2015 CCS Postgraduate and Honours projects

In preparation for the 2014 AMREP Honours Information evening to be held on August 14, please CLICK HERE for a copy of the 2015 CCS Postgraduate and Honours project index booklet (806 kb pdf).

Information night details:

• Time: 6-8pm
• Venue: AMREP lecture theatre, 80 Commercial Road, Melbourne 3004
• Enquiries: hdr.ccs@monash.edu ph +61 3 9903 0027
• To RSVP: CLICK HERE

HIV research in Monash: Prof Jenny Hoy, A/Prof Edwina Wright, Dr Janine Trevillyan

Video of Monash
HIV researchers

Professor Jenny Hoy, Associate Professor Edwina Wright and Dr Janine Trevillyan are all based in the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Alfred campus. Here, they talk about their areas of HIV research. Janine is a clinician and a PhD student supervised by Jenny Hoy. They both work on the cardiovascular health issues faced by ageing HIV positive patients. Jenny's other main area of research is osteoporosis. A/Prof Edwina Wright’s main research focus includes neurological disorders and opportunistic infections of the central nervous system (CNS) in HIV infected individuals. See more at:

• http://www.med.monash.edu.au/cecs/infectious-diseases/research/groups/index.html
• Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umgBuply5Sc&list=PL3C_6vEl3O5Qi7WQDdMzPQb-ZHyQDyvr-&index=23

$1.5M grant for project to make more heart transplants possible

L-R: Dr Rouchong Ou, Dr John
Woodard & Prof Frank Rosenfeldt.
Absent: Mr Jonathan Neville

Professor Frank Rosenfeldt is one of four researchers working on a new project to enable the production of a device to perfuse transplant donor hearts. The project based at the Alfred and Monash University has received a $1.5M government grant to develop a device which will reduce the damage produced by ice storage and enable hearts to be resuscitated and used as human transplants.

Prof Fabienne Mackay talks about restoration of immune function in leukaemia patients

Prof Fabienne Mackay:
Video on CLL research

Professor Fabienne Mackay talks about her team's ground breaking research published in the prestigious journal, Leukemia in April of this year. Immune defects in patients with #leukaemia prevent them from fighting the cancer. Their study looked particularly at Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL) patients, as they tend to die from infection, rather than the cancer itself. They found that rare, but critical, cells to fight CLL can be restored. She says, "The best feature ever made to fight cancer is the immune system."

Media mentions

09/07/2014 Professor Sharon Lewin, Head of Department of Infectious Diseases, commented on a setback in the search for a cure to HIV, the virus which causes AIDS. 

ABC Radio National plus 126 regional radio syndications. 

612 ABC Brisbane (Brisbane)

18/07/2014 Professor Lewin, commented on the news that the "Mississippi Baby" who was reportedly cured of HIV, still shows signs of the virus. 

UK News Yahoo!, Yahoo! News Australia 

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/setback-cure-overshadows-aids-council-war-014802387.html#qnp9K35
21/07/2014 Professor Lewin commented on the the 20th International AIDS Conference.   She said that AIDS 2014 is quite an unique meeting and that it's completely multi-disciplinary.  She said that it has three major programs within it, Science, Leadership and Community and those three pillars are really essential in getting advances in the HIV response.

Radio Australia, Intellasia.net, Gay News Network, Reuters UK, Yahoo! UK and Ireland and five other online publications

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/program/asia-pacific/melbourne-prepares-to-host-worlds-biggest-aids-conference/1344789

09/07/2014 Professor Peter Gibson, Head of Department of Gastroenterology, comments on the 'great gluten debate', clarifying recent research findings which suggest that people who think they are gluten-sensitive might instead be reacting to the #FODMAPs found in wheat.
New Scientist 12 July 2014

Staff news

Welcome to the following staff:

Vania Januar joins the MAPrc team as a volunteer, working with Dr Kate Hoy in the Psychiatry Neurotechnology team.  Her work interests are behavioural epigenetics , neuropsychiatry and public health.  Vania is from Indonesia and she enjoys drawing, writing, horror movies and cake.  Thank you for voluteering, Vania!


 

Laura Williams joins Biomedical Sciences HR Services Hub as HR Client Support Officer replacing Gemma Patford who has moved into the Assistant HR Business Partner role in the Faculty of Science.  Laura has recently finished her undergraduate degree with Monash University and comes to us from Swinburne University working as an Administration Assistant in their Online Studies Department.

Mr Javier Haurat -  Immunology, Lab Operations Officer. For the past 6 years Javier has worked as a Laboratory Scientist and most recently as the Facility Manager at the Centre for Blood Cell Therapies at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. He has extensive experience in tissue culture, PC2 environments, GMP, training and OH&S policies and procedures. In his previous roles he was able to capture a range of areas within research including bench work, scientific reporting and biostatical collection, manipulation and collation.

Dr Jane Varney - Gastroenterology

 

 

 

Farewell to the following staff:

Dr Alexander Agrotis, Ms Astrid Voskamp, Mr Imala Alwis,

Photo of the week: 10 July 2014 HIV public lecture

Slide from Professor Jenny Hoy's talk on the stigma of HIV

The 2014 CCS public lecture by Prof Jenny Hoy was held last Thursday 10 July.  Around 140 people braved the cold and wet weather to hear Professor Jenny Hoy give a superb talk about her journey through the era of HIV/AIDS. Jenny's presentation provided an excellent overview of the history of the disease, the changing nature of problems for patients as well as future directions in research and treatment. Read more below about this slide and for updates about publication of the photo gallery and video upload.