BodyLab

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.

If you live with serious mental health issues, you might already know that exercise can help form part of your treatment plan. Now,  research involving QIMR Berghofer is showing how that exercise program is delivered can have the biggest impact. Dr Justin Chapman says providing access to the right health program is key and could eventually alleviate pressure on the health system.

People with bowel cancer could eventually receive individually tailored treatment that is more effective with fewer side effects. Bowel cancer is the second most common form of cancer in Australia and it spreads in half of all cases, making treatment challenging. Associate Professor Vicki Whitehall from QIMR Berghofer  is using cancer cells from individual patients to test the effectiveness of different drugs.

An Australian first trial using deep brain stimulation is delivering exciting results for people living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD is when people have recurring unwanted thoughts, ideas or sensations that drive them to do something repetitively, which  affects around half a million Australians. QIMR Berghofer Psychiatrist and Clinical Research Fellow, Dr Phil Mosley explains how the trial is delivering relief for people who have been suffering for decades with the disorder.

Lupus is a chronic disease that can cause debilitating inflammation and pain in any part of the body, when the immune system attacks the healthy tissues. Treatment so far has been toxic, but Professor Fabienne Mackay, Director at QIMR Berghofer is behind the first new treatment for lupus in 50 years. She talks about how the discovery was made and what it will mean for the 5-million people who live with Lupus around the world.

Brain cancer survival rates haven’t changed for about 50-years, but breakthrough research at QIMR Berghofer has found a weapon that might exclusively target cancer cells. This medical breakthrough was only possible through the establishment of one of Australia’s most comprehensive brain cancer tissue banks by Professor Bryan Day and his colleagues. It has already led to multiple discoveries worldwide. 

Professor Rajiv Khanna has had a fascinating 30-year research story in immunotherapy that has led to a game-changing therapy for people with multiple sclerosis. His treatment has seen a dramatic and sustained improvement in many people with progressive MS. Early results in Professor Khanna’s Phase 1 clinical trial show that people with MS who had been dependent on a walking aid were able to move around unassisted for longer periods of time. But getting to this stage wasn’t easy. In this episode, Professor Khanna shares what it took to get get this revolutionary treatment to clinical trials.