2009 News
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.
