Bumper research output in 25th year
In Memoriam November 2013 – March 2014 We gratefully acknowledge gifts made in honour of: Anonymous (3)
Keith Alexander
Anita Higginson
Malcolm McDougall
Anita Loring
Margaret Turnbull
Arthur A Woodhouse Cyril J Garlick Derrick Venn Edna E Butterworth Edna Jones Helen F Stokes
Patricia F Gordon Pauline Cairns Robert Milligan Ronald M Rice Shirley Topfer
Jim McShane
Stella N Powell
John de Jong
Ted Hardner
John Sluce
Vittoria Di Bari
We measure research productivity by counting the supervision load of PhD students, the number of peer reviewed papers published in highly ranked journals and the dollar value of successful competitive grant income. The average number of peer reviewed papers published per researcher increased by more than 20 per cent compared to 2012, with three scientists each authoring more than 20 papers. There was also an increase in the average impact factor (an indicator of quality) of papers published. This increase in research
Remember Menzies Research Institute Tasmania in your Will.
Among the papers published, three highlights were: A world-first study discovered that a new method for assessing blood pressure can significantly improve quality of care in people with high blood pressure (study led by Associate Professor James Sharman and published in the prestigious blood pressure journal of the American Heart Association, Hypertension).
Among young adults diagnosed with clinical depression, those who were physically active were less likely to report suicidal symptoms than those who were physically inactive (study led by Dr Charlotte McKercher and published in the international journal Psychosomatic Medicine).
Researcher Profile: Associate Professor
Kathryn Burdon
Children who did not receive enough iodine in the womb performed worse on literacy tests as nine-year-olds than their peers (study led by Dr Kristen Hynes and published in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism).
You have recently arrived at Menzies ... Where have you come from? I completed my undergraduate and PhD studies at the University of Tasmania in the Menzies Centre for Population Health Research as it was called back then, before completing a post doc at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, USA. I have spent the last eight years in the Department of Ophthalmology at Flinders University in South Australia before returning to Menzies in January this year.
The director of the Menzies, Professor Tom Marwick, said the record productivity of the institute was a direct result of the efforts of the staff. “We are very proud of this result, collectively and individually,” he said.
What is the current focus of your research?
The Medical Science Precinct: a community of researchers Since the last Bulletin our state-of-the-art new home, the UTAS Medical Science Precinct, has been officially launched by the UTAS Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Rathjen. The precinct launch coincided with the 25th anniversary of Menzies’ establishment. Professor Rathjen said the Medical Science Precinct would bring a single identity to a number of world-class institutions and activities. It encompasses the MS1 and MS2 buildings, along with the Domain campus of UTAS, which contains the School of Nursing and Midwifery. The Royal Hobart Hospital is also within the Precinct. “We have a constellation of truly outstanding research and teaching activities happening within the Medical Science Precinct,” Professor Rathjen said. “These activities are global in both standard and scope.”
One sentence in your Will can fund life-saving medical research.
publications took place at all academic levels. The number of PhD students supervised increased at all academic levels, with Menzies having more research students (69) in 2013 than at any time in its history. We also saw an increase in the average competitive grant income per full time employee.
Menzies director Professor Tom Marwick said: “The Medical Science Precinct doesn’t just represent the good work we already do within Menzies and the Faculty of Health Science as health and medical research and teaching organisations. It captures the potential of what we can do when we bring world-class
teachers and researchers together with talented students, which ultimately will deliver benefit to our communities. “The Precinct would not have been possible without the support and partnership of the Federal Government, State Government and contributions from philanthropic organisations and private donors who share our vision.
My main interest is the identification of genes for human disease, with a focus on eye diseases. We currently work on diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, cataract in children and a corneal disease called keratoconus. Our research is directed towards understanding the genetics of these diseases. Genetic information can be used for risk prediction (genetic testing), but also to understand what causes the disease at the molecular level which helps with developing new drugs and therapies to prevent or slow down progression of vision loss.
also major funding partners. Major private and philanthropic donors included The Atlantic Philanthropies, Mr Graeme Wood and The Select Foundation.
What are some of the recent findings from your work? We have recently identified a genetic risk factor for diabetic retinopathy. We have shown that genetic variation near a gene called GRB2 predisposes to blinding eye disease in patients with type 2 diabetes. We are now working towards understanding how this variation is involved in disease and if it is the GRB2 gene or one of a number of other nearby genes that is important in this disease.
“For the university, this partnership speaks of a sense of purpose, with our research and teaching aimed at creating knowledge and having it apply in ways not thought of before. It also speaks to the enhanced economic opportunities for Tasmania that research and education can bring.”
What is the most interesting aspect of your work? I find it really interesting that a group of patients who all appear to have the same disease may have completely different genetic causes for that disease. We are finding that most genetic diseases can be caused by a number of different genes and it is very difficult in many cases to distinguish these in the clinic and so genetic testing is required. It is important for the patient and doctor to know which gene causes their personal disease as there may be different drugs or treatments that are relevant to different genetic causes. As our knowledge of the human genome grows and we develop more treatments targeted to the genetic cause of disease this is becoming more and more important.
Faculty of Health Science Dean Professor Denise Fassett said teaching and research in health and medicine was central not only to university’s future, but to Tasmania’s more broadly. The $147 million Medical Science Precinct was made possible by funding from the Australian Federal Government through the Health and Hospitals Fund, the Capital Development Pool grant and the Better Universities Renewal Fund. The State Government and UTAS were
nomic the Department of Eco Mr Mark Kelleher, from David and the Arts, Senator rism Tou nt, me elop Dev er Rathjen ancellor Professor Pet Bushby, UTAS Vice-Ch k at the Professor Tom Marwic r cto Dire s nzie Me and official opening.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
If you would like more information please contact Teisha Archer on 03 6226 4236 or email Teisha.archer@utas.edu.au Bequests save lives by funding research.
Menzies Research Institute Tasmania 17 Liverpool Street, Hobart, Tasmania 7000 Phone: 03 6226 7700 www.menzies.utas.edu.au
I like to spend time outdoors in the garden. We recently bought a house with a magnificent vegetable garden and we are already harvesting our first crops! I also love to go sailing and to spend time with my family and our many pets.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Rathjen, and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement), Professor Peter Frappell, represented UTAS.
The long hangover from passive smoking
Mr Song reaffirmed the contributions of Tasmanian Chinese students and scholars to the economy, culture and education of China and Australia, and urged them to serve both countries. Professor Rathjen and Professor Alison Venn, from Menzies, spoke highly of the in the educational collaboration between
Professor Lowenthal helped to establish and was the inaugural chairman of the Australian Leukaemia Study Group in 1982. This group was a forerunner to the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group, which, with other predecessor groups, is now celebrating 40 years of research. In addition to being a Research Fellow at Menzies, Professor Lowenthal is a former Director of the Department of Clinical Haematology & Medical Oncology at the Royal Hobart Hospital, a position he held for nearly 25 years. He established bone marrow transplantation at the RHH and for many years was Director of the Tasmanian Statewide Bone Marrow Transplantation Service which until now has performed over 300 transplants on
Research by Dr Seana Gall has found that exposure to passive smoking in childhood causes irreversible damage to the structure of children’s arteries. The work by Dr Gall, a Senior Research Fellow in cardiovascular epidemiology at Menzies, and a team from Finland and Melbourne was published online in the European Heart Journal. The thickening of the arteries’ walls associated with being exposed to parents’ smoke means that these children will be at greater risk of heart attacks and strokes in later life. The researchers found that exposure to both parents smoking in childhood adds an extra 3.3 years to the age of blood vessels when the children reach adulthood.
The study is the first to follow children through to adulthood in order to examine the association between exposure to parental smoking and increased carotid intimamedia thickness (IMT) – a measurement of the thickness of the innermost two layers of the arterial wall – in adulthood. It adds strength to the arguments for banning smoking in areas where children may be present, such as cars.
the two countries, and highlighted their contribution to the internationalisation of UTAS. Before the event, Chinese Ambassador to Australia Mr Zhaoxu Ma
The study was made up of 2401 participants in the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study, which started in 1980, and 1375 participants in the Childhood Determinants of Adult Health study, which started in 1985 in Australia. (More on this on page 3). The researchers asked questions about parents’ smoking habits and they used ultrasound to measure the thickness of the children’s artery walls once they had reached adulthood.
visited Menzies.
Professor Ray Lowenthal honoured by peers Professor Ray Lowenthal is a name familiar to many readers, and in this edition we congratulate him on further recognition from his peers. Professor Lowenthal has been appointed an inaugural member of the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group Hall of Fame. This recognises his pioneering work in facilitating the development of national clinical trials of new and improved treatments for leukaemia, work that has led directly to increasing cure rates and longer survival for patients with leukaemia throughout Australia.
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“Our study shows that exposure to passive smoke in childhood causes direct and irreversible damage to the structure of the arteries,” Dr Gall said.
roles of Chinese students and scholars
Dr Seana Gall with an example of the images of arterial walls that were measured for the study.
What’s inside
Tasmanian patients with leukaemia and related diseases. His research interests are mainly in leukaemia, lymphoma, bone marrow transplantation and clinical trials of new cancer treatments, and he has been an author or co-author of over 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers. In 1990 he published a book for the general public called Cancer: What To Do About It. He has also contributed to public debate by warning of the dangers of following unorthodox and untested treatments for cancer.
• Director’s message
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• D stands for deficiency in Tasmania
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• Public talks in 2014
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• Prevention of chronic disease begins in childhood
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• The blood pressure clinic is open
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• Thank you to our valued supporters 4 • Knee health link to childhood weight 5 • Bumper research output in 25th year 5
In the Australian Queen’s Birthday honours list for 2006 Professor Lowenthal was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) “for service to medicine in the fields of oncology and palliative care and as a clinician, educator, researcher and contributor to professional organisations at state and national levels”.
• The Medical Science precinct: a community of researchers
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• Researcher Profile: Kathryn Burdon 6
Of the latest honour, Professor Lowenthal said “I am humbled by this honour, and wish to acknowledge the many colleagues both locally and nationally who have worked with me to help improve the outlook for patients with leukaemia through clinical trials research.”
• Menzies celebrates Chinese New Year
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• Professor Ray Lowenthal… pioneering work
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“While the differences in artery thickness are modest, it is important to consider that they represent the independent effect of a single measure of exposure – that is, whether or not the parents smoked at the start of the studies – some 20 years earlier in a group already at greater risk of heart disease. For example, those with both parents smoking were more likely, as adults, to be smokers or overweight than those whose parents didn’t smoke,” Dr Gall said. The results took account of other factors that could explain the association such as education, the children’s smoking habits, physical activity, body mass index, alcohol consumption and biological cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels in adulthood.
Thank you Peter Brecht Until January 2014 Mr Peter Brecht was not known to Menzies. Obviously Menzies was known to Mr Brecht, however, because he has supported our research with a bequest of $431,945 - the principal of his estate. Mr Brecht came from Germany to Australia with his lifetime partner, who predeceased him by just a few years. He was a musician and a lover of cultural pursuits, including opera, history, movies, food, gardening and politics, and lived for many years on a hobby farm in Ranelagh in the Huon Valley. He was living in Midway Point when he passed away. In his eulogy he is remembered as a gentle, kind, sensitive and thoughtful man who loved his chosen home of Tasmania. Mr Brecht has left a lasting gift.
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An Institute of the University of Tasmania
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The first Tasmanian Chinese New Year celebration for students and scholars was held at Menzies on 11th February. The event was attended by a list of honorable guests, including Consul General Mr Yumin Song, Consul Mr Xiaotao Zhang and Consul (Education) Mr Hongzhi Sun, from the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Melbourne. Mr Jian Li attended from the Embassy of the Ambassador to Australia Mr Zhaoxu Ma visited Menzies.
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More than Flowers
2013 was a highly sucessful year for Menzies’ scientists in all three of our research productivity indicators, a fitting result as the institute celebrated 25 years of outstanding medical research.
Menzies celebrates Chinese New Year
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