BodyLab

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.

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.