News Archive 2009
We now know that the brain controls the formation of bone
MEDIA RELEASE:
22 Dec 2009
New findings show that bone formation, far from being a straightforward mechanical process dependent on body weight, is delicately orchestrated by the brain, which sends and receives signals through the body’s neural and hormone systems.
My Genes Made Me Eat That: Are Our Parents to Blame for Our Body Size?
MEDIA RELEASE:
15 Dec 2009
Genetic influences on appetite and weight are profound and may pave the way toward more targeted and effective therapies for weight management says Professor Stephen O’Rahilly from Cambridge University, giving a free public lecture on the genetics of obesity tonight at Garvan.
New weight loss approach targets the body and not the brain
MEDIA RELEASE:
25 Nov 2009
Current drug-based weight loss therapies try to stop the brain from sending hunger signals to the body. These therapies tend to be fairly ineffective, Garvan researchers reasoned, so why not reverse the approach and stop the body from receiving signals from the brain? So that’s what they did, and it worked. In mice at least.
What B cells can tell us about certain cancers and autoimmune diseases
MEDIA RELEASE:
23 Nov 2009
By studying blood samples from patients recovering from bone marrow transplants, Garvan scientists have been able to extract information that could help us fight certain cancers and autoimmune diseases.
Findings that should speed the development of drugs for Parkinson’s Disease
MEDIA RELEASE:
18 Nov 2009
Neuroscientists at Garvan have significantly advanced our understanding of dopamine release from nerve cells, findings that should speed the development of more effective drugs for treating Parkinson’s Disease.
New findings connect diet and intestinal bacteria with healthier immune systems
MEDIA RELEASE:
29 Oct 2009
Insoluble dietary fibre, or roughage, not only keeps you regular, there is evidence to suggest it also plays a vital role in keeping many diseases at bay. Published tomorrow in Nature, breakthrough research by a Garvan team describes a mechanism that links diet, gut bacteria and the immune system.
Research Fellowship announcement to support link between weight loss and the reversal of Type 2 diabetes
MEDIA RELEASE:
27 Oct 2009
Associate Professor Katherine Samaras is the new recipient of the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Don Chisholm Diabetes Research Fellowship. The Fellowship is dedicated to funding vital research into the causes, processes and treatments for Type 2 diabetes, one of Australia’s most common and serious diseases – and is named in honour of Professor Don Chisholm, who is recognised as a leader in clinical diabetes research.
The genetic fuse that may ignite Type 1 diabetes
MEDIA RELEASE:
20 Oct 2009
Garvan scientists have discovered that a tiny genetic irregularity, which boosts the expression of a key gene, may lead to the development of Type 1 diabetes. While there is no cure yet, prevention therapies are on the horizon, making the development of reliable screening tools critical. And that's where the current finding has promise.
The free radical that triggers insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes
MEDIA RELEASE:
28 Sep 2009
Garvan scientists have found that overeating may stimulate the conversion of the oxygen in the air we breathe into toxic free radicals, leading to insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. Until now, no-one has identified the central mechanism, or cellular switch, that initiates insulin resistance.
How coconut oil could help reduce the symptoms of Type 2 diabetes
MEDIA RELEASE:
08 Sep 2009
A new study in animals demonstrates that a diet rich in coconut oil protects against ‘insulin resistance’ in muscle and fat. It also avoids the accumulation of body fat caused by other high fat diets of similar calorie content – although can cause fat build up in the liver. These findings are important because obesity and insulin resistance are major factors leading to the development of Type 2 diabetes.
Epigenetics featured in NHMRC ‘Ten of the Best Research Projects 2009’
17 Aug 2009
The work of Garvan’s Professor Susan Clark is featured in the NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council) 10 of the Best Research Projects 2009 booklet, launched this morning in Canberra. Of the hundreds of research projects funded by the NHMRC each year, the booklet highlights those that best help combat some of the nation’s biggest health challenges.
Garvan welcomes promising results for new lupus drug
MEDIA RELEASE:
13 Aug 2009
Garvan scientists have welcomed recent news that a late-stage clinical trial of the lupus drug belimumab has shown highly promising results. If approved, it will be the first new treatment for lupus, or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), in decades.
Promising step towards controlling autoimmune diseases
MEDIA RELEASE:
28 Jul 2009
Australian scientists believe they may have identified a master regulator that tips our bodies into autoimmunity when our immune systems overreact, and into immunodeficiency when they underreact. Understanding the mechanisms involved is a promising step in the development of drugs to dampen a range of autoimmune diseases, which affect about 3% of the population.
Why measuring absolute risk of fracture could save many broken bones
MEDIA RELEASE:
28 Jul 2009
Garvan scientists stress the importance of measuring a person's absolute risk of fracture when determining their treatment options. Other factors currently determine whether or not the Australian Government will pay for preventative treatment.
Shedding light on life at the edge of our cells
MEDIA RELEASE:
27 Jul 2009
Sophisticated new microscopes and associated technologies are revolutionising medical research. A recent collaboration between Garvan and CSIRO scientists reveals important new insights into how substances move in and out of cells.
Mystery solved at crossroads of immune response
MEDIA RELEASE:
17 Jul 2009
Garvan scientists have solved an important mystery about our immune response, a finding that among other things could be used to help improve the body's reaction to vaccination.
Summarising a fractured debate about meat, fish, eggs, vegetables and bones
MEDIA RELEASE:
02 Jul 2009
Until now, medical opinion about the impact of vegetarian diets on bone health has been based on anecdotal evidence and a range of contradictory findings that sometimes rely on studies too small to be biologically relevant. A review and analysis of all relevant existing research shows that differences in bone mineral density between meat eaters and all vegetarians is 5%. The jury is still out on whether that translates into higher fracture risk.
Garvan IT honoured by Computerworld
29 Jun 2009
Garvan was one of the 2009 finalists in the Education and Academia category of Computerworld's Honors Program for its innovative centralised medical research database. The awards recognise organisations whose use of information technology has been especially noteworthy for originality of conception, breadth of vision and significance to society.
A step towards finding the cancer switch
MEDIA RELEASE:
17 Jun 2009
Garvan epigeneticists describe exactly what happens to a person's DNA the moment at which a breast cancer suppressor gene is switched off - taking us one step closer towards finding ways to control the biochemical processes that 'switch on' bad genes and 'switch off' good ones.
How germs meet their opposites - a mystery revealed in real time
MEDIA RELEASE:
09 Jun 2009
Sophisticated microscope technology has made it possible for Australian and American scientists to record previously unknown interactions between two classes of immune cell right at the beginning of the 'antigen transport chain', the apex of the immune response. An important discovery, this takes us one step further towards being able to control disease and infection.
Harnessing the brain's own ability for repair
MEDIA RELEASE:
02 Jun 2009
New findings uncovered by Garvan scientists throw light on how the brain heals itself and may change the way we think about treating chronic neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
Emily Colvin wins Premier’s Award for Outstanding Cancer Research Scholar
26 May 2009
Garvan PhD student Emily Colvin has received the prestigious $10,000 Premier's Award for Outstanding Cancer Research Scholar from the Cancer Institute NSW for her research into pancreatic cancer. The news was announced at a gala ceremony late last week.
Regulating the sugar factory in diabetes
MEDIA RELEASE:
19 May 2009
Scientists at Garvan, Harvard Medical School and Joslin Diabetes Centre in Boston believe they may have identified a gene that controls abnormal production of sugar in the liver, a very troublesome problem for people with diabetes.
Garvan St Vincent’s Campus Cancer Centre Welcomes $70 million from Federal Government
MEDIA RELEASE:
13 May 2009
The Federal Government has announced a $70m funding package to enable the development of the Garvan St Vincent’s Campus Cancer Centre (GSVCCC). The Centre will integrate the Garvan Institute’s internationally acclaimed cancer research with the best practice clinical care of St Vincents.
When to get your bone density measured - that is the question
MEDIA RELEASE:
11 May 2009
A new Garvan study provides doctors with guidelines on when to repeat bone mineral density (BMD) tests for their patients. For a serious condition like osteoporosis, affecting millions, it is important to establish clear protocols.
Low Vitamin D causes problems for acutely ill patients
MEDIA RELEASE:
30 Apr 2009
A group of endocrinologists, who are also Garvan researchers, have observed that very sick patients tend to have very low levels of Vitamin D. The sicker they are, the lower the levels. These findings are published today as a letter in the the New England Journal of Medicine.
Potential preventative therapy for Type 1 diabetes
MEDIA RELEASE:
29 Apr 2009
Immunology researchers at Garvan believe they may have found a preventative therapy for Type 1 diabetes, by making the body's killer immune cells tolerate the insulin-producing cells they would normally attack and destroy, prior to disease onset.
Nuns on the Run from Dubbo to Darlinghurst for Cancer
MEDIA RELEASE:
19 Apr 2009
Led by two Sisters of Charity, The Nuns’ Run will cover the 400 km distance from Dubbo to Darlinghurst in an effort to raise cancer awareness and crucial funds for the establishment of a new $100 million Cancer Centre within the St Vincent’s Research Precinct, Sydney. Embarking on their journey on 24 May, Sisters Helen Clarke and Leone Wittmack are hoping to arrive in Sydney on 5 June.
Vegan Buddhist nuns have same bone density as non-vegetarians
MEDIA RELEASE:
16 Apr 2009
A study comparing the bone health of 105 post-menopausal vegan Buddhist nuns and 105 non-vegetarian women, matched in every other physical respect, has produced a surprising result. Their bone density was identical. The study was led by Garvan's Professor Nguyen in collaboration with a colleague in Vietnam.
Major breakthrough in transplantation immunity
MEDIA RELEASE:
06 Apr 2009
Garvan scientists have made a discovery that may one day remove the need for a lifetime of toxic immunosuppressive drugs after organ transplants. They have successfully tested a method, in experimental mice, of adjusting the immune system for just long enough to receive a tissue transplant and accept it as ‘self’.
Garvan to play a role in International Cancer Genome Consortium
MEDIA RELEASE:
26 Mar 2009
Garvan scientists will play an integral role in Australia’s contribution towards the International Cancer Genome Consortium, the details of which were announced today by Minister for Health and Ageing, The Hon. Nicola Roxon MP. They will be part of a team tackling pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest cancers.
How yeast is helping us to understand Parkinson's disease
MEDIA RELEASE:
27 Feb 2009
Teams of scientists from Australia and the United States have used yeast and mammalian cells to discover a connection between genetic and environmental causes of Parkinson’s disease. The findings were published online this month in Nature Genetics.
Bone fractures can double or triple mortality for up to 10 years
MEDIA RELEASE:
04 Feb 2009
A new study shows that osteoporotic fractures increase a person’s risk of dying, even after relatively minor fractures if that person is elderly. With hip fractures, there is double the risk of death for women, three times the risk for men.
Diabetes treatment may lie in helping muscles to burn fat better
MEDIA RELEASE:
28 Jan 2009
Scientists from Garvan and Melbourne's Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute have made a finding that is likely to be an important milestone in understanding the mechanisms of obesity related insulin resistance, a precursor of Type 2 diabetes.
Will bitter melon in a bottle live up to its promise?
MEDIA RELEASE:
21 Jan 2009
Diabetes researchers at Garvan have received nearly $300,000 in Commonwealth funding to advance their research into the therapeutic properties of bitter melon, a vegetable and traditional Chinese medicine.
Baffling the body into accepting transplants
MEDIA RELEASE:
19 Jan 2009
An unexpected discovery made by a Sydney scientist has potential to alter the body's response to anything it perceives as not ‘self’, such as a tissue or organ transplant.
Professor Herbert Herzog wins prestigious award
14 Jan 2009
Professor Herbert Herzog, Head of Garvan’s Neuroscience program, will receive the Viktor Mutt Award later this month from the International Regulatory Peptide Society for his substantial contributions in the field of peptide research, particularly in Neuropeptide Y (NPY) research.
