Bosch Institute News - April to June, 2008
"Heart, Vessels & Health" - 2008 Annual Scientific Meeting
The third Bosch Annual Scientific Meeting was held on Friday 13 June 2008. The theme for this year’s symposium was “Heart, Vessels and Health” and at the recommendation of Jacquie Stratford, Bosch COO, the meeting was held in the Kerry Packer Auditorium at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
One of the main objectives of the Bosch Institute is to facilitate the translation of basic research into clinical relevance so hosting our ASM at the adjoining hospital allowed many clinical researchers to attend at least part of the comprehensive program.
The Keynote Speaker was Professor John Keaney from Boston, USA, a well known clinical researcher in the general area of atherosclerosis. Professor Keaney’s Plenary was very well received by the capacity audience and his unique second presentation for the Hospital’s Grand Rounds “Endothelial Function and CVD: From Bench to Bedside and Back” provoked much interest from the Clinicians in attendance. Dr Paul Tortzilo commented “that was an incredible insight into the practical applications of basic research findings”. It is hoped that we will encourage further collaboration with our clinical colleagues over the next few months.
The remaining speakers were all invited speakers from the Bosch Institute: Professor David Celermajer, Professor Roland Stocker, Professor Cris dos Remedios, Associate Professor Tailoi Chan-Ling, Dr Karen Cullen. One session was devoted to presentations from our Bosch Young Investigators and Dr Lachlan McDowell, Dr Yutang Wang and Dr Sabine Wimmer-Kleikamp were invited to present their work as mini talks.
The afternoon ended with drinks and canapés during a Bosch Young Investigators Poster Session which allowed more opportunities to network.
During his closing remarks Executive Director Nick Hunt thanked Professor Kearney for travelling from the USA especially for the ASM, Caduet for sponsoring the day, the staff at RPAH for allowing us the use of the venue, Associate Professor Craig Mellis for accommodating the Bosch within their Grand Rounds Program and Kathleen Evans for her management of the event.
Cardiology Research - Publication Success for Paul Witting
With the significant advancements made in modern cardiology, more patients are surviving acute heart attack. The challenge now for cardiologists is to understand the clinical complications that can occur after a heart attack.
One of the more frequent problems facing patients is heart failure and it is increasingly accepted that inflammation after a heart attack can play a role in promoting failure of this organ. One early event following heart attack is the recruitment of pro-inflammatory neutrophils to the damaged myocardium.
Dr Paul Witting, who recently joined the Cardiovascular Research Theme of the Bosch Institute, has published an article that identifies specific modifications to a heart protein, myoglobin, caused by hypochlorous acid derived from neutrophils. These protein modifications were characterised in detail using advanced chemical techniques. He and his research group are extending this research to investigate whether the specific modifications can be used as a "biomarker for cardiac inflammation.
Szuchman-Sapir AJ, Pattison DI, Ellis NA, Hawkins CL, Davies MJ, Witting PK.
Hyopochlorous acid oxidizes methionine and tryptophan residues in myoglobin.
Free Radicals in Biology and Medicine June 19, 2008 (E publication ahead of print).
15th International Vascular Biology Meeting
Professor Roland Stocker was invited to speak at the 15th International Vascular Biology Meeting in Sydney on June 1-5. The meeting was held in the Sydney Convention Centre and attracted over 500 national and international delegatesis. Professor Stocker's lecture was titled "Heme oxygenase and oxidative stress."
Premier’s Award for Outstanding Cancer Research Scholar
Katie Dixon received the Premier’s award of Outstanding Cancer Research Scholar. Katie completed her PhD with Prof. Rebecca Mason in the Department of Physiology and was recognised for her cancer research on ultraviolet radiation-induced skin cancer.
Her study was the first to demonstrate a role for vitamin D compounds in reducing tumour formation and skin cancer progression. The studies carried out in this project helped to unravel the mechanisms underlying photoprotection by vitamin D compounds. A preliminary study carried out in human subjects showed a reduction in some of the early events that lead to skin cancer development; in particular the reduction of sunburn cells and DNA damage.
Realising the Potential of the Sequenced Human Genome - Trends in Genetics Publication - Professor Juergen Reichardt
In an article published this month, Professor Juergen Reichardt of the Cancer, Cell Biology and Development Research Theme, describes the need for:
(1) the functional analysis of genes of unknown function, of which there are approximately 10,000 in the human genome;
(2) the need for the functional characterisation of human genetic variants, of which there are several million; and
(3) the need for interdisciplinary research to accomplish this.
Reference: Reichardt, JKV (2008). Realising the potential of the sequenced human genome. Trends in Genetics 24, 219-220.
Bosch Distinguished Seminar
On 13 May 2008, Professor David Celemajer was the invited speaker for the Bosch Distinguished Seminar Series. David’s talk was titled “Preventing vascular disease - from cells to societies”.
David Celemajer is the Scandrett Professor of Cardiology, University of Sydney. He is the Director of Echocardiography and Clinical Academic Cardiologist at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Clinical Director and Group Leader of Clinical Research at the Heart Research Institute, and holds a position as Cardiologist at the Children’s Hospital Westmead. David’s research focus is “The prevention of atherosclerosis – presymptomatic diagnosis and early treatment of arterial diseases”.
David’s talk was very well received by the capacity audience and we are delighted to announce that David has recently joined the Bosch Institute’s Cardiovascular Theme.
This seminar was proudly sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline
New Insight Into a Range of Human Diseases
Dr Gus Maghzal has published a paper that challenges a 30 year old dogma concerning the way that the essential amino acid, tryptophan, is converted inside cells into other biologically active molecules. This biochemical pathway is critical in reproduction, the functioning of the brain and in the regulation of immunity against infectious agents. An enzyme is a protein that accelerates a chemical reaction in the cells of the body. The enzyme that drives the conversion of tryptophan is called indoleamine dioxygenase (IDO). Since the 1970s it has been believed that the activity of IDO depends on a reactive form of oxygen, superoxide, to donate an electron to the reaction. Dr Maghzal’s work shows that this idea is almost certainly wrong and that another molecule, a protein called cytochrome b5, is the electron donor.
Why is this important? Apart from the role of IDO in normal physiology, it is known to be produced at abnormally high levels in some cancer cells. This is thought to damp down the body’s response that otherwise would kill those cancer cells, so this allows them to grow and possibly become fatal. So inhibitors of IDO are being trialled as anti-cancer agents. Gus Maghzal’s finding means that it is easier to develop effective and specific drugs that can be used for this purpose.
The research was carried out in the laboratory of Professor Roland Stocker within the Bosch Cardiovascular Research Theme and among the collaborators were Nick Hunt, also of the Bosch Institute.
Congratulations to Professor Des Richardson
Professor Des Richardson was awarded the title of Biochemical Journal Editor of the Year and was also the recipient of a Muscular Dystrophy Association USA grant worth over $400,000 US.
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - Professor David Allen
Journal Success
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a devastating disease of boys and young men. It is a genetic disorder resulting from the absence of a particular protein (‘dystrophin’) from muscle. For this reason muscles degenerate progressively so that affected individuals are often confined to a wheelchair by the age of 10-12 years and usually die by about the age of 20.
Professor David Allen, of the Nervous System, Senses and Movement Research Theme of Bosch, has discovered that an antioxidant molecule called N-acetylcysteine provided protection against muscle damage in a mouse model of muscular dystrophy. These results throw new light on a possible mechanism by which the loss of dystrophin is linked to progressive muscle damage. It is conceivable that it may lead in the future, probably many years away, to a new therapy for slowing down the progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Professor Allen’s publication appeared in the prestigious Journal of Physiology (Whitehead, Pharn, Gervasio and Allen, J Physiol, vol 586, pages 2003-2014, 2008) and its significance was recognised in an editorial in the same issue of the Journal. Invitations have followed to present the work at conferences in London, Beijing and Woods Hole (Massachusetts, USA) during the next 12 months.
Professor Juergen Reichardt Abroad
Professor Juergen Reichardt presented two seminars in the USA. One was at the PCPT Investigators' Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. He discussed his progress in Project 1 of a 5 year National Cancer Institute-funded grant on prostate cancer. He then gave a seminar in the Department of Epidemiology at Tulane Cancer Centre, New Orleans.
Secretary General of the International Union for Pure & Applied Biophysics
Professor Cris dos Remedios from the Cardiovascular Research Theme, Bosch Institute and School of Medical Sciences has been elected as the Secretary General of the International Union for Pure & Applied Biophysics, a six year appointment, and on receiving the Bob Robertson Medal for service to the Australian Society for Biophysics.
Cris, Brett Hambly and others also led a mission to secure the 2014 Congress of the International Union for Pure & Applied Biophysics to be held in Brisbane and won that competition at the IUPAB Congress in Long Beach on 4 February.
Sir Zelman Cowen Prize for Discovery in Medical Research 2008 - Congratulations to Dr Cathy Leamey
The Sir Zelman Cowen Universities Fund Prize for Discovery in Medical Research is awarded in alternate years at the University of Sydney and at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. It recognises discovery in medical research by a researcher under 40 years of age who has made a major contribution to the understanding or treatment of disease. The Trustees of the Fund have awarded the 2008 Prize to Bosch Researcher Dr Catherine Leamey.
Dr Leamey was nominated for the identification of a gene, Ten_m3, which is essential for binocular vision. In its absence the projections from the two eyes which see the same part of visual space are not aligned with each other in the brain. This has devastating functional consequences - animals that lack the gene behave as if blind. Most remarkably, Dr Leamey has shown that the acute blockade of all activity in one eye of these animals can rescue vision in the other eye. The restoration of vision indicates that the "blindness" results from suppression, which arises as a consequence of the interocular mismatch. This is the first time pharmacological blockade of a neural pathway has been shown to cause a gain in visual ability. This has important implications for the development of therapies for both visual and developmental brain disorders such as autism and mental retardation.
"B is for Bosch" 2008 Harbour Cruise
140 Bosch Young Investigators dressed as Björn Borg, Boris Becker, Barry Hall, Batman, Bumble bees, Biohazards, Bob the Builder, a Bishop, a Bride and Bob Marley amongst many others to enjoy the 2008 BYI Harbour Cruise welcome.
Everyone danced the night away to their favourite classic hits on the jukebox, enjoyed a selection of finger food and kept the bar staff busy. The evening culminated in a fashion parade on the lower deck and the overall “best dressed” was Björn Borg a.k.a. Dr. Paul Austin from Anatomy.
Overall, a fantastic night out – thanks to the Bosch Young Investigators Committee and A/Prof. Frank Lovicu.
Katie Dixon
BYI Seminar Series
The first of the revamped Young Investigators seminar series took place on April 25, with a fantastic turnout from all disciplines. The seminars themselves were a great mix of current research covering a diverse range of topics, from developing new forensic tests to identify skeletal fragments, through to characterization of a protein enabling visual neuron patterning. In addition, the first “perspectives” seminar was presented and discussed the history of neurophysiology. Following the seminars, we gathered for a BBQ and drinks in the Anderson Stuart courtyard and were joined by our colleagues both from the Anderson Stuart building and beyond!
The session was a great success, and is set to continue in September with the second instalment. Speakers will again be invited from all disciplines, and as such will provide us with a unique opportunity to be the first to learn about the latest findings that could potentially change the society in which we live.
Aaron Camp, PhD
Opening of New Molecular Biology Facility
On Tuesday 22 April 2008 the new Bosch Molecular Biology Facility, in the Blackburn Building was officially opened by the Governor Marie Bashir. This new facility is part of a major Microsearch complex which also includes special microsurgical and postgraduate facilities.
Experimental Biology 2008 Conference, San Diego, California
In April Dr Valéry Combes gave an invited presentation at the Experimental Biology 2008 conference in San Diego, California. Her talk was about the ground-breaking work carried out by her and Professor Georges Grau on the role played by small biological particles ("microparticles") in causing the brain complications of malaria.
Her talk was titled "Platelet microparticles enhance Plasmodium falciparum-parasitised red blood cell cytoadherance and activate human brain endothelial cells".
Dr Combes is a senior research scientist who moved to Sydney from France when Professor Grau relocated his laboratory from Marseille to the Bosch Institute.
Rebecca L Cooper Dinner - 5 April 2008
The Rebecca L Cooper Medical Research Foundation Dinner was held on Saturday 5 April at the Crown Plaza in Coogee.
The Bosch Institute was the proud recipient of a number of grants and awards including: Professor Ron Trent, the Leo Dintenfass Memorial Plaque; Associate Professor Tailoi Chan-Ling, Special Award in Vision Science; Dr Haydn Allbutt, Dr Louise Cole and Dr Ronan Jambou, Brain Sciences Grants; Professor Chris Murphy, Geriatric Research Grant; Professor Judith Black, Grant in Lung Research; Dr Harla Zreiqat, Grant in Rheumatology; Dr Michael Weible and Dr Catherine Leamey, Grants in Vision Research.
Dr Renae Ryan was the recipient of the 2007 Rebecca L Cooper Medal and Prize. This is awarded to the chief author of the best publication during the preceding 12 months by a postdoctoral fellow from the Bosch institute. Dr Ryan’s winning publication was “The uncoupled chloride conductance of a bacterial glutamate transport homolog”, published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.
Pictured: Dr Renae Ryan & Dr Louise Cole with Foundation Secretary Mr A Rosenstrauss.
Professor Cris dos Remedios Elected Secretary General of the International Union for Pure & Applied Biophysics
Professor Cris dos Remedios from the Cardiovascular Research Theme, Bosch Institute was elected Secretary General of the International Union for Pure & Applied Biophysics. It is a six year appointment, and on receiving the Bob Robertson Medal for service to the Australian Society for Biophysics.
Cris, Brett Hambly and others also led a mission to secure the 2014 Congress of the International Union for Pure & Applied Biophysics to be held in Brisbane and won that competition at the IUPAB Congress in Long Beach on 4 February.
