Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute News

Novel collaborative studies between CHIRI-researchers and the Curtin Institute for Computation specialist Dr Kevin Chai

By Kerrie Collier 28 September 2017 News Comments off

*Quantitation of cerebral capillary immunofluorescence images

Research team: Dr. Matt Albrecht, Mr. Corey Giles, Prof. John Mamo, Dr. Ryu Takechi, Dr. Virgine Lam. CIC specialist: Dr. Kevin Chai

Working over at the Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute (CHIRI), our group has a specialised interest in exploring the relationship between blood brain barrier (BBB) leakage and cognitive decline. To do this, we collect images in mouse models using interventions that impair, restore, and/or maintain BBB function. The images are generated by fluorescence staining of brain slices for the protein immunoglobulin G (IgG). Read more…

Visit to CHIRI – EU-Australian consortium

By Kerrie Collier 14 September 2017 News Special guests Comments off

The first group of European researchers with expertise in biochemical and nano-technological science are visiting Dr Hani Al-Salami’s lab, in a collaborative project funded by the prestigious EU Horizon 2020 grant.

Dr Bojan Stanimirov (right) and Dr Nebojsa Pavlovic (left) are part of the EU-Australian consortium who secured an EU Horizon 2020 funding (2016; 4 years), which incorporates leading researchers from the EU (Serbia, Germany and France) and Australia (Curtin). Read more…

Award-winning cancer treatment discovery to improve survival

By Kerrie Collier 24 August 2017 News Comments off

New hope for improving the life expectancy of mesothelioma patients is emerging, with CHIRI researchers recently discovering an important link between the cancer and immune function.

Lead researcher Dr Delia Nelson, who was recently awarded CHIRI Best Publication by the WA Deputy Premier and Minister for Health and for Mental Health, the Honorable Roger Cook MLA, said her team were able to uncover that mesothelioma patients have significant immune defects, and those with better immune function lived longer. Read more…

CHIRI Seminar Series – Professor Andrew Whitehouse

By Kerrie Collier 17 August 2017 Events News Special guests Comments off

Prof Andrew Whitehouse
Head, Autism Research Team Telethon Kids Institute

“Can we prevent disability in autism through infant interventions? Re-writing the rulebook”

Thursday August 24 – 1:00pm to 2:00pm
Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley Building 401 – Room 001:LT

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, characterised by deficits in social communication ability and repetitive and restricted behaviours and interests. ASD typically diagnosed between 3 and 5 years of age, which is when behavioural symptoms are able to be clearly identified without ambiguity. A major problem with this relatively ‘late’ age of diagnosis is that by the time a child has been identified as having ASD, many of the best opportunities to provide lasting change to the developing brain has already passed by. But what if we threw out the rulebook of rigid diagnoses, and created a new paradigm in which we identified infants as young as 12 months of age as being ‘at risk’ of ASD, and provided preventative therapy? Could this new paradigm prevent infants ‘at risk’ of ASD ever developing the disability usually associated with the condition? In this presentation, Andrew will present the world-wide research investigating for this new rule book, and discuss whether there is sufficient evidence for its adoption in clinical practice. He will also outline the trials of ‘very early interventions’ (i.e., in the first year of life) conducted within his own research clinic. The aim of this lecture is to challenge the audience to rethink the current clinical pathway and to start a conversation about how we can best help each child on the spectrum reach their full potential.

International recognition in pharmaceutical science and biotechnology

By Kerrie Collier 15 August 2017 Announcements News Comments off

Louise Woodhams, a CHIRI honours student (School of Pharmacy) [2016-current] in Dr Hani Al-Salami’s lab, has won a prestigious fund representing Australia (among 2 others from UQ and Griffith), to showcase her work entitled: “Novel nanotechnological advancement in new bile acid oral-targeted delivery for encapsulation of potential antidiabetic drugs”. Louise presented her work in the IPF International Pharmaceutical World Congress in Taiwan (Aug 2017).

Louise competed against PhD students and researchers in pharmaceutical science and biotechnology, winning first place, which includes further funding to attend the upcoming International FIP World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science in September 2017 being held in South Korea.

Louise’s recent successes have been complemented with her first paper (July 2017) on utilising bile acids in biotechnology and pharmaceutical delivery systems to treat Type 1 diabetes: Woodhams, L., and H. Al-Salami. 2017. “The roles of bile acids and applications of microencapsulation technology in treating Type 1 diabetes mellitus.” Therapeutic Delivery 8 (6): 401-409. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28530150

Please congratulate Louise on this fantastic achievement.

Louise Woodhams Dr Hani Al-Salami

CHIRI baby news

By Kerrie Collier 10 August 2017 Announcements News Comments off

Please meet the newest addition to Dr. Nina Tirnitz-Parker’s lab Miss Emma Köhn. Emma was born on the 27th July at 3 am weighing 3435 g. She looks exactly like her older sister Mia at that age. Mum and Bub are now at home and apparently, Emma has been the perfect baby so far. Congratulations Julia and Fillippo!

Australian Islet Study group meeting

By Kerrie Collier 10 August 2017 News Comments off

The Australian Islet Study group meeting will focus on findings in islet development, physiology, pathophysiology, genetics and metabolism that may lead to the discovery and development of new treatments and/or a cure for diabetes.

The meeting will start with a plenary on Friday evening and continue all-day Saturday with a mix of invited speakers and talks selected from abstract submissions. Morning tea and lunch will be provided on Saturday 2 September. Further information and registration details can be found here

Date: 1 – 2 September 2017

Time: 5 pm Friday; 9 am to 4 pm Saturday

Venue: Harry Perkins Institute, 6 Verdun St, Nedlands WA 6009

Cost: Researchers: $150 | Students: $75 | Speaker or Organiser: $0

Award winning research reveals the secret life of evolving bacteria

By Kerrie Collier 7 August 2017 News Comments off

CHIRI and Murdoch University researchers have shed new light on the private life of bacteria, following a discovery that holds clues to the way bacteria adapt to new environments.

Research leader Dr Josh Ramsay, who was recently awarded ‘Best Paper by a CHIRI Early Career Researcher’ by WA Deputy Premier and Minister for Health and for Mental Health, the Honorable Roger Cook MLA, has helped uncover a new type of gene transfer within bacteria that had never before been observed or expected. Read more…

CHIRI People – Adnan Mannan

By Kerrie Collier 3 August 2017 News Opportunities Comments off

Great to see another of our talented postgraduates extending their skill set. This time, we are pleased to advise that Adnan Mannan, a postgraduate student supervised by Dr Rima Caccetta (School of Pharmacy) and Prof Erik Helmerhorst (School of Biomedical Sciences) has been selected to join other postgraduate research students by the Research Development Unit of the Health Department, Western Australia, to report on the Medical Health Research Infrastructure program which provides infrastructure funding to established, high-performing researchers in Western Australia.

Congratulations Adnan on this industry-based opportunity.

NHMRC Dementia Leadership Award for CHIRI’s Dr Ryusuke Takechi

By Kerrie Collier 1 August 2017 Announcements News Comments off

The Hon. Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health, Minister for Sport and The Hon. Ken Wyatt AM, MP, Minister for Aged Care, Minister for Indigenous Health, yesterday announced $40 million for dementia research projects which will improve the lives of Australians fighting dementia. The announcement was made at the Curtin University Medical School and CHIRI is delighted to advise that Dr Ryusuke Takechi (School of Public Health) was awarded a prestigious NHMRC Dementia Leadership Award, totalling $719,000. The award supports a research line of enquiry recognised in 2014 by NHMRC via the Marshall and Warren Award for most innovative and potentially transformative research project grant. Through the Dementia Leadership Fellowship award, Dr Takechi is leading collaborative studies exploring cerebral capillary integrity in diabetes and risk for dementia.

Please congratulate Ryu on his award.