis on genetic
predisposition to colorectal cancer, with publications in
high-impact journals. The work of her MD included the
phenotypic description of the largest series of patients
with hyperplastic polyposis in the world, and a study of the
role of the genes MDB4 and MYH in this condition; each
may play a part. Her thesis includes other findings on the
genes predisposing to juvenile polyposis, and Peutz Jeghers
syndrome.
Ann Vlass completed a first-class Honours BSc(Hons) degree
in the department studying dietary modulation of cancerrelated gene expression, including quantitative analysis of
within-crypt specific expression of several genes related to
cancer development.
Professor Dennis Ahnen from Denver has had an honorary
research appointment to our department while at the
Ludwig Institute, and Dr Gurjeet Kaur from Penang
studied a range of mutational analytic techniques and
immunohistochemistry for mismatch repair proteins and
novel biomarkers in colorectal cancer pathogenesis, the
latter in collaboration with Sydney-based Biosceptre Pty
Ltd. Dr Kiat Kiew from Malaysia studied capsule endoscopy,
analysing our own and the national experience of capsule
endoscopy in the diagnosis of disorders leading to obscure
gastrointestinal bleeding. The department continues
to receive invaluable advice from honorary pathologist
Professor Prithi Bhathal. In 2006, Dr Weon Young Chang, a
colorectal surgeon from South Korea, will join us to work in
bioinformaticcs relating to biomarkers of risk in colorectal
cancer.
AMS student Maneesha Bhullar has undertaken groundbreaking studies on the role of the NOD2/CARD15 gene in
Crohn’s Disease.
Our clinical research team, headed by manager Cathy
Pizzey, is extraordinarily active, currently managing more
than 35 clinical projects across the department’s interests
in inflammatory bowel disease, capsule endoscopy and
colorectal cancer genetic predisposition. Apart from
the important work on COX2 inhibition in prevention
of colorectal neoplasia, we participated in the largest
trial establishing a place for infliximab in the treatment
of ulcerative colitis (the ACT trials), and new anti-TNF
monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of Crohn’s Disease
(CDP 870, ‘CIMZIA’ or certulizumub pegol and adalimumab).
63
CAPP2, a randomised controlled trial of aspirin and resistant
starch, reached a milestone this year with its final recruit,
from well over 1000 world-wide. Pascale Ives manages
most of the Australian contribution to this important
international trial from our department.
Based on our published work led by the University of
Melbourne’s Centre for Genetic Epidemiology (see Journal
of Clinical Oncology article below), the Hereditary Bowel
Cancer Group of the Cancer Council of Victoria and the
Council accepted a recommendation that all people
presenting under the age of 50 years with colorectal
cancer should be tested for mismatch repair protein loss in
their tumours. This is a change in practice that we expect
will identify nearly twice as many gene-carriers in the
community than by ascertainment through family history
alone.
Finally, the publication of our work on enzyme therapy
for coeliac disease has spawned interest world-wide and
enabled further work to progress in this field.
Macrae, F. A. Screening for colorectal cancer: Virtually
there. Med J Aust., 182:52–3
Solomon, S. D., McMurray, J. J. V., Pfeffer, M. A., Wittes, J.,
Fowler, R., Finn, P., Anderson, W. F., Zauber, A., Hawk, E. &
Bertagnolli, M. Adenoma Prevention with Celecoxib Study
Investigators. Cardiovascular risk associated with celecoxib
in a clinical trial for colorectal adenoma prevention. New
Eng J Med., 352:1071–80
Bresalier, R. S., Sandler, R. S., Quan, H., Bolognese, J. A.,
Oxenius, B., Horgan, K., Lines, C., Riddell, R., Morton, D.,
Lanas, A., Konstam, M. A. & Baron, J. A. Adenomatous
Polyup Prevention on Vioxx (APPROVe) Trial Investigators.
Cardiovascular events associated with rofecoxib in a
colorectal adenoma chemoprevention trial. New Eng J
Med., 352:1092–102
Chow, E., Macrae, F. A. & Burn, J. International ICG HNPCC
Familial Cancer Clinics. Survey of HNPCC management:
Analysis of responses from 18 international cancer centres.
Hereditary Cancer
Chow, E. & Macrae, F. Review of the Juvenile Polyposis
Syndrome. J of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 20:1634–
40
Raevaara, T. E., Kohonen, M. K., Lohi, H., Hampel, H.,
Lynch, E., Lonnqvist K. E., Holinski-Feder, E., Sutter, C.,
McKinnon, W., Duraisamy, S., Gerdes, A. M., Peltomaki, P.,
Kohonen-Corish M., Mangold, E., Macrae, F., Greenblatt,
M., de la Chapelle A. & Nystrom, M. Functional significance
and clinical phenotype of nontruncating mismatch repair
variants of MLH1. Gastroenterology, 129:537–49
J. R., St John, D. J., Macrae, F. A., Giles, G. G. & Hopper,
J. L. Use of molecular tumour characteristics to prioritize
mismatch repair gene testing in early onset colorectal
cancer. J Clin Oncol., 23:6524–32
Cornell, H. J., Macrae, F. A., Melny, J., Pizzey, C. J., Mason,
S., Bhathal, P. S. & Stelmasiak, T. Enzyme therapy for
management of coeliac disease. Scan J Gastroenterology,
40:1304–12
Macrae, F. & Harris, M. Revised Bethesda Guidelines for
hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome)
and microsatellite instability. J Natl Cancer Instit. 15:936–7
Grants
National Institutes of Health, USA; Medical Research
Council, UK; CSIRO; George Hicks Foundation; Given
Imaging Pty Ltd; Abbott (Australia) Ltd; Centocor Pty Ltd;
Berlex Pty Ltd; Nuvion Pty Ltd; Celltech Pty Ltd; Schering
Plough (Australia) Pty Ltd; Otsuka Pty Ltd; Pfizer Pty Ltd
Councillor: Gastroenterological Society of Australia
Secretary: International Society of Gastrointestinal
Hereditary Tumours
Chairman: Hereditary Bowel Cancer Group, The Cancer
Council of Victoria
Consultant: CSIRO p-Health flagship.
Co-Principal Investigator: International CAPP2 trial
Board Member: Genetic Health Services Victoria, Murdoch
Children’s Research Institute
Member: Gastrointestinal Cancer Committee and Cancer
Genetics Advisory Committee, The Cancer Council of
Victoria
Member: OMED Terminology Committee (World Endoscopy
Society)
Member: Scientific Advisory Committee, APPROVe trial of
rofecoxib in prevention of colorectal neoplasia
Member: Medical Advisory Council, United Medical
Protection
Member: Monitoring and Evaluation Committee, National
Bowel Cancer Screening Pilot Programme
Member: Implementation Advisory Committee, National
Bowel Cancer Screening Programme
Member: Scientific Committee, US National Institutes of
Health, Colon Family Register
The department welcomes enquiries from those interested in
studying in research in any of these areas, from medical and
basic science disciplines.
Southey, M. C., Jenkins, M. A., Mead, L., Whitty, J., Trivell,
M., Tesoriero, A. A., Smith, L. D., Jennings, K., Grubb, G.,
Royce, S. G., Walsh, M. D., Barker, M. A., Young, J. P., Jass,
64
Colorectal Medicine and Genetics
Level 3 Centre, City Campus
Tel: +61 3 9347 0788
Fax +61 3 9348 2004
Associate Professor
Brian D. Tait
Contact Details
(Victorian Transplantation and Immunogenetics Service)
Research Highlights
1. PhD student Sock Fern Chew has continued to develop
the use of Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy as
a tool for detecting the loss of HLA class 1 molecules
on melanoma cells. This method has the potential to
replace conventional immunohistochemistry, the main
advantage being that monoclonal antibodies are not
required for detection. The FTIR simply measures changes
in the overall chemical composition of cell membranes.
When class 1 expression is lost, this can be detected as a
change in the infra-red profile.
We have also shown in collaboration with the Ludwig
Institute at the Austin Hospital (Jonathan Cebon and Ian
Davis) that there is evidence for immunoselection based
on loss of expression of either HLA class 1 or NY-ESO
(the immunising molecule) in patients who relapse after
vaccination.
2. As the hub centre for the Asia–Pacific region of the
International Type 1 Diabetes Consortium we have
continued to recruit and HLA genotype large numbers of
caucasian and non-caucasian families from the region
for inclusion in the repository and database. We have
both DNA and cell lines stored from all probands and
family members. Access to this material from interested
researchers will soon be available via the consortium
website. Dr Michael Varney from the VTIS laboratory is
responsible for this ongoing project.
3. We examined a polymorphism in the methylene
tetrahydrofolate reductase gene, which codes for a
critical enzyme involved in the folate cycle. This is of
particular relevance in hematopoietic stem cell transplant
patients treated with methotrexate for graft versus
host disease prophylaxis as methotrexate acts via the
folate cycle. We showed that one particular mutation
was associated with protection from graft versus host
disease in haematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients
when present in the stem cell donor. The effect of the
polymorphism is sufficiently great to indicate that this
polymorphism could be used as part of a donor selection
algorithm.
4. We continue to collaborate with several groups at the
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute on the genetic aspects of
several diseases. These include:
•
Type 1 diabetes—Professor Len Harrison
•
Type 1.5 diabetes—Dr Spiro Fourlanos
(with Dr Michael Varney, VTIS)
•
Coeliac disease—Dr Bob Anderson
•
Multiple Sclerosis—Dr Justin Rubio
65
5. We have an active research collaboration with Professor
James McCluskey (Department of Microbiology and
Immunology, The University of Melbourne). This involves
several studies including the role of HLA molecules in
Abacavir sensitivity and B27 in ankylosing spondylitis.
A/Professor Tait has recently assumed the role of cosupervisor (with Professor McCluskey) of MD student Dr
Hope Dinh, who is studying the role of non-classical HLA
molecules (HLA-G) in protection against autoimmunity in
hair follicles.
Stockman, A., Tait, B. D., Wolfe, R., Brand, C. A., Rowley, M.
J., Varney, M. D., Buchbinder, R. & Muirden, K. D. Clinical
laboratory and genetic markers associated with erosions
and remission in patients with early inflammatory arthritis:
A prospective cohort study. Rheumatol. International,
7:1–10
Chinoy, H., Salway, F., Fertig, N., Shepard, N., Tait, B. D.,
Thomson, W., Isenberg, D. A., Oddis, C. V., Silman, A.
J., Ollier, W. E. & Cooper, R. G. Genetic and phenotypic
heterogeneity in UK caucasian polymyositis and
dermatomyositis patients: A case control study. Arthritis
Research and Therapy
A/Professor Tait co-hosted the 14th International HLA
and Immunogenetics Workshop and Conference, in
partnership with Professor James McCluskey, Professor
Frank Christiansen (Department of Clinical Immunology,
Royal Perth Hospital) and Ms Rhonda Holdsworth (VTIS).
The workshop, held in Melbourne from 29 November to 8
December, was the culmination of three years of research
involving more than 20 separate components. It attracted
approximately 400 registrants, and the conference, which
was held in conjunction with the Australasian Society of
Immunology, around 900 registrants. It was the first time the
HLA workshop had been held in the southern hemisphere
since its inception in 1964.
Contact Details
Associate Professor Brian D. Tait
Tel: +61 3 9341 6305
Mobile: 0419 394 352
Fax: +61 3 9348 1278
Murphy N., Diviney M., Szer, J., Bardy, P., Grigg, A., Hoyt,
R., King, B., MacGregor, L., Holsdworth, R., McCluskey, J.
& Tait, B. D. Donor methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase
genotype is associated with graft versus host disease in
hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients treated with
methotrexate. Bone Marrow Transplantation
Dunn, S., Tait, B. D. & Kulski, J. K. The distribution of
polymorphic Alu insertions within the MHC class I HLAB7 and HLA-B57 haplotypes. Immunogenetics, January,
56(10):765–8
New Grants
Australian Red Cross Blood Service Research Foundation
Grant: B. D. Tait, J. Szer, C. Kanaan & M. Diviney, ‘The
clinical impact in bone marrow transplant patients
of polymorphic genes which influence the action of
methotrexate’: $50,146
66
Research Highlights
The Department of Respiratory and Sleep Disorders
Medicine at Western Health provides for management and
consultation of a wide range of respiratory diseases and
sleep disorders. The Department has been in the forefront
of developing sleep disorders medicine in Victoria, and
in 2005 increased the number of sleep studies performed
by 40%. The sleep studies are performed both within a
hospital laboratory and in the home, and at present the
Department performs 2000 sleep studies per annum.
The Department research is undertaken in the Sleep
Disorders Laboratory, Respiratory Function Laboratory
and Respiratory Research Area at Western Hospital. A
respiratory fellow conducts aspects of clinical research and
two advanced trainees in respiratory and sleep medicine
also partake in clinical research performed within the
Department. A research nurse helps with the conduct of
multinational pharmaceutical trials.
The Department, in collaboration with the Drug and Alcohol
Unit at Western Health, has over the past five years
been investigating abnormal sleep and sleep-disordered
breathing in stable methadone maintenance program
patients. This research has for the first time shown that a
high percentage of these patients suffer from central sleep
apnea. David Wang has completed his PhD research on this
topic. In the 2005 update of the International Classification
of Sleep Disorders (ICSD10), this work was recognised by
the inclusion of a new category of sleep disorders—‘Opiate
related central sleep apnea’.
In collaboration with Professor Kalman at RMH, the
Department has embarked upon a research project
addressing the potential association between sleep
disordered breathing and chronic atrial fibrillation. Dr Irene
Stevenson, a cardiology fellow at the Royal Melbourne
Hospital and Western Hospital and PhD candidate, is
responsible (under supervision) for this research, and is also
obtaining interesting data assessing the effects of hypoxia,
hypcercapnia and metabolic acidosis on electrophysiological
parameters of sheep hearts.
The Department has been collaborating with Dr Robert
Thomas of the Sleep Disorders Laboratory at the Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Centre and Harvard University, Boston.
This collaborative research is addressing aspects of cyclic
alternating pattern of cortical EEG for the assessment of
sleep, and the utility of cardiopulmonary coupling to assess
peripheral autonomic output in various sleep disorders.
A new proof of concept multi-centre research project has
been started to assess a pharmaceutical intervention for
patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea.
The Department is a founding member of the recently
formed, and NHMRC-funded, Australasian Sleep Research
Network. We have also had an ongoing interest in the
management of obesity and, in collaboration with the
Endocrinology Unit at Western Hospital, there is ongoing
study of the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing and
metabolic syndrome in patients attending a medical obesity
service.
Associate Professor
Harry Teichtahl
A study assessing the psychological profile and potential
beneficial interventions for patients admitted to hospital
with acute severe asthma was completed. This study was
performed in collaboration with the School of Physiotherapy,
La Trobe University.
The Department is continuing to assess the utility of an
integrated facilitated care model for patients with severe
COPD. This research is being funded via the HARP program
of the DHS, Victoria and is showing significant reductions
in emergency department visits and hospitalisations for
patients using the new model.
In conjunction with DHS, Victoria, the Department has been
performing an ongoing study assessing outcomes of the
Tuberculosis Undertaking Program. The data show that, in
this population, the prevalence of active TB as identified by
the program is 548/100,000. We contributed 765 cases to
the IASLC International Staging Project on Lung Cancer.
The following papers were presented:
•‘Reduction in acute hospital resource use by patients
with severe COPD: an integrated facilitated care model’,
European Respiratory Society, Annual Scientific Meeting
•‘Comparison of single EEG channel and standard EEG
montage for measuring total sleep time’, Australasian
Sleep Association, Annual Scientific Meeting
•‘A new prediction equation for CPAP implementation’,
Australasian Sleep Association, Annual Scientific
Meeting
Wang, D., Teichtahl, H., Drummer, O., Goodman, C., Cherry,
C., Cunnington, D. & Kronborg, I. Central sleep apnoea in
stable methadone maintenance program patients. Chest,
128:1348–56
Teichtahl H., Wang D., Cunnington D., Quinnell, T., Kronborg,
I. & Drummer, O. Ventilatory responses to hypoxia and
hypercapnia in stable methadone maintenance treatment
patients. Chest, 128:1339–47
Cunnington, D., Teichtahl, H., Smith, N., Steed, K., Kelly, A.
M. & Rosengarten, P. Oral versus intravenous corticosteroids
in the management of adults hospitalized with acute
asthma. Pulm Pharmacol & Therap., 16(3):207–12
Tamisier, R., Anand, A., Nieto, L., Cunnington, D. & Weiss, J.
Arterial pressure and muscle sympathetic nerve activity are
increased after two hours sustained but not cyclic hypoxia
in healthy humans. J Appl Physiol., 98(1):343–9
67
Ongoing Grants
Burge Trust Research Award
Harry Teichtahl
Speaker: ‘High prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in
an unselected obesity service management population’,
Australasian Association for Quality in Health Care
meeting—Innovations in clinical management of the
bariatric patient, May
Member: TSANZ/ASA Committee writing practice
guidelines for the performance of the adult sleep studies
Chair: Clinical Committee, Australasian Sleep Association
Member: (to mid 2005) DHS Victoria, Ministerial Advisory
Committee: Tuberculosis
David Cunnington
Fellow: American Academy of Sleep Medicine
International Sleep Specialist: certified by American
Academy of Sleep Medicine
Member: Royal Australasian College of Physicians Sleep
Medicine curriculum working party
Speaker: ‘Advanced polysomnogram analysis’, Australasian
Sleep Association (Vic. branch)
Contact Details
Associate Professor Harry Teichtahl
Director, Department of Respiratory and Sleep Disorders
Medicine
Western Hospital
Footscray, Victoria 3011 AUSTRALIA
E-mail: [email protected]
68
The Department of Medicine is committed to providing a
safe working environment for the students, members of
staff, and contractors who work within the Department,
and is compliant to SafetyMAP Version 4. The Department
is also aware of the responsibilities it has to protect the
environment, and is compliant to the international standard
ISO 14001. More information on our EHS initiatives can be
found on our website at: http://www.medrmhwh.unimelb.
edu.au/resources/ehs.html
The Department is committed to supporting the ‘green
laboratory’ and ‘green office’ programs offered by the
university, for the management of substances hazardous to
the environment, waste reduction and recycling, reducing
the amount of water and energy used, and where possible
purchasing environment-friendly products. More on the
Department’s environmental initiatives can be found on our
website at: www.medrmhwh.unimelb.edu.au/resources/
ehs.html#environment
Environment, Health
and Safety
SafetyMAP
As a self-insurer for workers compensation, the University
of Melbourne is required by the Victorian WorkCover
Authority (VWA) to have in place a safety management
system to at least SafetyMAP (Safety Management
Achievement Program) Initial Level. The university chose
the VWA audit standard SafetyMAP as the tool to ensure
it would provide safe systems of work to reduce risk, to
measure its occupational health and safety performance,
and to implement a cycle of continuous improvement. This
has been achieved by having good safe work procedures,
by providing appropriate induction and training for staff
and students, and by regularly inspecting the workplace for
hazards.
The Department of Medicine at both the Royal Melbourne
and Western Hospitals, as part of the Faculty of Medicine,
Dentistry and Health Sciences, has undergone regular
annual internal audits to ensure compliance with the
SafetyMAP criteria.
Environment
The University of Melbourne is committed to care of the
environment through the implementation of an Environment
Management System compliant to the international
standard ISO 14001. This system enables the university
to formulate a policy regarding environment objectives,
taking into account legislative requirements and information
about significant environmental impacts. The Environment
Management System is integrated into the university’s
Safety Management System, and annual audits are held
concurrently with the SafetyMAP audit.
Amanda Turner has been the driving force behind the Department’s efforts to support
the ‘green office’ and ‘green laboratory’
69
issues around discrimination and sexual harassment.
DoMSA was also involved in the organisation of the InterInstitute sports competition against teams from other
departments (Microbiology and Immunology, Genetics) and
institutes (Bio21, Howard Florey, PeterMac, WEHI).
A number of students had input into the many committees
in the Department. Bianca Jupp was a member of the
Environmental Health and Safety Committee, Felix Clanchy
and Dominic De Nardo assisted Communications Manager
Jane Yule with the development of the Department’s new
website, and we’ve had active input into Department
and student issues by way of representation on the
Department’s executive committee. Students were also
represented on the Department table at the Australian
Society for Medical Research dinner.
DoMSA President’s Report
The Department of Medicine Student Association (DoMSA)
was established in 2003 with four broad aims:
•to enhance the academic and professional life of
Department of Medicine (RMH/WH) students;
•to encourage social interaction of students within the
Department;
•to provide academic support to fellow students and
thus foster communication of research ideas and
collaborations; and
•to represent the Department of Medicine (RMH/WH)
postgraduate students in the Department, faculty and
university.
In March 2005, a new DoMSA committee was elected,
with the three executive positions filled by Emily Mann
(President), Dominic De Nardo (Secretary) and Christine
Massa (Treasurer). Additional representatives on the
committee included Bianca Jupp (Vice-President), Hang
Dinh and Adrian Achutan (Social Reps), Agi Swierczak
(Honours Rep.) and Salenna Elliott (Staff Rep.).
In addition to the social events and departmental
involvement, DoMSA organised two fund-raisers. The first
was in collaboration with the WEHI and Melbourne Health
and raised money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation. The second took place at the Department’s
Christmas function. Money was collected and sent to Plan
Australia with the request that it be used to help individuals
in famine-stricken Malawi.
We would like to thank the Department of Medicine
(RMH/WH) and the University of Melbourne Postgraduate
Association (UMPA) for their ongoing support, which has
made life as a student much more enjoyable.
Emily Mann, DoMSA President 2005
([email protected])
DoMSA’s regular social events were well attended with
students enjoying a welcome BBQ (Honours students), pizza
night (AMS students), dinner and movie (The Proposition
and Guerrilla—The Taking of Patty Hearst), 10-pin bowling,
and a farewell lunch for the Honours students. The endof-year staff/student cricket match and BBQ was a great
opportunity for us all to interact and socialise outside of
the lab.
Frequent afternoon teas were also held and, on a few
occasions, guest speakers invited. Robyn McLachlan,
business manager of the CRC–CID, spoke to students
about the progression of her career from research into the
business world, and Catherine Gow, from the university’s
Equal Opportunity Department, addressed some of the
70
Emily Mann at the DoMSA welcome BBQ
Department Reporting Day: ‘Post Docs on Parade’
11.00
11.15
11.45
12.00
12.15
12.30
12.45
1.00
2.00
2.15
2.30
2.45
3.00
3.45
4.00
4.15
4.30
4.45
A successful departmental Reporting Day was held on 12 August 2005 in the Function Centre at the Royal Melbourne
Hospital. Organised by Dr Alex Boussioutas, and opened by the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health
Sciences, the focus of the day was on the work of the Department’s Postdoctoral Fellows. The following is a program of the
day’s presentations.
Graham Brown: Welcome
Keynote Speaker: Professor James Angus, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences
Growing Esteem: Choices for the University of Melbourne and the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and
Health Sciences
Alex Boussioutas: Genomic analysis of invasion in human gastric cancer
Andrew Cook: The plasminogen activators and arthritis
Caroline Marshall: Nosocomial Acinetobacter: a growing concern
Yi-Mo Deng: Gene expression profiling of BMMs treated with glucocorticoids
Richard Osborne: Musculoskeletal health: From community-based interventions to healthcare reform
Lunch
Ross Vlahos: Macrophage growth factors in experimental models of COPD
Mike Duffy: Variant antigens of malaria during pregnancy
Caryn Elsegood: The role of adhesion in macrophages
Louise Judd: News from the West
Glen Scholz: Understanding the molecular mechanisms that control the development and immune
functions of macrophages
Salenna Elliott: Dendritic cell responses to blood stage Plasmodium falciparum malaria
Kerrie Way: Bone marrow-mobilised CD34 stem cells: Differentiation into macrophages and osteoclasts
Ruth Chin: Chronic viral hepatitis—cellular signaling pathways
Wai Hong Tham: The basic elements of Plasmodium transcription
Graham Brown: Meeting Close
71
Department Seminar Series
The Department runs a weekly Seminar Series organised by Dr Glen Scholz ([email protected]) and held every Friday
lunch-time in the Seminar Room (4th Floor, Clinical Sciences Building, RMH). Presenters include departmental postgraduate
students, staff and external speakers. The program for 2005 can be found below.
Date
Speaker
Title of Seminar
Affiliation
March 11
Mr Dominic De Nardo
The role of IRAKs in regulating macrophage activation
by Toll-like receptors
and
Mr Cameron Jackson
(PhD confirmations)
March 18
Ms Christine Massa
and
Ms Susan Senn
(PhD confirmations)
and
Does infection with Helicobacter pylori perturb IL-6
signaling?
and
Tissue-type plasminogen activator and fibrin deposition
in inflammation and arthritis
and
and
Metabolic side-effects of anti-epileptic drug therapy
April 1
Dr Danny Park (GS)
RACE LaNe’s and LaNe RAGE: new methods for RNA
and DNA flanking sequence determination
April 8
Dr Matthias Ernst (GS)
The use of genetically manipulated mice to dissect
intestinal epithelial homeostasis
Ludwig Institute for
Cancer Research
April 22
Dr Yi-Mo Deng (GS)
Probucol protects against intimal thickening by upregulating heme oxygenase-1
April 29
Dr Julian Quinn (GS)
HSP90 and osteoclast inhibitory lectin (OCIL) in the
control of bone turnover
St Vincent’s Institute
May 13
Dr Kurt Roberts-Thomson
Role of the posterior left atrium in atrial fibrillation
and
and
Royal Melbourne
Hospital
Dr Jane Prosser
The cardiac and autonomic sequelae of stroke
and
Royal Melbourne
Hospital
(PhD confirmations)
May 20
Dr Geoff Lindeman (GS)
Mammopoiesis and breast cancer—Role of the
mammary stem cell
Royal Melbourne
Hospital
May 27
Dr Salenna Elliott (GS)
Dendritic cell responses to blood stage Plasmodium
falciparum malaria
June 3
Dr Andreas Möller (GS)
Siah proteins play a role in inflammation by modulating
the hypoxic switch
Peter MacCallum Cancer
Institute
June 10
Ms Rosemary Panelli
(TOB)
Psychosocial outcomes following a first seizure
Swinburne University of
Technology
June 17
Dr David Anderson (JT)
Exploiting the structure of hepatitis viruses for improved
diagnostics and candidate vaccines
Burnet Institute
June 24
Mr Felix Clanchy
Macrophage lineage development
(Final PhD presentation)
72
July 1
Prof. Finlay Macrae (GS)
The prevention of bowel cancer
Melbourne Health
July 15
Dr Harin Karunajeewa (SR)
New approaches to the treatment of malaria in PNG
UWA and PNG Institute
of Medical Research
July 22
Dr Louise Judd (GS)
IL-6 signalling in gastric cancer
Prof. Tony Burgess
(GVB)
The epidermal growth factor receptor family: targets for
cancer therapeutics
Ludwig Institute for
Cancer Research
Aug. 5
Prof. Sharon Lewin (JT)
Hepatitis B Virus infection—The role of the adaptive
immune response
Alfred Hospital
Aug. 19
A/Prof. Terry O’Brien
Anti-epileptic drugs making seizures worse
Aug. 26
Prof. John Schrader (JAH)
Old proteins, new stories: Ras and stem cells, RNA and
proliferation and antibodies and viruses
University of British
Columbia
Sept. 2
Dr Michael Duffy (GS)
Characterising a pathogenic determinant in placental
malaria
Sept. 9
Ms Margaret Chang
The role of glucose metabolism in macrophage survival
July 29
Sept. 16
Dr Stephen Rogerson
Risk factors for mother to child transmission of HIV in
Malawi
Sept. 23
Ms Gabriela Minigo (SR)
Epitope variants of P. berghei circumsporozoite protein
modulate immune responses in vivo
Austin Research Institute
Sept. 30
Dr Cassandra Szoeke
Pharmacogenetics in epilepsy treatment
Department of
Neurology, RMH
Oct. 7
Dr Dr Bill Kalionis (SR)
Role of transcription factors in human placental
development and in pregnancy disorders
Royal Women’s Hospital
Oct. 14
Ms Roya Lari
Factors controlling the differentiation of macrophage
lineage cells into osteoclasts
Oct. 21
Dr Sandra Rees (TOB)
Brain development during pregnancy: What happens
when things go wrong?
Department of Anatomy,
Oct. 28
Dr David Jackson (JT)
Why would you want a peptide vaccine and how would
you make it?
Nov. 4
Dr John Price (GS)
Targeting Hsp90 and its consequences
St Vincent’s Institute
Nov. 11
Ms Emily Mann
Characterisation and serological recognition of a
recombinant Plasmodium falciparum malaria protein
domain
Nov. 18
Dr Eric Gowans (JT)
A clinical trial using immunotherapy to treat Hepatitis C
infected patients
Burnet Institute
Nov. 25
Dr Dennis Velakoulis (TOB)
What have we learnt after 10 years of MRI imaging in
psychotic illnesses?
Melbourne
Neuropsychiatry Centre
Dec. 2
Dr Christopher Lemoh
HIV in Victoria’s African communities: Reducing risks
and improving care
Regulation of gastric cancer development and
metastasis by cytokines that signal through gp130
and
and
Molecular markers defining precursor phenotypes in
gastric cancer
The causative role of respiratory viruses in
exacerbations of COPD
Royal Melbourne
Hospital
and
and
The role of bHLH transcription factors in adult
haemopoiesis
Rotary Bone Marrow
Research Laboratories
(PhD confirmation)
Dec. 9
Ms Meegan Howlett
and
Mr Anthony Peterson
(PhD confirmations)
Dec. 16
Ms Ana Hutchinson
and
Ms Jessica Salmon
(PhD confirmations)
73
Staff & Students
Research Staff
Head of Department and James Stewart Professor
Andrew Simon Giraud, BSc Mon. PhD Melb.
Staff & Students
Graham Vallancey Brown, MB BS Melb. MPH Harv. PhD
Melb. FRACP FAFPHM FACTM
Senior Research Fellow
Head of Unit at Western Hospital
Glen Matthew Scholz, BAppSci SAIT MAppSci SAIT
PhD Flin.
Professor Peter Ebeling, MB BS Melb. MD Melb. FRACP
Professors
Stephen Graves, MB BS Adel. DPhil Oxon FAOrthA
AusOrthAssn FRACS
John Dennis Wark, MB BS, PhD Melb. FRACP
Associate Professors
Research Fellows Grade 2
Julie Blasioli, BSc Melb. PhD Melb.
Andrew David Cook, BSc Melb. PhD Melb.
Ross Vlahos, BSc Melb. PhD Melb.
Research Fellows Grade 1
Ruth Hui-Tzee Chin, MB BS Melb. PhD Melb.
Lara Edbrooke, BAppSci (Physio) LaT. GDipEpiBiostats Melb.
Salenna Rachel Elliott, MB BS Adel. PhD Adel.
Caryn Leonie Elsegood, BSc UWA PhD UWA
GDipComp Curtin
Kerry Haynes, CertAppSci RMIT ADipOH&S VUT
BAppSci Deak. MPubHlth Mon.
Gary Peter Anderson, BSc Melb. PhD Melb.
Beverly-Ann Biggs, MB BS Melb. PhD Melb.
FRACP FRCP FACTM
Geoff John McColl, MB BS Melb. BMedSci Melb.
PhD Melb. FRACP
Terence John O’Brien, MB BS Melb. MD Melb.
FRACP FRCPA
Stephen John Rogerson, MB BS Adel. PhD Melb.
MRCP FRACP
National Health and Medical Research Council Peter
Doherty Fellow
Senior Lecturers
Maddalena Cross, BSc Melb. PhD Melb.
Alex Boussioutas, MB BS Melb. FRACP, GESA
Anjali Haikerwal, BSc Rajastan MB BS Rajastan MPH Mon.
Stephen Daniel Kolt, MB BS Mon. FRACP
Richard H. Osborne, BSc Melb. PhD RMIT DipAppBiol RMIT
Lynden Roberts, MB BS Melb. PhD Melb. FRACP
Joseph Torresi, BMedSci Melb. MB BS Melb.
PhD Melb. FRACP
Sharon Van Doornum, MB BS Melb. GDipClinEpi Mon.
MD Melb. FRACP
National Health and Medical Research Council
Industry Fellow
Lecturers
Clinical Trials Manager
Farees Khan, MB BS Punjab FAFRM (RACP)
Megan Brooks, BAppSci RMIT PhD RMIT
National Health and Medical Research Council Senior Principal Research Fellow and Professorial Fellow
Research Officers
John Allan Hamilton, PhD Melb. DSc
Senior Research Fellow
Stephen Marsden Jane, MB BS Mon. PhD Mon.
FRACP FRCPA
Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Research
Fellow
Wai Hong Tham, BA UC-Berkeley PhD Princeton
74
Western Hospital Senior Research Fellow and
Associate Professor
Nicholas John Wilson, BSc LaT. PhD Melb.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Caroline Marshall, MB BS Melb. GDipClinEpi Mon.
Senior Research Scientist
Sonia Caruana, BHSc LaT. BSc Melb.
Yi-Mo Deng, BSc Shandong Univ. PhD UNSW
Michael Frank Duffy, BSc Mon. BSc Melb. PhD Melb.
Louise Monique Judd, BSc Melb. PhD Mon.
Jason C. Lenzo, BSc UWA PhD UWA
Danny Park, BA Cantab. MA Cantab. PhD Cantab.
John Roiniotis, BSc LaT. PhD LaT.
Kathy Speed, BSc Waikato MSc Waikato PhD Waikato
Kerrie Way, BSc Melb. PhD Melb.
Research Assistants
Violeta Bogdanoska, BAppSci RMIT
Emma Braine, BSc Melb.
Tim Byrne, BAppSci Swin.
Vinita Chopra, BHlthSc LaT. GNursePro RCH P/GBEd Deak.
Personal Assistants
Colleen Bermingham (to Prof. John Wark, to July 2005)
Wendy Cadd (to Prof. John Wark, from August 2005)
Penny Dodds (to Dr Richard Osborne)
Mirella Ozols (to A/Prof. Beverley-Ann Biggs,
A/Prof. Stephen Rogerson and Dr Joe Torresi)
Rifa Sallay (to Prof. John Hamilton)
Heather Saunders
(to Prof. Graham Brown and A/Prof. Terry O’Brien)
Staff & Students
Jennifer Critchley, DipAppSci Flin. BNurs. Flin.
P/GDip Adel. PhD LaT.
Amanda Frame, BSci LaT. GDipHlthPromo LaT.
Sharon Gill, BAppSci Lincoln IHS P/GDipEdStuds Melb.
Meegan Howlett, BSc Melb.
Alice Holloway, BSc Melb.
Valentina Jovanovska, BSc Melb.
Bianca Marie Jupp, BSc Melb.
Anastasia Kalantzis, BSc Melb.
Martin Keene, BSc JCU
Katie Mapp, BPharm Mon.
Paul Masendycz, BAppSci RMIT
Jill Moverley, BAppSci RMIT
Thao Nguyen, BSc Mon.
Paul Payne, BSc Aberdeen MScIAS Robert Gordon Univ.
Debra Robbins, BA (SocBehavSci) Deak. BA (Psych) Deak
BLetters Mon.
Amanda Turner, BSc Deak. BSc Melb.
Matt Wenham, BSc Adel.
Francisca Yosaatmadja, BSc Auck. MSc (Pharm) Auck.
Administrative Assistants
Virginia Champion de Crespigny, BA Mon. (DoM)
Bernadette Crankshaw (Purchasing)
Dianne Ferguson (Centre for Rheumatic Disease)
Julie Holland (Western)
Animal Technicians
Jenny Davis, Ass.DipAppSci. WMCOT
Shelley Dellaland
Kate Meli
Project Officer
Preparation Services
Lauren Day, BAppSci (HlthProm) Deak.
Margaret Muir
Senior Bone Densitometry Technologist
Susan Kantor, DipAppSci (RadnTherapy) RMIT BA Deak
PGDipA&CPsych Melb. MEdPsych Melb. P/GDipEd Melb.
Bone Densitometry Technologist
Paul Nguyen, BAppSci (MedRadn) RMIT CertInternship
(NucMedTechnol) RMIT
CRC–CID Administrative
Staff
Manager of Business Development
Clive Bunn, BSc (Hons) Mon. PhD Mon.
Genetics Nurse
Business Manager
Masha Slattery, RN StV’s Hosp. P/GTheatre
StMary’s Hosp. Lond.
Robyn McLachlan, BSc Mon. MM(T) Melb
Communications Manager
Natasha Levy, BA/BEc Mon. GDipMktg Mon.
Administrative Staff
Education Officer
Department Manager
Susan Cumming, BSc Auck. P/GDipSc PhD Otago FRACI
Nick Christopher, BA UWA MBA UWA
Finance and Accounts Officer
Unit Manager, Western Hospital
Graham Burns
Lyn Kalms
Laboratory Manager
Lorraine Parker, DipMLT RMIT
IT Managers
Gina Barri-Rewell, BSc LaT. Bendigo MIS Swin.
Anne MacIntyre, BSc Melb.
Communications Manager
Jane Yule, BA Mon. GDipRec PIT MA Mon.
Finance Officer
Angela Luu, BAppSci RMIT
Our grateful thanks go once again to Val Komarnicki (Environmental Services),
left, for ensuring a clean work environment for us all, and to Margaret Muir
(Preparation Services) for ensuring our lab. staff always have clean glassware
75
Honorary Appointments
Senior Fellows
Professorial Fellows with the title Professor
Paul Victor Andrews, BSc Mon. PhD Mon.
John Carnie, MB BS SriLanka MPH Harv. MMed Melb.
MRCP FAFPHM
Robert Yung Ming Chen, MB BS Melb.
John Timothy Dowling, MB BS FRACP
Christopher John Ingle Driver, BSc Syd. PhD Mon.
DipEd Mon.
Shing Tung Fan, MB BS FRACP
David Freilich, MB BS Melb. FRACP
Maurice Joseph Frankel, PhD Adel.
Peter Shane Hamblin, MB BS Mon. FRACP
Peter James Hand, MB BS Mon. MD Edin. FRACP
Keith David Hill, BAppSci Melb. PhD Melb.
GDipPhysio Melb.
Timothy David Hewitson, BSc Massey PhD Melb.
GDipMgt Deak.
Robert John Hjorth, MB BS Melb. MD Melb. FRACP FACD
Malcolm Holmes, MD FRACP
Karen Holzer, MB BS Mon.
Anne Margaret Howard, MB BS Melb. FRACP
Elizabeth Hristov, BHlthSci VUT
Ian Kronborg, MB BS Melb. CertBiomedEng Melb. FRACP
Gary Lane, MB BS Syd. FRACP
Stuart Lance Macaulay BS Mon. PhD Mon.
Belinda Rose Miller, MB BS Mon. PhD Mon. FRACP
Joseph Morton, MB BS Melb. PhD Melb. FRACP
Alison Joy Nankervis, MB BS Melb. MD Melb. FRACP
Robert William Newman, MB BS Qld FRACP
Kathleen Mary Nicholls, MB BS Melb. MD Melb. FRACP
Amanda Jane Nicoll, MB BS Melb. PhD Melb. FRACP
Leslie James Norton, MB BS
David Kenneth Packham, MB BS Lond. MD Melb.
FRACP FRCP
John Reeder, MSc Salf. PhD Manc. FIMLS
Mark Andrew Rosenthal, MB BS Melb. PhD Melb. FRACP
Abraham Roman Rubinfeld, MB BS Melb. MD Melb. FRACP
Joseph John Sasadeusz, MB BS Mon. PhD BrCol. FRACP
Jennifer Anne Schwarz, MB BS Melb. GDipEd Melb. FRACP
Monica Anne Slavin, MB BS Melb. FRACP
David McNaughton Smallwood, MB BS Melb. FRACP
Paul Baden Sparks, MB BS Melb. PhD Melb.
Antony George Speer, BE Melb. MB BS Melb. FRACP
Neil Frederick Strathmore, BSc Melb. MB BS Melb. FRACP
Alan Currie Street, MB BS Melb. FRACP
Brian James Tate, MB BS Mon. PhD Melb. FACD NZ.
Richard Lennard Travers, MB BS FRACP
George Andrew Varigos, MB BS Melb. PhD Melb.
Poroor Vikraman, MB BS India FRACP
James Wong, MB BS Melb. PhD Melb. FRACP
Staff & Students
Gavin John Becker, MD Mon. MB BS Melb. FRACP
John Francis Cade, MB BS Melb. MD Melb. PhD Melb.
FRACP FCCP FFARCS FANZCA FFICANZCA
Stephen Misha Davis, MB BS Melb. MD Melb.FRACP
Peter Barry Disler, MB BCh Witw. PhD Witw. DComH
FCP FAFRM FRACP
Richard Mark Fox, MB BS Syd. BSc Syd. PhD Syd. FRACP
Geoffrey S. Hebbard, MB BS Melb. PhD Melb. FRACP
Jonathan Kalman, MB BS Melb. PhD Melb. FRACP FACC
Anne-Maree Kelly, MB BS NSW MClinEd NSW FACEM
Richard Graeme Larkins, MB BS Lond. PhD Lond. FRACP
Yean Leng Lim AM, BMedSci Mon. MB BS Mon. PhD Mon.
FRACP, FAMS, FACC, FICA, ARPS
Allan McLean, BSc, MB BS Mon. PhD Mon. FRACP
Finlay Alistair Macrae, MB BS Mon. MD Melb.
MRCP FRACP
Michael Cowper Franklyn Pain, MB BS Syd. MD Syd.
FRACP FCCP
Ian Peter Wicks, MB BS Syd. PhD Syd.
Principal Fellows with the title Associate Professor
John Ivan Balla (Principal Fellow), MB BS Melb. MRCP
Edin. MRACP FRACP MA LaT. FRCP Edin.
Donald Alexander Campbell, MB BS Mon. MMedSc
Newcastle (NSW) MD Mon. FRACP
Peter Graham Colman, MB BS Mon. MD Melb. FRACP
Marjorie Elizabeth Dunlop, MSc Melb. PhD Melb.
Damon Eisen, MB BS Melb. MD Melb. FRACP
Joseph Epstein AM, MB BS Melb. BA Melb. FRACS FACEM
Leon Flicker, MB BS NSW PhD, GDip.Epi. Melb. FRACP
Stephen John Gibson, BSc LaT. PhD LaT.
Michael Green, MB BS Melb. FRACP
Peter Bert Greenberg, MB BS Melb. MD Melb.
PhD Melb. FRACP
Andrew Paul Grigg, MB BS Melb. FRACP FRCPA
Stephen Hall, BMedSci, MB BS Mon. FRACP
Vere David Urquhart Hunt, MD BS Melb. FRACP FACC DDU
Louis Beau Irving, MB BS Melb. FRACGP FRACP
Zeinab Khalil, MB BS Cairo MSc Cairo PhD Melb.
Christine Julie Kilpatrick, MB BS Melb. MD Melb. FRACP
Geoffrey John Lindeman, BSc Syd. MB BS Syd.
PhD Melb. FRACP
Lawrence Paul McMahon, MB BS Melb. MD Melb. FRACP
Harry George Mond, MB BS Melb. MD Melb.
DDU FRACP FACC
David McRae Russell, MB BS Melb. MD Melb. FRACP
Donald James Bourne St John, AM, MB BS Melb.
FRACP FRCP
Jeffrey Szer, MB BS Mon. BMedSci Mon. FRACP
Brian Duncan Tait, BSc Melb. MSc Melb. PhD Melb. FRCP
Harry Teichtahl, MB BS Mon. FRACP FACCP
Jitendra Vohra, MB BS India MD India FRACP FRCP
76
Fellows
Students
Geoffrey Lionel Abbott, MB BS Mon. DipMSM Otago
FACRM FAFRM(RACP)
Andrea Bendrups, BSc Melb. MSc Melb.
MB BS Melb. FRACP
Roger Wilkie Brown, MB BS Melb. FRACP
Michael Chou, MB BS Melb. FACRM
Anastasia Chrysostomou, MB BS Flind. FRACP
Ian David Jennens, MB BS Melb. FRACP
Jacques Joubert, MBChB Stellenbosh MRCP
Debra Kerr, RN, CoronaryCareCert. RMH BN RMIT
GDipBusMgtHlth RMIT MBL RMIT GCClin.ResMeths Mon.
Li Lan, BMSc Taiyuan
Lara Lipton, MB BS Melb. PhD Lond. FRACP
Lige Liu, MMed. Xi’an MD Xi’an
Geoffrey Markov, MB BS Melb. FRACP
Vesna Markovska, BSc Melb.
Geoffrey Metz AM, MB BS Mon. MD Mon.
FACP FRACP MRCP FRCP
Eugenia Pedagogos, MB BS Melb. FRACP
Ema Pitts, BSc Swin.
Jeffrey John Presneill, MB BS Qld. PhD Melb.
FRACP FJFICM
Jack Richards, MB BS Melb. FRACP
Darren Russell, MB BS Melb. GDipVen Mon.
FRACGP FACSHP
Narelle Skinner, BAppSci (Hons) Swin.
Geeta Srivatsa, BSc (Hons) Lond. MB BS Lond.
MRCP FRACP
Vijaya Sundararajan, BA Oklahoma MD Oklahoma
MPH Nth Carolina, FACP
Gregory James Taggart, MB BS Melb. FRACP
Kumar Visvanathan, MB BS NSW PhD NSW FRACP
Medical Postgraduate Research Scholar
Staff & Students
Murray James Leikis, BHB NZ MBCLB NZ FRACP
Christopher Mark MacIsaac, MB BS Mon.
Sandra Petty, MB BS Melb.
Susan Anne Skull, MB BS Adel. MAppEpi ANU
FRACP, FAFPHM
Rosemary Sutton, MB BS Melb.
Public Health Scholar
Paul Charles Vinton, MB BS Mon.
National Health and Medical Research Council Dora
Lush Biomedical Scholar
Theo Gouskos, BA Melb. BSc Melb.
Australia Postgraduate Award
Louise Evelyn Allport, MB BS Newcastle (NSW)
Bianca Marie Jupp, BSc Melb.
Laura Kate Zamurs, BSc Melb.
Melbourne Research Scholarship
Natalie El Haber, BSc Melb.
Christine Massa, BSc Melb.
Melbourne International Research Scholarship
Gabriela Minigo, DipHumBiol Ernst-Moriz Arndt fs
PhD Ernst-Moriz Arndt fs
The University of Melbourne Special Postgraduate
Studentship
Adrian Arumainayagiam Achuthan, BBiomedSci Melb.
Margaret Chang, BTech Auck.
Felix Indigo Llewelyn Clanchy, BAppSci Deak. LLB Deak.
BSc Deak.
Dominic DeNardo, BSc Melb.
Andrew James Fleetwood, BSc Melb.
Cameron Jackson, BSc Melb.
Roya Lari, BSc Melb.
Rink-Jan Lohman, BSc Melb.
Christopher N. Lemoh, MB BS UTas. GDipClinEpi Mon.
Emily Jane Mann, BSc Melb.
Rajna Ogrin, BPod LaT.
Jane Prosser, MB BS Syd.
Susan Senn, BSc Melb.
Anita Vinton, MB BS Mon.
The University of Melbourne Viola Edith Reid
Scholarship
Elizabeth Chow, MB BS Melb.
Postgraduate PhD and MD Scholars
Ilana Naomi Ackerman, BPhysio Melb.
Ibrahim Sidi Moh’d A Al-shinkity, MB BS King Abdullaziz Univ.
77
Staff & Students
Hang Thi Cam Dinh, BMedSci Melb. BSc Melb.
David Nicholas Edis, MB BS Melb. FRACS
Alexandra Erin Fischer, BSc Melb.
Andrew Grigg, MB BS Melb. FRCPA, FRACP
Julian Hunt-Smith, MB BS Melb. FANZCA\
Meegan Howlett, BSc Melb.
Farees Khan, MB BS Punjab FAFRM (RACP)
Poh-Sien Loh, MB BS UWA
Sina Ahou Malki, MD Melb. MB BS Melb.
Rosemary Masterson, MB BCh NUI BAO NUI
DipPhysio LRCPSI
Katherine Jane Murray, BAppSci SAIT MPhysio Melb.
Paul Older, MB BS Lond. LRCP MRCS FRCA FANZCA
FFICANZCA
Anthony Peterson, BSc Melb.
Grantley Ross Peck, BSc Melb.
Lisa Joy Pullen, BEng Mon.
Yeliz Rifat, BSc Melb.
78
Leo Rando, MB BS Melb.
Kurt Roberts-Thomson, MB BS Adel.
Rebecca L. Rose, DipNurs Wellington Poly BNurs
Massey MNurs Melb.
Jessica Salmon, BSc Melb.
Narmatha Satkunanthan, BSc Melb.
Monica Slavin, MB BS Melb.
Ken Hoo Soon, MB BS Melb. FRACP
Irene Stevenson, MB BS Melb. FRACP
Cassandra Szoeke, MB BS Flind. BSc Melb.
Sophie Claire Treleaven, MB BS Melb. MPH Mon.
GDipIntHlth Mon. FRACP
David Wang, BMed PRChina, MAppSci RMIT
Lindy Washington, BSc Melb.
Ian John Woolley, MB BS Melb. FRACP
Leon Worth, MB BS Melb. FRACP
Paul Ross Wraight, MB BS Melb.
Publications 2005
Ackerman, I., Graves, S., Wicks, I., Bennell, K. & Osborne, R.
Severely compromised quality of life in women and those of
lower socioeconomic status waiting for joint replacement
surgery. Arthritis & Rheumatism 53: 653–8.
Alker, A., Mwapasa, V., Purfield, A., Rogerson, S., Molyneux,
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Howie, D., McGee, M., Costi, K. & Graves, S. Metal-onmetal resurfacing versus total hip replacement—The value
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Hussein, Z., Tress, B. & Colman, P. A Combined case of
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Idilman, R., Erden, E., Arat, M., Soydan, E., Erkan, O., Kuzu,
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Irvine, D., Shaw, M., Choo, K. & Saffery, R. Engineering
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Johannesson, M., Karlsson, J., Wernhoff, P., Nandakumar,
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Joubert, J. Diagnosing headache. Australian Family
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Joubert, J. Migraine. Diagnosis and treatment. Australian
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Judd, L., Andringa, A., Rubio, C., Spicer, Z., Shull, G. &
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Kelly, A., Kerr, D., Dietze, P., Patrick, I., Walker, T. &
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Kelly, A., Kerr, D. & Middleton, P. Validation of venous
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Kerr, D., Bradshaw, L. & Kelly, A. Implementation of the
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King, S., Topliss, D., Kotsimbos, T., Nyulasi, I., Bailey, M.,
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Kistler, P., Fynn, S., Haqqani, H., Stevenson, I., Vohra, J.,
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Kistler, P. & Kalman, J. Locating focal atrial tachycardias
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S., Diringer, M., Skolnick, B. & Steiner, T. Recombinant
activated factor VII for acute intracerebral hemorrhage. New
England Journal of Medicine 352: 777–85.
Mayer, S., Brun, N., Broderick, J., Davis, S., Diringer,
M., Skolnick, B. & Steiner, T. Safety and feasibility of
recombinant factor VIIa for acute intracerebral hemorrhage.
Stroke 36: 74–9.
McColl, G., Szer, J. & Wicks, I. Sustained remission,
possibly cure, of seronegative arthritis after high-dose
chemotherapy and syngeneic hematopoietic stem cell
transplantation. Arthritis & Rheumatism 52: 3322.
Men, B., Grundy, J., Cane, J., Rasmey, L., Sim An, N.,
Chan Soeung, S., Jenkinson, K., Boreland, M., Maynard,
J. & Biggs, B. Key issues relating to decentralization at
the provincial level of health management inCambodia.
International Journal of Health Planning and Management
20: 3–19.
Menon, S. & Kelly, A. How accurate is weight estimation
in the emergency department? Emergency Medicine
Australasia 17: 113–16.
Mijch, A., Sasadeusz, J., Hellard, M., Dunne, M., McCaw,
R., Bowden, S. & Gowans, E. A study to investigate the
impact of the initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy
on the hepatitis C virus viral load in HIV/HCV-coinfected
patients. Antiviral Therapy 10: 277–84.
Moeller, M., Haynes, N., Kershaw, M., Jackson, J., Teng,
M., Street, S., Cerutti, L., Jane, S., Trapani, J., Smyth, M.
& Darcy, P. Adoptive transfer of gene-engineered CD4+
helper T cells induces potent primary and secondary tumor
rejection. Blood 106: 2995–3003.
Moritz, K., Jefferies, A., Wong, J., Wintour-Coghlan,
E., Wintour, E. & Dodic, M. Reduced renal reserve
and increased cardiac output in adult female sheep
uninephrectomized as fetuses. Kidney International 67:
822–8.
Morton, J. & Kalman, J. Intracardiac echocardiographic
anatomy for the interventional electrophysiologist. Journal
of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology 13: 11–16.
83
Mueller, I., Namuigi, P., Kundi, J., Ivivi, R., Tandrapah, T.,
Bjorge, S. & Reeder, J. Epidemic malaria in the Highlands of
Papua New Guinea. American Journal of Tropical Medicine
and Hygiene 72: 554–60.
Murray, S. & Skull, S. Hurdles to health: immigrant and
refugee health care in Australia. Australian Health Review
29: 25–9.
Publications
Nelson, C., Karschimkus, C., Dragicevic, G., Packham, D.,
Wilson, A., Becker, G., O’Neal, D., Best, J. & Jenkins, A.
Systemic and vascular inflammation is elevated in early IgA
and Type 1 diabetic nephropathies and relates to vascular
disease risk factors and renal function. Nephrology Dialysis
Ng, A., Worth, L., Chen, L., Seymour, J., Prince, H., Slavin,
M. & Thursky, K. Cytomegalovirus DNAemia and disease:
incidence, natural history and management in settings other
than allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Haematologica
90: 1672–9.
Nguyen, Q., Le, X., Hoang, N., Tran, Q., Caruana, S., Biggs,
B. & Morrow, M. KAP surveys and malaria control in
Vietnam: Findings and cautions about community research.
Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public
Health 36: 572–7.
Nivison-Smith, I., Bradstock, K., Dodds, A., Hawkins, P.
& Szer, J. Haemopoietic stem cell transplanatation in
Australia and New Zealand, 1992–2001: Progress report
from the Australasian Bone Marrow Transplant Recipient
Registry. Internal Medicine Journal 35: 18–27.
Ogrin, R., Darzins, P. & Khalil, Z. Age-related changes
in microvascular blood flow and transcutaneous oxygen
tension under basal and stimulated conditions. Journal of
Gerontology Series A—Biological Sciences and Medical
Sciences 60A: 200–06.
Olayioye, M., Kaufmann, H., Pakusch, M., Vaux, D.,
Lindeman, G. & Visvader, J. XIAP-deficiency leads to
delayed lobuloalveolar development in the mammary gland.
Cell Death & Differentiation 12: 87–90.
Olayioye, M., Vehring, S., Muller, P., Herrmann, A,. Schiller,
J., Thiele C., Lindeman, G., Visvader J. & Pomorski, T.
StarD10, a START domain protein overexpressed in breast
cancer, functions as a phospholipid transfer protein. Journal
of Biological Chemistry 280: 27436–42.
Packham, D., Perkovic, V., Savige, J. & Broome, M.
Hematuria in thin basement membrane nephropathy.
Seminars in Nephrology 25: 146–8.
Petty, S., Paton, L., O’Brien, T., Makovey, J., Erbas, B.,
Sambrook, P., Berkovic, S. & Wark, J. Effect of antiepileptic
medication on bone mineral measures. Neurology 65: 1358–63.
M., Friedlander, M. & Hopper, J. Predictors of participation
in clinical and psychosocial follow-up of the kConFab breast
cancer family cohort. Familial Cancer 4: 105–13.
Pihusch, M., Bacigalupo, A., Szer, J., Von Depka Prondzinsk,
M., Gaspar-Blaudschun, B., Hyveled, L. & Brenner,
M. Recombinant activated factor VII in treatment of
bleeding complications following hematopoietic stem cell
transplantation. Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis 3:
1935–44.
Prosser, J., Butcher, K., Allport, L., Parsons, M., MacGregor,
L., Desmond, P., Tress, B. & Davis, S. Clinical-diffusion
mismatch predicts the putative penumbra with high
specificity. Stroke 36: 1700–04.
Raevaara, T., Korhonen, M., Lohi, H., Hampel, H., Lynch, E.,
Lonnovist, K., Holinski-Feder, E., Sutter, C., McKinnon, W.,
Duraisamy, S., Gerdes, A., Peltomaki, P., Kohonen-Corish,
M., Mangold, E., Macrae, F., Greenblatt, M., De La Chapelle,
A. & Nystrom, M. Functional significance and clinica
phenotype of nontruncating mismatch repair variants of
MLH1. Gastroenterology 129: 537–49.
Reed, M., Colman, P. & Barraclough, D. Cyclical Cushing’s
disease causing recurrent oedema and knee effusions.
Internal Medicine Journal 35: 199–202.
Ritchie, D., Sainani, A., D’Souza, A. & Grigg, A. Passive
donor-to-recipient transfer to antiphospholipid syndrome
following allogeneic stem-cell transplantation. American
Journal of Hematology 79: 299–302.
Roberts-Thomson, K., Kistler, P. & Kalman, J. Atrial
tachycardia: mechanisms, diagnosis, and management.
Current Problems in Cardiology 30: 529–73.
Roiniotis, J., Masendycz, P., Ho, S. & Scholz, G. Domainmediated dimerization of the Hsp90 cochaperones harc and
Cdc37. Biochemistry 44: 6662–9.
Rosenthal, M., Gibbs, P., Brown, T., Wong, S., Uren, S., Ellis,
A., Li, L., Heldin, P. & Fox, R. Phase I and pharmacokinetic
evaluation of intravenous hyaluronic acid in combination with
doxorubicin or 5-fluorouracil. Chemotherapy 51: 132–41.
Rosenthal, M. & Le, B. Small cell lung cancer with tracheal
obstruction. Internal Medicine Journal 35: 490.
Rosenthal, M., Sarson-Lawrence, M., Alt, C., Arkell, K. &
Dodds, M. Ethics committee reviews and mutual acceptance:
A pilot study. Internal Medicine Journal 35: 650–4.
Samuel, S., Mookerjee, I., Samuel, C., Masterson, R.,
Tregear, G. & Hewitson, T. Relaxin regulates collagen
overproduction associated with experimental progressive
renal fibrosis. Annals of The New York Academy of Sciences
1041: 182–4.
Phillips, K., Butow, P., Stewart, A., Chang, J., Weideman,
P., Price, M., McLachlan, S., Southey, M., Bennett, B.,
Meiser, B., Tucker, K., Lim, J., Tennant, C., Apicella, C.,
Hickie, I., Berry, G., MacLurcan, M., Lindeman G., McKay
84
Satkunanathan, N., Livett, B., Gayler, K., Sandall, D., Down,
J. & Khalil, Z. Alpha-conotoxin Vc1.1 alleviates neuropathic
pain and accelerates functional recovery of injured
neurones. Brain Research 1059: 149–58.
Scheffer, R., Gooszen, H., Hebbard, G. & Samsom, M. The
role of transsphincteric pressure and proximal gastric
volume in acid reflux before and after fundoplication.
Scheffer, R., Samsom, M., Haverkamp, A., Oors, J., Hebbard,
G. & Gooszen, H. Impaired bolus transit aCross, the
esophagogastric junction in postfundoplication dysphagia.
American Journal of Gastroenterology 100: 1677–84.
Scott, I. & Greenberg, P. Cautionary tales in the clinical
interpretation of therapeutic trial reports. Internal Medicine
Journal 35: 611–21.
Skinner, N., MacIsaac, C., Hamilton, J. & Visvanathan,
K. Regulation of Toll-like receptor (TRL)2 and TLR4 on
CD14dimCD16+ monocytes in response to sepsis-related
antigens. Clinical and Experimental Immunology 141: 270–8.
Sundararajan, V., MacIsaac, C., Presneill, J., Cade, J.
& Visvanathan, K. Epidemiology of sepsis in Victoria,
Australia. Critical Care Medicine 33: 71–80.
Syafruddin, D., Asih, P., Casey, G., Maguire, J., Baird,
J., Nagesha, H., Cowman, A. & Reeder, J. Molecular
epidemiology of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to
antimalarial drugs in Indonesia. American Journal of
Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 72: 174–81.
Taher, T., Salzberg, M., Morris, M., Rees, S. & O’Brien, T.
Chronic low-dose corticosterone supplementation enhances
acquired epileptogenesis in the rat amygdala kindling model
of TLE. Neuropsychopharmacology 30: 1610–16.
Tam, C., Seymour, J., Brown, M., Campbell, P., Scarlett, J.,
Underhill, C., Ritchie, D., Bond, R. & Grigg, A. Early and late
infectious consequences of adding rituximab to fludarabine
and cyclophosphamide in patients with indolent lymphoid
malignancies. Haematologica 90: 700–02.
Tang, J. & Gibson, S. A psychophysical evaluation of the
relationship between trait anxiety, pain perception, and
induced state anxiety. Journal of Pain 6: 612–19.
Tao, J., Kuliyev, E., Wang, X., Li, X., Wilanowski, T., Jane,
S., Mead, P. & Cunningham, J. MBP4-dependent expression
of Xenopus grainyhead-like 1 is essential for epidermal
differentiation. Development 132: 1021–34.
Soon, K., Bell, K. & Lim, Y. Multislice CT to evaluate
coronary stent patency: A case report. Catheterization and
Cardiovascular Interventions 65: 34–36.
Teichtahl, H., Wang, D., Cunnington, D., Quinnell, T., Tran,
H., Kronborg, I. & Drummer, O. Ventilatory responses to
hypoxia and hypercapnia in stable methadone maintenance
treatment patients. Chest 128: 1339–47.
Stevenson, I., Kistler, P., Spence, S., Vohra, J., Sparks,
P., Morton, J. & Kalman, J. Scar-related right atrial
macroreentrant tachycardia in patients without prior atrial
surgery: Electroanatomic characterization and ablation
outcome. Heart Rhythm 2: 594–601.
Teng, M., Kershaw, M., Hayakawa, Y., Cerutti, L., Jane, S.,
Darcy, P. & Smyth, M. T cells gene-engineered with DAP12
mediate effector function in an NKG2D-dependent and
major histocompatibility complex-independent manner.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 280: 38235–41.
Stroud, L., O’Brien, T., Jupp, B., Wallengren, C. & Morris, M.
Neuropeptide Y suppresses absence seizure in a genetic rat
model. Brain Research 1033: 151–6.
Ting, S., Caddy, J., Hislop, N., Wilanowski, T., Auden, A.,
Zhao, L-L., Ellis, S., Kaur, P., Uchida, Y., Holleran, W., Elias,
P., Cunningham, J. & Jane, S. A homolog of Drosophila
grainy head is essential for epdermal integrity in mice.
Science 308: 411–13.
Sum, E., O’Reilly, L., Jonas, N., Lindeman, G. & Visvader,
J. The LIM domain protein Lmo4 is highly expressed
in proliferating mouse epithelial tissues. Journal of
Histochemistry and Cytochemistry 53: 475–86.
Sum, E., Segara, D., Duscio, B., Bath, M., Field, A.,
Sutherland, R., Lindeman, G. & Visvader, J. Overexpression
of LMO4 induces mammary hyperplasia, promotes cell
invasion, and is a predictor of poor outcome in breast
cancer. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of
the United States of America 102: 7659–64.
Sum, E., Shackleton, M., Hahm, K., Thomas, R., O’Reilly,
L., Wagner, K-U., Lindeman, G. & Visvader, J. Loss of the
LIM domain protein Lmo4 in the mammary gland during
pregnancy impedes lobuloalveolar development. Oncogene
24: 4820–8.
Publications
Sardjono, C., Mottram, P., Van De Velde, N., Powell, M., Power,
D., Slocombe, R., Wicks, I., Campbell, I., McKenzie, S., Brooks,
M., Stevenson, A. & Hogarth, P. Development of spontaneous
multisystem autoimmune disease and hypersensitivity to
antibody-induced inflammation in Fcy Receptor IIa-transgenic
mice. Arthritis & Rheumatism 52: 3220–9.
Van Doornum, S., McColl, G. & Wicks, I. Tumour necrosis
factor antagonists improve disease activity but not arterial
stiffness in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology 44: 1428–32.
Vinton, A., Fahey, M., O’Brien, T., Shaw, J., Storey, E.,
Gardner, R., Mitchell, P., Du Sart, D. & King, J. Dentatorubralpallidoluysian atrophy in three generations, with clinical
courses from nearly asymptomatic elderly to severe juvenile,
in an Australian family of Macedonian descent. American
Journal of Medical Genetics 136A: 201–04.
85
Vinton, A., Kronberg, A., Cowley, M., Matkovic, Z.,
Kilpatrick, C. & O’Brien, T. Tiagabine-induced generalised
non convulsive status epilepticus in patients with lesional
focal epilepsy. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience 12: 128–33.
Publications
Viskin, S., Rosovski, U., Sands, A., Chen, E., Kistler, P.,
Kalman, J., Rodriguez Chavez, L., Iturralde Torres, P., Cruz,
FF., Centurion, O., Fujiki, A., Maury, P., Chen, X., Krahn, A.,
Roithinger, F., Zhang, L., Vincent, G. & Zeltser, D. Inaccurate
electrocardiographic interpretation of long QT: The majority
of physicians cannot recognize a long QT when they see
one. Heart Rhythm 2: 569–74.
Waite, R., Giraud, A., Old, J., Howlett, M., Shaw, G.,
Nicholas, K. & Familari, M. Cross-fostering in Macropus
eugenii leads to increased weight but not accelerated
gastrointestinal maturation. Journal of Experimental
Zoology 303A: 331–44.
Wallengren, C., Li, S., Morris, M., Jupp, B. & O’Brien,
T. Aggravation of absence seizures by carbamazepine
in a genetic rat model does not induce neuronal c_fos
activation. Clinical Neuropharmacology 28: 60–5.
Wraight, P., Lawrence, S., Campbell, D. & Colman,
P. Creation of a multidisciplinary, evidence based,
clinical guideline for the assessment, investigation and
management of acute diabetes related foot complications.
Diabetic Medicine 22: 127–36.
Yan, B., Parsons, M., McKay, S., Campbell, D., Infeld, B.,
Czajko, T. & Davis, S. When to measure lipid profile after
stroke? Cerebrovascular Diseases 19: 234–8.
Yeomans, N., Lanas, A., Talley, N., Thomson, A., Daneshjoo,
R., Eriksson, B., Appelman-Eszczuk, S., Langstrom, G.,
Naesdal, J., Serrano, P., Singh, M., Kelly, M. & Hawkey,
C. Prevalence and incidence of gastroduodenal ulcers
during treatment with vascular protective doses of aspirin.
Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics 22: 795–801.
Zhou, J., Chehab, R., Tkalcevic, J., Naylor, M., Harris, J.,
Wilson, T., Tsao, S., Tellis, I., Zavarsek, S., Xu, D., Lapinskas,
E., Visvader, J., Lindeman, G., Thomas, R., Ormandy, C.,
Hertzog, P., Ismail, K. & Pritchard, M. Elf5 is essential for
early embryogenesis and mammary gland development
during pregnancy and lcatation. EMBO Journal 24: 635–44.
Wang, D., Teichtahl, H., Drummer, O., Goodman, C., Cherry,
G., Cunnington, D. & Kronborg, I. Central sleep apnea in
stable methadone maintenance treatment patients. Chest
128: 1348–56.
Wang, Y., Ebeling, P., Hanna, F., O’Sullivan, R. & Cicuttini, F.
Relationship between bone markers and knee cartilage volume
in healthy men. Journal of Rheumatology 32: 2200–04.
Warren, A., Bertolino, P., Cogger, V., McLean, A., Fraser, R. &
Le Couteur, D. Hepatic pseudocapillarization in aged mice.
Experimental Gerontology 40: 807–12.
Wilson, N., Cross, M., Nguyen, T. & Hamilton, J. cAMP
inhibits CSF-1-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation but
augments CSF-1R-mediated macrophage differentiation and
ERK activation. The FEBS Journal 272: 4141–52.
Wong, A., Cheng, A., Chan, C. & Lim, Y. Cardiogenic shock
caused by severe coronary artery spasm. Texas Heart
Institute Journal 32: 78–80.
Wong, C., Sengupta, Tjandra, J. & Gibson, P. The influence
of specific luminal factors on the colonic epithelium:
high-dose butyrate and physical changes suppress early
carcinogenic events in rats. Diseases of the Colon and
Rectum 48: 549–59.
Wong, P., Campbell, I., Robb, L. & Wicks, I. Endogenous IL11 is pro-inflammatory in acute methylated bovine serum
albumin/interleukin-1-induced (mBSA/IL-1)arthritis. Cytokine
29: 72–6.
Worth, L., Dooley, M., Seymour, J., Mileshkin, L.,
Slavin, M. & Thursky, K. An analysis of the utilisation of
chemoprophylaxis against Pneumocystic jirovecii pneumonia
in patients with malignancy receiving corticosteroid therapy
at a cancer hospital. British Journal of Cancer 92: 867–72.
86

2005 Annual Report - Department of Medicine

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