Eavesdrop on Experts

“I challenge you, nothing is more fascinating, nothing is more puzzling than our brain,” says Professor Tracy Bale from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA and the Director of the Centre for Epigenetic Research in Child Health and Brain Development.

Professor Bale studies epigenetics – biochemical marks on our DNA.

“It doesn’t change the DNA sequence, we still inherit that from mum and dad. It is the environment’s way of allowing specific genes to be expressed or not expressed during given times or in specific tissues.”

Epigenetics can have an intergenerational and even potentially a trans-generational effect on how offspring may develop, she says.

“This is based on different environmental exposures – Mum was obese, Dad was stressed – or enrichment such as your parents may have read to you more or less.

“Our brain continues to respond to its environment. So all of these factors together determine exactly how we function in our risk and our resilience.”

Professor Bale notes that ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) may in evolutionary terms reflect a need for vigilance.

“It may have been advantageous if you’re out somewhere and there’s more lions, so you need to be vigilant. So the right environment has you watching what’s going on outside the window instead of listening to a teacher in a classroom.”

“So from an evolutionary biology point of view, we need all types in the tribe because it’s survival.”

Episode recorded: February 12, 2020.

Interviewer: Dr Andi Horvath.

Producer, editor and audio engineer: Chris Hatzis.

Co-production: Silvi Vann-Wall and Dr Andi Horvath.

Banner image: Getty Images.

Welcome to a special episode of Eavesdrop on Experts where we encourage experts to obsess, confess and profess.

On the 11th March 2020, producers Silvi Vann-Wall and Arch Cuthbertson attended the International Womens Day event called “My Brilliant Career”. It was held by the MDHS at the University of Melbourne. It features 6 female leaders in the field of child health, who speak about their career journeys, lessons learnt and advice to younger people.

We can actively choose to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women's achievements.

My Brilliant Career is one part of our journey to supporting female voices, career pathways and experiences in science and health. Collectively, we can make change happen – we can all choose to be #EachforEqual.

#UniMelbMDHS #GenerationEquality

We have captured the event here - so without further ado, we bring you “My Brilliant Career”.

Moderator: Professor Megan Munsie.

Panellists: Dr Katie Allen MP, Associate Professor Margie Danchin, Dr Alyce Wilson, Dr Valerie Sung, Ms Carra Simpson, and Ms Banok Rind.

Presented by: Professor Sarah Wilson.

Recorded: March 11, 2020.

Producer: Silvi Vann-Wall.

Executive producer: Dr Andi Horvath.

Audio engineer and editor: Arch Cuthbertson.

Dr Ashleigh Hood’s career in geology started as a child.

“When I was just a kid, my grandpa used to take me on walks. I’d find rocks and put them in people’s letterboxes, so that was the start of my love affair with geology,” says Dr Hood.

She now searches the globe for ancient reefs, looking for ancient life forms and information about animal evolution. No longer in the oceans, these 500 million-year-old reefs are preserved high in mountains across Canada, Namibia and Australia.

“Earth’s history spans back about 4.5 billion years, so these tiny little slivers of rock record one snapshot of time, Dr Hood says. “Our work addresses one of the most fundamental questions in science and that’s how did we get here? This is, of course, a very big question.”

“For example, these reefs formed during a time called Snowball Earth, which is when the Earth froze over almost completely, twice. This is our most severe climate change in Earth’s history and so right in the middle of this big ice age we see these huge tropical reefs grow,” Dr Hood says.

“We know, for example, that animals potentially survived this climate change and so can use examples like this to better understand how we’re going to go with climate change in the future.”

Episode recorded: December 4, 2019.

Interviewer: Dr Andi Horvath.

Producer, audio engineer and editor: Chris Hatzis.

Co-production: Silvi Vann-Wall and Dr Andi Horvath.

Banner image: Getty Images.

“I’ve always followed the issues that the Australian community are concerned about,” says social researcher Dr Rebecca Huntley.

“There are high levels of concern in the community about climate change, regardless of how you measure them, but people have very low levels of expectation that our leaders not only can, but will, do anything about it,” she says.

Dr Huntley says studies have revealed a common misconception in which people believe there are greater numbers of climate change deniers and coal supporters in the community than there actually are.

“That’s because those voices are amplified in the media, in certain parts of corporate Australia and in some parts of the government, so that’s a really important misconception,” she says.

“This is why things like reform of the political donation system, certainly at the Federal level, is an important part of restoring people’s faith that a transition away from old energy sources to these new renewable energy sources, is something that will actually happen.”

Episode recorded: November 18, 2019.

Interviewer: Dr Andi Horvath.

Producer, editor and audio engineer: Chris Hatzis.

Co-production: Silvi Van-Wall and Dr Andi Horvath.

Banner image: Shutterstock.

In 2009, Professor Peter Singer wrote his book The Life You Can Save in order to highlight that our response to world poverty was not only insufficient, but ethically indefensible.

In the tenth anniversary edition released in late 2019, Professor Singer examines the progress we have made since the book’s release and how the first edition transformed the lives of both readers and the people they helped.

“I’ve argued that we can expand our circle of moral concern and that that’s an important thing to do, beyond the social group that we’re part of,” says Professor Singer, who holds positions as the Ira W DeCamp Professor of Bioethics in the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University and Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne.

“I think we need to include all human beings, not just people who are alive now, but into the future, which has of course become a much more critical issue with climate change, with our awareness of what we’re doing to the planet.”

He notes that psychology is starting to test what leads people to give to others.

“There is strong evidence that people who are generous, who help others, who think about the wellbeing of others, actually enjoy their lives more than those who are more narrowly self-interested,” says Professor Singer.

For more information about The Life You Can Save Australia go to https://www.thelifeyoucansave.org.au/

Episode recorded: December 18, 2019.

Interviewer: Steve Grimwade.

Producer, audio engineer and editor: Chris Hatzis.

Co-production: Silvei Vann-Wall and Dr Andi Horvath.

Image: Shutterstock.

Twenty years ago, Professor Elizabeth Vincan set out to understand how cancer cells ‘talk’ to each other and the cells around them.

Her research group was among a number to realise that some cancer cells always ‘switched on’ specific genes that function in an ancient form of cell-to-cell communication. And the idea was that if you could find out what these genes did, and block them, it could provide a new way to treat cancer.

“At that time I was a young post doc mum and working where I was working was just too difficult because I had to go over the West Gate Bridge,” she says.

So when a position came up at Western Hospital that suited her, she fell into cancer research.

“The good thing about that is that I don’t actually have any formal cancer training, so when I address a question I come at it from a completely different tack. So that has been instrumental in the path that my career has taken,” Professor Vincan says.

“What I realised way back in the late 1990s is that growing – a solid tumour, for example, is very similar to growing an organ in the body. The same pathways are involved.”

Since then Professor Vincan, her lab and collaborators have been recognised for their work on cell to cell communication in cancer.

“We’ve shown that the genetic mutations that initiate cancer form the platform of disease. On top of that there’s the genes my lab work on, involved in a particular communication pathway. When we block a gene called Frizzled-7, we can actually hit cancer on the head,” she says.

Now, that to me is – has just been wonderful.”

Episode recorded: November 12, 2019.

Interviewer: Dr Andi Horvath.

Producer, editor and audio engineer: Chris Hatzis.

Co-producers: Silvi Vann-Wall and Dr Andi Horvath.

Image: Lorna McInroy/ Wellcome Trust.

Lupus isn’t well known, but the currently incurable autoimmune disease often marked by a ‘butterfly’ rash on the face, is highly prevalent, affecting five million people globally. Treatments are few and far between and few researchers are focused on it.

But award winning medical researcher Professor Fabienne Mackay has concentrated much of her career on tackling lupus, and in 2011 her genetic research work led to the approval of the first new treatment for the disease in more than 50 years. And while that is good news for some patients, the treatment isn’t effective for all patients, and she says more research work and breakthroughs are needed.

“I would love the public to realise that lupus is actually very prevalent; that the therapies we have at the moment, even though I worked towards one, are not serving everybody. It helps some patients but not all of them,” says Professor Mackay who in October 2019 received a Distinguished Innovator Award from the US-based Lupus Research Alliance.

The good news is that we are still unravelling the secrets of the human body, which means there continues to be research leads to follow, including for instance the potential role of diet and the gut microbiome – the bacteria in our digestive system.

“There is a whole story we didn’t realise was there and now it’s excitement all over again finding out how these layers are working on top of the layers we’ve already unravelled,” says Professor Mackay.

“That is what fascinates me – you think you know it all and then there’s always something that comes and surprises you.”

And her advice to her medical research students is to think big.

“Always be bold. Think blue sky. It is a bit of risk and I know it’s never something that students are comfortable to do, but I think that where you find the most valuable discoveries.”

Episode recorded: November 11, 2019.

Interviewer: Dr Andi Horvath.

Producer, audio engineer and editor: Chris Hatzis.

Co-producers: Silvi Vann-Wall and Dr Andi Horvath.

Image: Getty Images.

The teenage brain is very interesting.

According to Dr Katherine Canobi, author and cognitive developmental psychologist at the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, it’s a time when young people are starting to work out who they are, as well as looking to form meaningful and authentic relationships.

“During this stage, their brains are still developing in various ways, for example executive function like decision making isn’t fully developed yet and neither is impulse control.”

Combining novel writing and research, Dr Canobi is interested in how teenagers respond to the technology in their lives.

Her novel Mindcull, explores how technology can be used to disguise and escape from reality.

“It’s probably fair to say that there are links between extensive screen use and symptoms of depression and anxiety, but not every study has found that. Some studies have found positive results for social media for a sense of connection with others,” she says.

Dr Canobi says we need to look at how we use technology. In particular, think about the vulnerabilities of young people and how we can use technology well.

“Technology is with us and it does many, many wonderful things but we also need to be aware of the risks.”

Episode recorded: October 8, 2019.

Interviewer: Dr Andi Horvath.

Producer, editor and audio engineer: Chris Hatzis.

Co-production: Silvi Vann-Wall and Dr Andi Horvath.

Image: Getty Images.

Now a professor of biochemistry at the University of Cambridge, in 1969 Sir Thomas Blundell was one of the first people to see what the hormone insulin looked like. As part of the team led by Nobel Prize winner Dorothy Hodgkin, it was a medical breakthrough for diabetes patients everywhere.

“I was always interested in doing a range of different things,” Professor Blundell says.

“I came from a family where my grandfather was a very gifted artist and musician. And although my parents left school when they were 14 and 15, they always encouraged me to think more broadly.”

“So I may be a little bit unusual because I’ve ended up doing things in politics, music and science, and that of course led me to advise prime ministers and to run organisations and found companies.”

Professor Blundell’s research has focussed on understanding the structure and function of molecules for targets to improve drug design.

“By using X-rays with very short wavelength, I can see these very tiny molecules. Add in other methods like electron microscopy and the individual molecules can be revealed.

His work has contributed significantly to stopping the progression of HIV into AIDS and to developing new drugs for cancer treatment in both his academic career and through a spinoff company he initially founded with two former students.

“In Europe, Australia and the United States, we are lucky, we have access to medicines that research has developed, but the real challenge is to make sure that it’s available not just to the rich, but to the world in general.”

Episode recorded: September 26, 2019.

Interviewer: Dr Andi Horvath.

Producer, audio engineer and editor: Chris Hatzis.

Co-production: Silvi Vann-Wall and Dr Andi Horvath.

Image: Getty Images.

The hepatitis B virus causes liver inflammation that, despite treatment, still leaves people at greater risk of developing liver disease and cancer. While it can be effectively vaccinated against, there is no cure.

Researchers Professor Peter Revill and Dr Thomas Tu are on front line of global efforts to find a cure; helped by Dr Tu developing a new method to better detect the virus’ ‘master blueprint’.

For Dr Tu, who was diagnosed with the disease as a teenager, finding a cure for Hep B is personal.

“I wasn’t given much information, just that you will have this for the rest of your life, and that was it. You may get liver disease down the track,” recalls Dr Tu.

“After that I was a bit despondent, as you can imagine, but then “I thought what is this”? And so I went online and started really looking up what hepatitis B was and I accrued all of this knowledge and realised I could do something.”

In fact, Dr Tu’s research in part led him to meet his now-wife.

Professor Revill says Dr Tu’s new method could be a “game changer” in terms of developing and testing new drugs.

“There’s many things we still don’t understand about the virus lifecycle or replication cycle, and we still cannot cure it,” says Professor Revill.

“The most important thing we need to do is develop a finite cure that people can take some pills for a short duration and not have to take pills for the rest of their life, and that inspires me every day.”

Episode recorded: September 30, 2019.

Interviewer: Dr Andi Horvath.

Producer, editor, audio engineer: Chris Hatzis.

Co-production: Silvi Vann-Wall and Dr Andi Horvath.

Image: Transmission Electron Micrograph of Hepatitis B virus particle - Getty Images.