Media Release Archive 2007

Uncovering the mysteries behind heart defects

29 Aug 2007

Until now, the reasons why some children are born with holes in their hearts, or faulty heart valves, have eluded doctors and scientists. Findings published online today in the prestigious PNAS journal may hold at least some of the answers.

Have we uncovered a new form of Lupus?

21 Aug 2007

Findings published online today in the prestigious Journal of Experimental Medicine may offer new hope to people suffering from a previously unsuspected form of lupus. Professor Fabienne Mackay, Director of the Autoimmunity Research Unit at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, has come to believe that a proportion of lupus patients may have a type of lupus that does not correlate with current knowledge about the disease, and therefore may not always be prescribed the best treatment.

Alcoa Garvan community health partnership

08 Aug 2007

Natural pain killers offer a new direction in weight loss research

31 Jul 2007

Researchers in the Eating Disorders Research Group at the Garvan Institute in Sydney have shown for the first time that dynorphins, the body’s natural version of morphine, play a significant role in regulating weight gain and weight loss.

How we can stop stress from making us obese

05 Jul 2007

New findings on the mechanisms that trigger stress-induced obesity, published today in Nature Medicine online, could offer hope to millions. Professor Herbert Herzog, Director of the Neuroscience Research Program at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, together with scientists from the US and Slovakia, have shown that neuropeptide Y (NPY), a molecule the body releases when stressed, can 'unlock' Y2 receptors in the body's fat cells, stimulating the cells to grow in size and number. By blocking those receptors, it may be possible to prevent fat growth, or make fat cells die.

Growth hormone does not improve sports performance or increase muscle

04 Jun 2007

New research on the effects and the detection of growth hormone doping at the Garvan Institute in Sydney takes the international sporting community one step closer to stamping out drug cheats.

Osteoporosis: Men told to watch their step

04 Jan 2007

Garvan scientists say that men need to realise osteoporosis is not just a disease of elderly women and that once men over the age of 60 have had a fracture, around one in three will have broken another bone within just a few years. Leading study author, Dr Jackie Center says: “While women are initially twice as likely as men to have a fracture, once the first break occurs, the risk of a second substantially increases and the protective effects of being male disappear altogether.”