This year’s Meeting, sponsored by AstraZeneca, GSK and Cheisi, will be held at the Centenary Institute on Thursday 26 and Friday 27 October 2023.

Focus and talks

The 17th Annual NAMe meeting is a two day event designed to highlight emerging research in asthma and airways and to engage with new like-minded collaborators.

Talks will be presented by leaders in their fields, post-doctoral fellows and senior PhD scholars.

We highly recommend attending for the full two days.

Participants are encouraged to interact with the community of researchers, Professors and clinicians whenever possible. Talks are designed for speakers to discuss the kind of work they do and time will be allowed (5 minutes) for questions/discussion.

Senior researchers, Post-doctoral fellows and senior PhD students are encouraged to present and enter a poster. There will be prizes for the best two Post-doctoral and Post-graduate student presentations.

The program

The program will include talks across respiratory research including presentations from a number of prestigious invited national and international speakers. See the full Meeting program below.

See speaker highlights below.

Poster competition and Oral presentations

Prizes will be awarded for both the poster competition and oral presentations and we encourage all to enter. Share your wonderful work with delegates.

Prizes will be awarded for

• Best clinical Post-doc talk
• Best clinical PhD student talk
• Best basic Science Post-doc talk
• Best Basic Science PhD student talk
• Best Post-doc Poster
• Best PhD student poster

Meeting dinner

The dinner will be held on Thursday, 26 October at The Grandstand just a short walk from the Meeting venue.

We are delighted to announce that through our sponsors we are now able to offer the NAMe dinner tickets complimentary for guests. Please register here for the dinner as tickets are limited.

Dinner tickets need to be purchased separately to your Meeting registration.

Dinner ticket reservations closes 12 October 2023.

Meeting Registration

Registrations close 12 October 2023.

The Meeting will be streamed via Zoom

If you are joining via Zoom please still register your details in the registration section. Note: If presenting a talk or entering a poster in the competition attending the Meeting in person is required. The Meeting dinner is only open to registrants who attend the Meeting in person.

Zoom link https://utsmeet.zoom.us/j/82777676017 

Getting to the Centenary Institute

Building 93, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital

Johns Hopkins Drive (off Missenden Road)

CAMPERDOWN NSW 2050

Plan your trip

The post NAMe Meeting 2023 appeared first on Centenary Institute.

Cells with differing mutations can interact with each other to behave more malignantly than they do on their own. They do this by producing substances that benefit each other – that promote growth, the ability to spread to other parts of the body, evade the immune system and resist treatment.

This raises the exciting possibility of a new class of therapies based on drugs that block these malignant symbiotic interactions between cancer cells. However, before such therapies can be developed, we need to understand the genes and mechanisms involved in the interactions.

Squamous cell carcinomas are cancers that arise in the outermost layer of cells in tissues that protect us from the environment, including the skin, mouth and eyes. Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are cancers that arise in the mouth and throat and account for about 4,000 deaths in Australia each year, and 5% of cancer deaths worldwide. Treatment of advanced HNSCC usually involves surgery and radiotherapy, which do not always work, and can leave survivors disabled and disfigured. Clearly, new approaches to treating HNSCCs are needed.

Our goal is to identify the genes and cell-to-cell communication pathways that enable malignant interactions between cells in HNSCCs. This will enable ourselves and others to design and identify new drugs that block the malignant interactions and which can then be further tested in experimental models.

The post Cancer Progression Laboratory appeared first on Centenary Institute.

He undertook a Senior Research Fellowship at NIH in 2004-5, where he began studying head and neck cancer in the laboratories of Dr Silvio Gutkind, discovering that an epithelial-mesenchymal transition caused head and neck cancer cells to create a pro-inflammatory microenvironment.

Joining the Centenary Institute in 2015 and he continued his research on cancer and other diseases of stratified squamous epithelia of the oral cavity, skin and cornea.

The post Associate Professor Guy Lyons appeared first on Centenary Institute.

What are the types of heart disease?

Heart disease falls into five main categories depending on the area in the heart that is impacted.

• Blood vessel disease: coronary heart disease is a common disease that affects the blood vessels that supply the heart. Buildup of cholesterol (plaques) is called atherosclerosis.
• Irregular heartbeats: also known as arrhythmia, these abnormal heart rhythms are caused by problems with your heart’s electrical system. 
• Congenital heart disease: is a general term for heart structural problems that you are born with and they are often diagnosed soon after birth or in childhood.
• Disease of the heart muscle: affects how effectively the heart muscle pumps the blood around the body. Cardiomyopathy is a common disease, it can be acquired or inherited.
• Heart valve disease: the heart is made up of four valves, when disease affects a valve it can stop opening and closing effectively. Valvular disease can be acquired or inherited.

What are the symptoms?

Heart disease may go undetected until a heart event such as a heart attack, heart failure, or an arrhythmia. 

When these events happen, symptoms may include*:

• Heart attack: chest pain, pain in the upper back or neck, heartburn, nausea, extreme fatigue, dizziness and shortness of breath.
• Arrhythmia: a pounding or racing heart
• Heart failure: fatigue, shortness of breath and swelling in the lower limbs, abdomen or neck veins.

What are the treatments?

Lifestyle changes, medications and surgery are all treatments available depending on the heart issue.

Heart disease treatments may include:

• Lifestyle changes: can include diet, smoking habits and exercise levels.
• Medications: there are a number that work to reduce symptoms of heart disease.
• Surgery or a procedure: can be recommended, this will depend on the type of heart disease and how severe the damage to the heart.

Steps you can take to keep your heart healthy 

• Don’t smoke: Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease.  
• Eat healthy foods: Keep a balanced diet with fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
• Control blood pressure: Regular blood pressure checks are recommended for adults. 
• Get a cholesterol test: A baseline cholesterol test will show if you are in a desirable range.
• Manage diabetes: Healthy levels of blood sugar can help reduce the risk of heart disease.
• Exercise: Physical activity helps you control the risk factors for heart disease. 
• Maintain a healthy weight: Being overweight increases the risk of heart disease. 
• Manage stress: Find ways to help reduce emotional stress. 

This page was last reviewed by a Centenary clinician on 30 May, 2023.

* This is a generic guide and symptoms may vary. Always consult with your doctor regarding any health concerns.

The post Heart disease appeared first on Centenary Institute.

“Many studies show the link between the gut, inflammation and the progression of chronic diseases,” said Professor Hansbro.

“But hope is not lost – supporting the health of our gut, by enjoying a healthy diet and lifestyle, is one simple but powerful way we can really help drive down unnecessary and harmful inflammation in our bodies.”

Featuring nutrition and lifestyle advice, along with many delicious recipes by Fast Ed Halmagyi and Dr Clare Bailey, ‘The Good Gut Anti-Inflammatory Diet’ also includes meal plans and an easy-to-use guide.

 “We’ve tried to make complicated science accessible,” said Professor Hansbro.

“We explain the relationship between inflammation, disease and our gut microbiome, and discuss what to eat and why to keep this relationship healthy.”

‘The Good Gut Anti-Inflammatory Diet’ is available now from Dymocks, QBD, Kmart, Target and leading independent book sellers. 

The post Good Gut Anti-Inflammatory Diet book released appeared first on Centenary Institute.

These senescent cells increase in our body with age. As the ageing immune system becomes less efficient, the cells accumulate affecting our ability to withstand stress or illness, recover from injuries as well as to learn new things.

Senescent cells in the brain have been shown to degrade cognitive functions. Cellular senescence has also been connected to age-related conditions, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. 

Shown in the image above are a collection of cells. The small ones are the normal cells but amongst them are some large cells – these are the aged or senescent cells.

At the Centenary Institute, we are looking at the impact of cellular senescence and its role in the inflammatory response and disease.

The post What are senescent or aged cells? appeared first on Centenary Institute.

Research overview

Why do only some drinkers get cirrhosis while others who drink similar levels do not? To answer one of the big questions in this field Dr Seth leads a NIH/NIAAA (USA) funded multinational GenomALC Consortium. The focus of the consortium is to explore genome wide genetic and epigenetic factors that predispose some drinkers to and protect others from developing ALD. This program has created one of the largest biobank and clinical database of thousands of heavy chronic drinkers with great potential for future studies.

Establishing blood biomarkers of alcohol consumption and alcoholic liver disease. Current markers for alcohol consumption and self-report are sub-optimal and unreliable. Seth and her team have established tests using UHPLC-MS/MS (Clinical Pathology, RPAH) for measuring direct metabolites of alcohol (PEth, EtG and EtS) as serum biomarkers for alcohol consumption. Development of and access to these tests will significantly improve the screening and monitoring of alcohol use in individuals with alcohol-related problems, such as addiction, pre- and post-liver transplant, alcohol dependence treatment and in other non-clinical settings (social services, workplace, prison, driving, judicial, forensics, court disputes).

Understanding the cellular/molecular mechanisms of alcohol-induced liver injury and liver regeneration. (i) Seth laboratory has established in vitro and in vivo models of alcohol and alcohol plus high fat diet to study mechanisms of liver injury. In particular, role of Osteopontin (first reported in ALD by Seth) in fibrogenesis. (ii) The group has identified rare circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) altered with alcohol in human and mice that may have a role in angiogenesis mediated liver regeneration during injury. (iii) Another large international project is to identify microRNAs (miRNAs) as novel diagnostic markers in liver and kidney toxicity due to prescription drugs (e.g. paracetamol) and poisoning (e.g. pesticides, snakebite).

People

Clinical Professor Devanshi Seth

Head, Alcoholic Liver Disease Program

Collaborators

Australian

Edith Collins Centre Drug Health Services, Sydney Local Health District
QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
University of Newcastle
University of Sydney

 

International

Assistance Publique Hopitaux Paris (APHP), France
Center for Liver Diseases, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, USA
CHU de Montpellier, France
CHU de Nimes, France
CHU Lille, France
CHU Rennes, France
Clinique d’Hépatologie Brussels, Belgium
Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University, USA
Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, UK
Hôpital Antoine-Béclère, France
Hopital Universitaire Antoine Beclere (APHP), France
Hôpital Universitaire Caremeau, France
Hopital Universitaire Jean Verdier (APHP), France
Hopital Universitaire Pitie Salpetriere (APHP), France
Indiana University, USA
Institut National de la Sante Et de la Recherche Medicale (Inserm), France
Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, Imperial College, UK
Institute of Liver Biliary Sciences (ILBS), India
L’hôpital Universitaire Carémeau, France
Lerner Research Institute, USA
Molecular Psychiatry Laboratory, University College London, UK
MRC Centre for Drug Safety Science and Liverpool Centre for Alcohol Research, University of Liverpool, UK
Newcastle Freeman Hospital, UK
Newcastle University, UK
Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospital, UK
NIH National Institute on Alcohol Abuse Alcoholism (NIAAA), USA
Nottingham University Hospital, UK
Privatklin Meiringen, Switzerland
Psychiatry Hospital University Munich, Germany
Purdue University, USA
Salem Medical Center, USA
Service Addictologie CHRU Carémeau, France
Sorbonne Universite, France
Technical University of Munich, Germany
Translational Genomics Group, Inflammatory Bowel & Immunobiology Research Institute, USA
UCL Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, Division of Medicine, University College London, UK
Universite de Montpellier, France
Universite de Rennes 1, France
Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
University of California, USA
University of Liverpool, UK
University of North Carolina, USA
University of Nottingham, UK
University of Sheffield, UK
University of Zurich, Switzerland
US Department of Veterans Affairs, USA
VA Long Beach Healthcare System, USA

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Reported in the prestigious European Respiratory Journal, the researchers found increased levels of the protein RIPK1 in the lungs of people suffering from COPD as well as in experimental COPD mouse models. Inhibiting RIPK1 helped protect against COPD and may represent a new approach for treatment.

Co-senior study author Professor Phil Hansbro, Director of the Centenary UTS Centre for Inflammation said that the primary risk factor for COPD is smoking tobacco but that the disease can also be caused by breathing in dust, fumes, chemicals and air pollution.

“Cigarette smoke or exposure to other irritants triggers inflammation and can induce cell death in the lungs and airways, which directly contributes to the development of COPD,” Professor Hansbro said.

“We investigated RIPK1 as it plays a key role in cell survival and death as well as inflammation. We found that there were far higher levels of RIPK1 in patients suffering from COPD as well as in our COPD mouse models.”

Subsequent study by the researchers, with COPD mouse models, found that inhibiting RIPK1 provided a significant protective effect against COPD.

“We saw reduced structural changes to the airways and decreased damage to the air sacs of the lungs. Our data indicates that inhibiting RIPK1 lessened both inflammation and the death of healthy lung and airway cells meaning less tissue damage overall,” said Professor Hansbro.

The research team say that their findings provide an exciting new avenue of study for treating COPD, an incurable and often fatal lung disease.

Publication:

RIPK1 kinase-dependent inflammation and cell death contribute to the pathogenesis of COPD. https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2022/12/01/13993003.01506-2022

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The Ideas Grant – worth $1,094,172 – will fund a project that will examine how defects in blood vessel formation, that take place during embryonic development, contributes to LVNC. Also to be investigated, how the molecular cues behind these defects can be used to help determine risk-levels of patients with LVNC cardiac disease to better manage adverse outcomes.

Associate Professor Francois, Head of the Centenary Institute’s David Richmond Laboratory for Cardiovascular Development said that blood vessels instruct cardiac muscle creation during the embryonic period but that understanding of the cellular origin of LVNC is limited.

“Our new project will help us understand how a molecular switch (the Sox7 protein) – specific to blood vessel cells – governs the development of heart muscle,” Associate Professor Francois said.

“This will further our knowledge of the mechanisms that contribute to LVNC. It will also allow us to discover new biomarkers that underpin adverse cardiac outcomes in LVNC patients. This will ultimately improve LVNC diagnosis aiding clinicians in identifying individuals at high risk and facilitating treatment responses.”

Executive Director at the Centenary Institute, Professor Mathew Vadas AO, welcomed the funding announcement and congratulated Associate Professor Francois on his grant success.

“This exciting project will combine cutting-edge imaging, genomics, proteomics and tissue engineering approaches to decipher the regulatory mechanisms by which blood vessel cells orchestrate the development of heart muscle,” said Professor Vadas.

“The innovative work in this area has the potential to advance scientific knowledge and to improve the lives of those individuals affected by this rare heart condition. I look forward to the study’s findings.”

NHRMC Ideas Grants support researchers at all career stages undertaking innovative and creative research projects in any area of health and medical research from discovery to implementation.

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“Very few students are identified by the University as academically elite and therefore offered a full scholarship so early,” exclaimed a delighted Professor Gorrell, Head of the Centenary Institute’s  Liver Enzymes in Metabolism and Inflammation Program and Jasmine’s PhD supervisor.

“We anticipate that this research will generate greater understanding of why certain individuals have especially severe respiratory disease,” he added.

Recently completing her Science Honours research with Professor Gorrell and Dr Matt Johansen from the Centenary UTS Centre for Inflammation, Jasmine was previously honoured by her former institution, Swinburne University, with a medal for best third year science student.

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