Media Releases - Research 2001

November

Adelaide Scientists make HIV a Safe Aid in Gene Therapy

Viruses have evolved , over thousands of years, to overcome our bodies' defenses against viral infection. Once they gain a hold in our bodies, viruses can skillfully transfer their genetic material into our cells, combining it with our own genetic material and causing infection.

Many human diseases result from missing or damaged genes in our cells. Such abnormal or missing genes can potentially be replaced by 'normal' genes using the technique of 'Gene Therapy', thus overcoming the disease.

Senior researcher Dr Don Anson and PhD student Maria Fuller from the Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide will tomorrow publish a paper in Human Gene Therapy in which they have shown that Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1), after modification can be safely used to transfer therapeutic genes into human cells without transferring the disease.

July

New test doubles rate of detection of chromosome abnormalities in children with intellectual disability

Two to three percent of the population has intellectual disability and, for about half of them, no cause is found.

Now, researchers at the Women's and Children's Hospital have applied a new approach to chromosome testing which can provide an explanation for some of these previously unexplained cases. The test, called subtelomere FISH, screens the ends of all the chromosomes for abnormalities and is not yet available elsewhere in Australia.

Senior hospital scientist in Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics, Liz Baker, says the new test detects many more abnormalities than the method used currently.

June

New International Trial May Help Prevent Respiratory Infections

Respiratory Syncytial Virus or RSV, the most common cause of severe respiratory infections in children is being targeted in a new international study underway at the Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide.

Head of the University Department of Paediatrics at the hospital, Professor Don Roberton said, " RSV is the cause of almost 500 children being admitted to the hospital each year - these children can be extremely ill. "Having a vaccine against RSV will be of great significance to the community and may help to prevent some colds, fevers and more serious illnesses such as croup and bronchiolitis," he said.

April

World-First Trial To Help Overcome Hepatitis B

Around two billion people have been infected with the Hepatitis B virus at some time in their lives and approximately 350 million are chronic carriers of the disease.

There is no effective treatment for carriers, a quarter of whom will go on to develop progressive liver disease leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Hepatitis B vaccination is currently ineffective in these individuals.

In a world-first immunisation trial, the Women's and Children's Hospital is utilising a heat-killed mycobacterium to help enhance Hepatitis B immunisation in these individuals.

March

Research Students Compete To Be The 'Best'

Scientific research is about teamwork but the contributions made by individuals in the team need to be acknowledged. Some of the teams are research students starting out in their careers.

On Thursday April 5, three students from the Women's and Children's Hospital, chosen on the basis of the excellence of their research work, will compete for the hospital's Young Investigator of the Year Award. Their presentations will describe their research into finding a cure for cystic fibrosis; understanding the genetic basis of mental retardation; and therapies to treat reflux disease.

Hospital Researchers Identify Gene Important In Certain Cancers

Researchers at the Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide have identified the FOR gene located on chromosome 16. This gene was found to have an important role in controlling when cells should divide.

Associate Professor Rob Richards who heads this research team at the hospital says, “Mutations in certain genes are critical in causing cancer. Specific areas on our chromosomes are unstable in cancer cells and genetic material is thought to be particularly unstable in regions known also as 'fragile sites'.

“Of the 100 or so fragile sites in the human genome, we now know that one, the FRA16D fragile site, can be deleted in cancers of the stomach, colon, lung, breast and ovary.

“Our team has sequenced this fragile site and identified the FOR gene (short for Fragile Site OxidoReductase) as the main area of instability in the DNA (1,2). The FOR gene was found to code for multiple proteins. The gene is affected in various cancers including some cases of multiple myeloma,” Associate Professor Richards says.

February

Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide provides Australia's contribution to Human Genome Project

Today, the scientific journal Nature will publish the sequence of the human genome as assembled by publicly funded research groups from around the world.

This follows the earlier mapping phase of the project last year that provided a draft sequence.

Australia's only contribution to this international effort came from Professor Grant Sutherland's laboratory at the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide.

January

FluMist Trial To Begin This Summer

One quick burst of a mist of flu vaccine in each nostril is being trialed by the Vaccine Research team at the Women's and Children's Hospital.

Professor Don Roberton, Head of Adelaide University Department of Paediatrics at the hospital says, “ We are inviting parents of children aged 12 to 15 months to allow their children to take part in this investigational nasal spray flu vaccine trial.

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