2010 News
Drawing the correct conclusions from clusters of data
MEDIA RELEASE:
18 Aug 2010
There’s a science to analysing science, say Garvan researchers, and some common methods of analysis can lead to completely incorrect study conclusions, particularly if experiments rely on 'clustered data'.
Creating clarity around a key aspect of the immune system
MEDIA RELEASE:
16 Aug 2010
Garvan researchers have made a finding on the frontier of immunology that will create much buzz in the field as it explains how a pivotal class of immune cells, known as T follicular helper cells, is generated.
Why a common HIV drug increases risk of heart attack
MEDIA RELEASE:
28 Jul 2010
Clinical researchers at Garvan and St. Vincent's Hospital have for the first time shown why a commonly used type of HIV drug is associated with a higher risk of heart attack.
Young Sydney professionals give researchers a flying start
27 Jul 2010
Two young scientists from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have received a significant boost to their research into breast cancer and Type 2 diabetes, thanks to support from Young Garvan, a group of Sydney professionals committed to progressing awareness of and funding for medical research.
New drug a potential treatment for Type 2 diabetes
MEDIA RELEASE:
22 Jul 2010
Garvan scientists, in association with US pharmaceutical company DiaKine Therapeutics, have shown that a drug candidate, Lisofylline, could be useful in treating Type 2 diabetes. Lysofylline, an anti-inflammatory drug, is currently undergoing clinical trials for other diseases.
Shot in the arm for Type 1 diabetes prevention in Australia
MEDIA RELEASE:
14 Jul 2010
The Federal Government has committed $6.5 million over the next five years for the Diabetes Vaccine Development Centre (DVDC), based at Garvan, to continue its work. DVDC is searching for ways to prevent the development of Type 1 diabetes, including vaccination and immunotherapy, and to preserve insulin-producing cells from the early stages of disease.
Simple diagnostic tool predicts Type 2 diabetes in South East Asians
MEDIA RELEASE:
07 Jul 2010
Researchers have estimated the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in Vietnam, and have developed a simple tool for identifying individuals at high risk. In Ho Chi Minh City, a city of 6.4 million, the findings suggest that around 350,000 have diabetes, many of whom are unaware of the fact.
A powerful gut hormone that affects insulin and blood sugar levels
MEDIA RELEASE:
16 Jun 2010
Garvan researchers, in collaboration with English colleagues, have shown that a gut hormone released after we eat determines the speed at which we digest food and absorb nutrients across the gut into our blood. This makes it very influential in disorders such as Type 2 diabetes, and a promising therapeutic target.
Professor Rob Sutherland awarded Order of Australia
14 Jun 2010
Professor Rob Sutherland, Director of Garvan’s Cancer Research Program, has been awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for “distinguished service to medicine as an international contributor to the research of cancer, the development of Australia's research capacity and through leadership roles in advisory bodies.”
Kendle Maslowski wins CRC Association Early Career Scientist competition
02 Jun 2010
Garvan PhD student Kendle Maslowski won a competition showcasing the work of CRC ‘early career scientists’. Run by the Cooperative Research Centres Association (CRCA), the competition recognised the best speaker from several shortlisted candidates representing a variety of disciplines.
Geoffrey Grigg Travelling Fellowship between Garvan and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
02 Jun 2010
Garvan and the Medical Research Council's Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB), based in Cambridge, have set up the Geoffrey Grigg Travelling Fellowship aimed at enabling short scientific exchange visits between the two institutions.
Top cancer research prize in NSW goes to Professor Rob Sutherland
MEDIA RELEASE:
24 May 2010
Professor Rob Sutherland, Director of the Cancer Research Program at Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research, has been awarded this year’s prestigious Cancer Institute NSW Premier's Award for Outstanding Cancer Researcher.
Better understanding of the all-consuming Prader-Willi Syndrome
MEDIA RELEASE:
12 May 2010
Garvan researchers have uncovered facts that take us a step closer towards understanding Prader-Willi Syndrome, a harrowing genetic disorder that causes insatiable appetite for life.
Weight gain when there’s a family history of Type 2 diabetes
MEDIA RELEASE:
11 May 2010
In the first study of its type, Garvan researchers have shown that healthy people with a genetic predisposition to Type 2 diabetes gain more weight overeating over the short term than their non-genetically-prone counterparts.
A potential new treatment for Type 2 diabetes
MEDIA RELEASE:
06 May 2010
Garvan scientists propose that a drug, already being used to treat rare inherited disorders, may also help people with Type 2 diabetes. The drug in question increases levels of a protein that may restore insulin production in pancreatic insulin-producing cells.
First scientific study showing effects of growth hormone on athletes
MEDIA RELEASE:
04 May 2010
Garvan researchers have published the results of a study, for the first time showing a positive effect of growth hormone on athletic performance, specifically sprint capacity. The study justifies growth hormone being a banned substance, even though evidence of its performance enhancing effect has been very poor until now.
The remarkable effects of fat loss on the immune system
MEDIA RELEASE:
20 Apr 2010
Garvan scientists have shown for the first time that even modest weight loss reverses many of the damaging changes often seen in the immune cells of obese people, particularly those with Type 2 diabetes.
Personalised medicine for cancer patients in a new technology era
MEDIA RELEASE:
15 Apr 2010
Published online today in Nature, a paper authored by over 200 members of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) describes the beginnings of a Brave New World, a new era of personalised medicine for cancer patients.
Professor Jonathan Sprent Top Ranked NHMRC Research Fellow for 2010
10 Mar 2010
Last week, NHMRC announced awards for the highest ranked recipients of grants and fellowships for 2010. Garvan Immunologist Professor Jonathan Sprent received the Achievement Award as the Top Ranked NHMRC Research Fellow.
Surprising findings about Hepatitis C and insulin resistance
MEDIA RELEASE:
09 Mar 2010
Researchers at Garvan have now confirmed the link between Hepatitis C and Type 2 diabetes - people with the virus being 3 to 4 times more likely to develop diabetes, owing to high levels of insulin resistance in muscle. There is practically no insulin resistance in the liver, however, a surprising finding given that Hepatitis C is a liver disease.
What it might take to unravel the ‘lean mean machine’ that is cancer
MEDIA RELEASE:
22 Feb 2010
Garvan scientists have published a paper, online today in Nature Cell Biology, describing gene expression in a prostate cancer cell: more sweeping, more targeted and more complex than we could ever have imagined, even five years ago.
Raising the question of obesity in Asia
MEDIA RELEASE:
12 Feb 2010
When it comes to obesity, it would seem that it’s very important to define terms, and equally important to ask questions about those terms. So say Garvan scientists and their American and Vietnamese collaborators who challenge findings published in 1994 which concluded that for a given Body Mass Index, Asians have a higher percentage of body fat than Caucasians.
How ‘lipid rafts’ help us mount an immune response
MEDIA RELEASE:
08 Feb 2010
Garvan immunologists have found that lipid rafts, hot spots of signalling activity in our cells, ramp up the sensitivity of certain immune cells, helping us mount an immune response
DA Approval for Major Australian Cancer Centre
MEDIA RELEASE:
17 Jan 2010
The Garvan Institute of Medical Research and St Vincent’s Hospital today welcomed the NSW Government’s approval of their development proposal for the Garvan St Vincent’s Cancer Centre lodged before the NSW Department of Planning.
How a single molecule gives our immune systems their memory
MEDIA RELEASE:
11 Jan 2010
By studying the blood cells of people with an immunodeficiency disorder, scientists at Garvan have been able to identify the molecular mechanisms that lead to the production of antibodies in human B cells. This has wider implications for potential treatment of certain cancers and autoimmune diseases.
Setting the record straight on weight loss
MEDIA RELEASE:
06 Jan 2010
It’s time to set the record straight. The only reliable way to lose weight is to eat less or exercise more. Preferably both. So why bother to state the obvious? Because a body of scientific literature has arisen over recent years, suggesting that fat oxidation – burning the fats we eat as opposed to the carbohydrates – is enough to promote fat loss. It isn’t.
