Research News

Research funds to help treat ovarian diseases

Tuesday, 23 November 2010 15:20

Robinson Institute reproductive health specialist Professor Ray Rodgers will use a $765,370 research fellowship to help prevent and treat ovarian diseases, which are a major cause of infertility.

Professor Rodgers has been awarded a five-year NHMRC Research Fellowship for this project, starting in 2011.

The endocrine specialist and his research team will look at key aspects of ovarian function to better understand the role that ovaries play on a woman's overall health.

"Reproductive health critically impacts on a woman throughout her life, irrespective of her choice to have children," Professor Rodgers says.

"The ovary governs physiological events and health at puberty, across the menstrual cycle, during the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy, and at birth, lactation and menopause.

"Despite recent advances, many aspects of ovarian function are poorly understood," Professor Rodgers says.

The major health burdens concerning ovaries are polycystic ovarian syndrome, premature ovarian failure and assisted reproductive technologies to treat infertility.

"Our goal is to learn more about ovarian function so we can help prevent ovarian-related diseases and also develop treatment strategies for these," he says.

Professor Rodgers is one of three University of Adelaide researchers to receive NHMRC Research Fellowships, announced this week, totalling $2.1 million over five years.

The other two are titleholders Professor Sharad Kumar from SA Pathology ($780,850 Fellowship) and Associate Professor Allison Cowin ($570,640 Fellowship) from the Women's and Children's Health Research Institute.

Professor Kumar is Co-Director of the Centre for Cancer Biology at SA Pathology and an affiliate Professor of Medicine at the University of Adelaide. This reappointment as an NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow will allow him to continue research on the functions of cell death and inactivating proteins (ubiquitination), and their roles in diseases such as cancer, hypertension, lung inflammation and anaemia.

Associate Professor Cowin, an affiliate with the University's Discipline of Surgery, will use the research funds to look at new technologies to promote healing of chronic wounds, such as burns and ulcers.

Governor of South Australia tours the Robinson Institute

Tuesday, 23 November 2010 12:02

As Patron of the Robinson Institute and Foundation His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce AC CSC RANR, Governor of South Australia toured the Robinson Institute’s research facilities at the University of Adelaide’s Medical School.

His Excellency learned more about various research projects of the Robinson Institute including;

Pregnancy risks and complications with A/Prof Claire Roberts
Our specialised embryology laboratories with Associate Professor Jeremy Thompson
Fertility preservation for female cancer patients with Dr Kylie Dunning
Reproductive health and immunology with Professor Sarah Robertson and A/Prof Jeremy Thompson
New advancements in stem cell research with A/Prof Simon Koblar

Justice prize for indigenous health research

Tuesday, 02 November 2010 11:23

Dr Alice Rumbold, a perinatal epidemiologist, has won a national award for her work helping indigenous women to overcome life-threatening reproductive diseases.

Dr Rumbold, a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and a member of the Robinson Institute, has been awarded a 2010 Future Justice Medal for demonstrating leadership and initiative in Australia’s most disadvantaged sector.

For the past five years Dr Rumbold has worked with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, researching why indigenous women are more susceptible to reproductive cancers and other health problems.

Dr Rumbold said indigenous people faced health setbacks on a day-to-day basis, with sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhoea and Chlamydia unacceptably high in Aboriginal communities, compounded by other health problems such as diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome and obesity.

“These are all having a marked impact on the reproductive health of Aboriginal women, particularly in pregnancy outcomes,” Dr Rumbold said.

“Infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease and ongoing pelvic pain are the end result of these health issues and the tragedy is that most of these conditions are largely preventable,” she said.

The Director of the Robinson Institute, Professor Rob Norman, said Dr Rumbold demonstrated leadership and achievement “beyond her years” as a researcher.

Dr Rumbold is currently chief and associate investigator on several NHMRC grants that total more than $2.4 million and was South Australia’s Tall Poppy of the Year for 2009.

Story Candy Gibson for the Adelaidean, Nov 2010

Kylie Dunning awarded Young Investigator Award

Thursday, 28 October 2010 08:55

Kylie Dunning has been awarded the Young Investigator Award and a $10,000 prize for shedding new light on fertility preservation for female cancer patients.

Significant advances in medical research have led to improved cancer therapies and increased survival rates in patients. The use of life saving chemo- and radiation therapy however, often leads to infertility.

For men, sperm can be stored and used later in life; with Lance Armstrong, Tour de France winner, a famous example of this. Unfortunately, for female cancer patients there are very few effective fertility preservation options.

The latest technology for female fertility preservation involves growing ovarian tissue in a 3-Dimensional culture system that enables eggs to grow and develop surrounded by their support cells, known collectively as the follicle, following cryopreservation of ovarian tissue.

The use of 3-D follicle culture is extremely promising; however the growth of eggs capable of forming a healthy embryo and a baby requires further development.

Kylie has found that fats are an important energy source for follicle and egg development. Fatty acid oxidation is the breakdown of fat molecules to be used as fuel for energy within cells. This is seen in migratory birds that are able to fly long distances without eating by breaking down stored fats.

We have discovered that this process is vitally important for the egg and early embryo. In fact, when we prevent eggs and embryos from using fats they do not develop normally. Also, increasing the follicle and egg's utilisation of fat during 3-D follicle culture, significantly improves oocyte and subsequent embryo development.

This discovery will have great significance for the treatment of infertility for female cancer patients.

Congratulations to Kylie and all of the finalists!