Did you know your genes play an important role in the risk of having a mental illness?
 
Over the past decade, scientists have discovered hundreds of genes linked to all mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, ADHD and bipolar disorder. Professor Eske Derks says it's now time to translate these findings into the clinic to help patients with better treatments and more accurate diagnosis.  There are a few challenges to overcome first to make this goal of "precision psychiatry" a reality. 

One-in-four Australians have fatty liver disease, most don't even know it. With over two decades leading liver research in Australia, Professor Grant Ramm is excited about the possibility of repairing liver damage. His research could be of particular benefit for those born with cystic fibrosis, with wider implications for possible use in treating scarring in other organs.

Research has shown for the first time how a complication of life-saving stem-cell transplants used for blood cancer patients, impacts the brain.

It’s an important step towards improving the quality of life for patients with chronic Graft-Versus-Host-Disease (GVHD), a condition where transplanted donor cells attack the patient’s organs. 

While the transplant can cure the cancer, many patients develop chronic GVHD and are unable to return to normal life or work. Depression, anxiety and issues with concentration and memory are common, but until now were attributed to the emotional ordeal, or the chemotherapy or radiation.

PhD candidate Rachael Adams explains how her preclinical studies show the brain is actually one of the organs targeted by chronic GVHD, which causes these neurocognitive issues. Her ongoing research is identifying altered biological pathways in the brain that could be the focus of potential treatments. 

Imagine leaving school at 13 and becoming one of Australia's richest 200 people.

Clive Berghofer AM has achieved just that, turning his work ethic, business acumen, and remarkable generosity to extraordinary philanthropic endeavours. One of those is helping QIMR Berghofer medical researchers find cures for diseases like cancer and Coronavirus through donations totalling more than $60 million. This is the story of the incredible philanthropist Clive Berghofer told in his own words.

Is a mastectomy the right option for all women with changes in the #BRCA genes? No – yet women who carry a BRCA variant of “uncertain” significance are unnecessarily having preventive mastectomies. Their variant could be benign, but they don’t want to take the chance it’s not. Professor Amanda Spurdle explains how a remarkable world-first data-sharing trial is helping remove the uncertainty for patients by working out which variants are harmful and which are harmless.

If you're allergic to shellfish - you were first allergic to something else! A new study unearthed the real cause, hopefully leading to better diagnosis and treatment of serious allergies. Associate Professor Severine Navarro talks about the culprit and its list of unexpected relatives of which you should be aware.

The story of how commercial sunbeds came to be banned in Australia is incredibly powerful, and two QIMR Berghofer researchers played an integral role in that momentous campaign. Now the world-first modelling they developed then is helping UK researchers in the fight to try and ban commercial solariums in England. But as Health Economist Associate Professor Louisa Gordon explains, despite the health and economic evidence, this will not be an easy campaign. 

Malaria remains a major global health problem with nearly half of the world's population at risk of contracting malaria. In 2020, the World Health Organisation estimated there were 240 million cases of malaria and more than 620,000 deaths. It is also a disease of inequity with nearly all malaria deaths occurring in African children.
 
To mark  World Malaria Day, QIMR Berghofer researcher, Associate Professor Bridget Barber discusses the need for new anti-malaria drugs.

Her research group is at the forefront of malaria research where they inoculate volunteer groups with malaria to test new drugs and evaluate their safety and efficacy. And as host Bridie Barry discovers, recent published findings are promising.

Dr Kelly Brooks from QIMR Berghofer is working to crack the code that will improve the treatment of eye melanoma, which is one of the most difficult cancers to detect and treat early. Half of these cases have already spread to other parts of the body. In most cases it is found in the liver. Dr Brooks is working on what causes the  cells to spread and how researchers might block that process. 

Faecal transfer is an unconventional treatment that restores the balance in your gut. Dr Andrea Henden from QIMR Berghofer takes us on a fascinating look into how healthy gut bacteria can be introduced into the bowel. The process is offering new hope for the common and sometimes deadly graft versus host disease which can affect the gut. There are also implications for millions with other gut and bowel issues.