Further Enquiries
Discipline of Paediatrics
The University of Adelaide
SA 5005
Australia
Email
Telephone: +61 8 8161
7266
Facsimile: +61 8 8161 7031
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Health Research Seminars
Program for June / July 2009
 18/6/2009
| Date |
Speaker |
Title / Summary |
Host* |
| 4 June 2009 |
Professor Junia V. Melo
(Professor of Haematology, Dept of Haematology, IMVS) |
Chronic myeloid leukaemia: case closed?
With the introduction of imatinib, chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) has metamorphosed from a life-threatening disease worth accepting the risks of an allogeneic stem cell transplant, into a chronic ailment, which for many patients is compatible with an almost normal life. And yet, challenges remain. Exploiting the full potential of targeted therapy requires a solid understanding of disease monitoring and prognostication. Imatinib failure, while limited to a minority of chronic phase patients, is the rule, once the disease has progressed to accelerated phase or blast crisis. And last, we have yet to find a way to eradicate CML stem cells, so that therapy can be stopped altogether. Professor Melo will discuss these issues in the context of clinical and biological questions. |
Heddy Zola
[heddy.zola@adelaide.edu.au]
8161 7015 |
| 18 June 2009 |
Dr Jeremy Austin
(Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, University of Adelaide) |
Reconstructing the past to inform the present: ancient DNA analysis of extinct and threatened species
Ancient DNA, the genetic material surviving in post-morterm remains of animals, plants and humans, has great potential to reveal cryptic evolutionary events, reconstruct past environments and identify biological response to environmental change. Ancient DNA allows us to travel back in time and "see the past" as it really was, rather than inferring it from modern genetic data alone. However ancient DNA research is not without its challenges and controversies. This presentation will provide a background to the field of ancient DNA, highlight the world-class facilities at ACAD and showcase some of the exciting research projects recently completed or underway - from dodos, to thylacines and unidentified sailors. |
Ian Nicholson
[ian.nicholson@adelaide.edu.au]
8161 7069 |
| 2 July 2009 |
Dr Janna Morrison
(Heart Foundation and NHMRC Career Development Award Fellow, Sansom Institute, UniSA) |
Fetal cardiovascular adaptations to placental restriction
Dr. Morrison currently holds a Heart Foundation and NHMRC Career Development Award (2008-2012) in the Early Origins of Adult Health Research Group in the Sansom Institute for Health Research at the University of South Australia. Dr. Morrison was trained in fetal physiology at the University of Western Ontario (Masters, 1997) and the University of British Columbia (PhD, 2001). Dr. Morrison’s early work focussed on the neural regulation of fetal sleep states and the impact of maternal antidepressant use on fetal development during late gestation to provide pregnant women with evidence to decide whether or not to take antidepressant during pregnancy. These interests led to a post doctoral position at the University of Toronto investigating the neurotransmitters controlling the tongue muscle during sleep in the search for therapeutic interventions in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. In October 2002, Dr. Morrison moved to the University of Adelaide to join the Centre for the Early Origins of Adult Health, returning to the world of fetal physiology. Studies in Adelaide focus on the impact of low birth weight on cardiovascular development, including both regulation of blood pressure and development of the heart. With the award of a second National Heart Foundation Research Fellowship, Dr. Morrison joined the Sansom Institute for Health Research in early 2006 where investigations of cardiovascular development continue. These studies are funded by 3 National Health and Medical Research Council Project grants.
Dr. Morrison is an enthusiastic science communicator who has participated in community programs such as Let’s Talk Science, Tall Poppies Campaign and Science meets Parliament over the past decade. These have provided her with opportunities to speak about her passion for science with students of all ages, their teachers and members of parliament. Our community’s children are our community’s future nurses, engineers, teachers, doctors and scientists. |
Mark Kohler
[mark.kohler@adelaide.edu.au]
8161 8383 |
16 July 2009 |
Dr Julia Pitcher
(M.S. McLeod Research Fellow, Neuromotor Plasticity & Development (NeuroPAD), The Robinson Institute, School of Paediatrics & Reproductive Health, University of Adelaide) |
How might motor cortex development influence specific learning difficulties in children born preterm?
Emerging evidence suggests even the mildly preterm experience co-morbid motor and cognitive dysfunction at school age, which affects their educational achievement. The PREMOCODE study has been investigating motor cortical and cognitive development in 300 12 year old children born after 24 – 41 weeks gestation at the Women’s & Children’s Hospital. The major aims of PREMOCODE are to differentiate the relative influences of gestation length (GA) and fetal growth (i.e. birthweight centile; BW%) on motor and cognitive development in childhood, and to determine if the motor and cognitive dysfunction seen in non-cerebral palsy preterm children shares a common underlying physiology. Even in the mildly preterm, reductions in GA and BW% are associated with delayed or abnormal M1/corticospinal development that is still evident at the end of the first decade. This abnormal development of cortical motor areas is associated with dysfunction in a number of cognitive abilities required for reading and language development. In this talk, I will discuss the rationale for hypotheses that the specific learning difficulties preterm children have in the reading and language domains are directly related to the abnormal development of their brain motor areas, including M1 and the ventral premotor cortex based on the findings from the PREMOCODE study. |
Mark Kohler
[mark.kohler@adelaide.edu.au]
8161 8383 |
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Remainder of program will be advised month by month |
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*For further information about the speaker's activities contact the Host for the seminar |
Venue: Maxwell Seminar Room, 2nd Floor Rieger Building, Women's and Children's Hospital.
Time: 12.30-1.30 pm [ followed by refreshments, and opportunity for further discussion and networking] More Information
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