Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute

03/07/2024

An international scientific team has redefined our understanding of archaea, a microbial ancestor to humans from two billion years ago, by showing how they use hydrogen gas. The findings, published in Cell Press, explain how these tiny lifeforms make energy by consuming and producing hydrogen. The research, led by Monash BDI scientists, including Professor Chris Greening, Professor Jill Banfield, and Dr Bob Leung, rewrites the textbook on basic biology. It shows some archaea have the smallest hydrogen-producing enzymes of any life form on Earth, paving the way for streamlined solutions for biological hydrogen production in industrial settings, with potential applications for transitioning to a green economy.

An international scientific team has redefined our understanding of archaea, a microbial ancestor to humans from two billion years ago, by showing how they use hydrogen gas.

23/05/2024

Leading immunologist Professor Jamie Rossjohn, FAA FAHMS FLSW FMedSci FRS, from the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute has been selected to receive the Ceppellini Award 2024 in memory of Ruggero , one of the pioneers in the field of immunogenetics. The prestigious lifetime achievement award was presented at the 37th EFI Conference in Geneva, Switzerland on 20 May 2024. Rossjohn Lab

15/05/2024

Making science accessible for blind and low-vision people, and those with diverse needs,
a special feature editorial by Dr Jessica G Borger in Immunology and Cell Biology, the Journal of
First published: 09 May 2024 https://doi.org/10.1111/imcb.12760

The May–June 2024 issue of Immunology & Cell Biology contains an Immunology Futures Special Feature on Disability Inclusion in Science. Diverse groups do better in science, yet individuals with disab...

15/05/2024

Fruit fly research helps unlock clues about how organs grow and cancers develop. Fundamental research led by BDI’s Professor Kieran Harvey and Dr Sam Manning has discovered how a key signalling pathway - the Hippo pathway – relays messages from the surface of cells to the nucleus to change cell behaviour. The Hippo pathway is important for control of organ growth as animals develop, and loss of this pathway is linked to many human cancers. The research, published in Developmental Cell, was carried out in the fruit fly Drosophila, and the team is now performing similar studies in human cells. https://www.monash.edu/discovery-institute/news-and-events/news/2024-articles/fruit-fly-helps-unlock-clues-about-how-organs,-tissue-and-cancer-grow

13/05/2024

Welcome boost for discovery research: Five Monash BDI researchers have been collectively awarded more than $7M in National Health and Medical Research Council - NHMRC . Read more about the projects of Professor Ana Traven, Professor Kim Good-Jacobson, Dr Lee Fletcher, Dr Sarah Garnish and Dr Evan Healy here: https://www.monash.edu/discovery-institute/news-and-events/news/2024-articles/outstanding-discovery-research-awarded-nhmrc-investigator-grant-funding

13/05/2024

appears to reverse the cognitive rigidity of . A study led by Dr Claire Foldi with first author Dr Kyna Conn at Monash BDI has studied psilocybin in an animal model of anorexia nervosa. Published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, the study reveals that psilocybin improves body weight maintenance in female rats and enhances cognitive flexibility. They found a specific neural mechanism by which psilocybin works to make “anorexic thinking” more pliable, opening the way for targeted therapies. Read more: https://www.monash.edu/discovery-institute/news-and-events/news/2024-articles/how-psilocybin-potentially-works-to-reverse-the-cognitive-rigidity-that-is-the-hallmark-of-anorexia

11/04/2024

13/02/2024

Preventing by reversing ageing in the gut. Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute researcher Dr Lochlan Fennell has been awarded a $100,000 Cure Cancer grant to investigate a novel preventive strategy for bowel cancer, the risk for which increases manyfold with age. He and a team of BDI cancer researchers will investigate whether it’s possible to rejuvenate those cells most at risk of becoming cancerous. They plan to use organoids and cellular reprogramming to mirror and reverse the body’s own ageing process. Read more: https://www.monash.edu/discovery-institute/news-and-events/news/2023-articles/preventing-bowel-cancer-by-reversing-ageing-in-the-gut

12/02/2024

Innovative modelling may help patients who don't respond to treatment. Research led by Dr Antonella Papa & A/Prof Lan Nguyen is using maths to predict how new combination therapies can help patients with breast cancer who no longer respond to conventional therapies. The research, published in npj Precision Oncology, investigated breast cancer driven by a specific protein, PI3K, and how new combination therapies could effectively shut down the protein's activity. Read more: https://www.monash.edu/discovery-institute/news-and-events/news/2024-articles/innovative-modelling-may-help-breast-cancer-patients-who-dont-respond-to-treatment

Monash University-led research is using maths to predict how new combination therapies can help patients with breast cancer who no longer respond to conventional therapies.

12/02/2024

Phage therapy to target 🧫💊: SBS Australia follows the pathway from research to clinical application of phage therapy in combatting the looming threat of antibiotic resistance, featuring Centre to Impact AMR’s A/Prof Jeremy Barr and PhD Alumnus Dr Fernando Gordillo-Altamirano from the Monash University School of Biological Sciences and Prof Anton Peleg from the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and School of Translational Medicine.
📺 Tune in from 8.40pm AEDT on SBS and SBS On Demand on Thursday 15 February to watch ‘Last Chance to Save a Life’

Australia’s most compelling documentary collection, Australia Uncovered, returns to SBS and SBS On Demand on Thursday 8 February from 8:40pm with a curated s...

08/02/2024

Taking better advantage of the activity-based model. Anorexia nervoxa (AN) is a complex disorder with multiple drivers. Dr Claire Foldi (pictured), who works with an activity-based anorexia animal model, has published an opinion piece in Trends in Molecular Medicine. She describes the cross-disciplinary analysis needed to reveal causal factors in the development of AN symptoms, with the tools now available to link genetic, metabolic, neurobiological and behavioural phenotypes. Read more: https://www.monash.edu/discovery-institute/news-and-events/news/2023-articles/taking-better-advantage-of-the-activity-based-anorexia-model

08/02/2024

Key to fatty liver disease and its consequences for billions of people. Why some people remain relatively healthy with fatty liver disease and some go on to develop potentially life-threatening illness has been a mystery - until now. Research led by Professor Tony Tiganis, published in Journal of Clinical Investigation, has shown that elevated levels of a particular protein play an important protective role. The discovery provides evidence for a therapeutic avenue for a disease whose prevalence is predicted to balloon by 63% from 2015 to 2030. Read more: https://www.monash.edu/discovery-institute/news-and-events/news/2023-articles/key-to-fatty-liver-disease-and-its-consequences-for-billions-of-people

05/02/2024

In a scientific breakthrough that aids our understanding of the internal wiring of immune cells, researchers led by Professor Nicholas Huntington at Monash BDI have cracked the code behind IKAROS, which is an essential protein for the immune system's Natural Killer (NK) cell development. NK cells are our first line of defence against pathogens and internal threats such as cancers, and could be fortified by therapies enhancing their killing prowess. See: https://www.monash.edu/discovery-institute/news-and-events/news/2024-articles/major-breakthrough-unveils-immune-systems-guardian-ikaros

02/02/2024

🔬 Calling all light enthusiasts!

Hear all the latest developments in the field from leading researchers - Dr Margarida Barroso, Dr Timo Zimmerman, Dr Elvis Pandzic & Dr Jieqiong Lou - at our symposium at Monash University, Clayton on 14 Feb!

Register by 11 Feb: https://bit.ly/42b1xYJ

Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute

31/01/2024

Six Monash BDI researchers have been awarded NHMRC Ideas Grant funding to lead seven research projects which will help advance understanding of a wide range of health and medical issues. Congrats Dr Natalie Lister ( ), Dr Bradley Broughton (improving post- outcomes), Prof Ian Smyth (two grants: Polycystic Kidney Disease , and binge drinking effects on fetal kidneys), A/Prof Anne Fletcher ( ), Dr Patricia Illing (influenza immunity), and Prof Diana Hansen ( immune response). Read more: https://www.monash.edu/discovery-institute/news-and-events/news/2023-articles/monash-bdi-secures-$8.3m-in-nhmrc-ideas-grants

31/01/2024

BDI’s Prof Mariapia Degli-Esposti, A/Prof Karla Hutt, Prof Jian Li, Dr Ram Bhusal & Dr Adam Shahine (L-R in photo) have collectively been awarded $9.2 million in NHMRC Investigator Grants. Research includes understanding how immune responses are regulated; protecting eggs from damage during chemotherapy treatment; combating antimicrobial resistance ; using strategies from ticks to develop therapies for inflammatory diseases; and understanding how our immune system functions to recognise and clear the pathogen. Read more: https://www.monash.edu/discovery-institute/news-and-events/news/2023-articles/monash-bdi-researchers-awarded-$9.2m-in-nhmrc-investigator-grants

21/11/2023