(L-R) Ms Stefanie Perri, Ms Anna Burke and Prof Graham Jenkin |
Federal
Member for Chisholm and former speaker, Anna Burke, and City of Monash Mayor,
Cr Stefanie Perri, visited the Monash Health Translation Precinct (MHTP) yesterday
for a tour of the new Translational Research Facility (TRF).
Led by Ritchie
Centre Deputy Director Professor Graham Jenkin, and co-head and Head of
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Monash University, Professor Euan
Wallace, Ms Burke and Cr Perri inspected the new clinical trials unit,
technology platforms, and the Ritchie Centre before hearing about MHTP stem
cell research projects.
“MHTP is
perfectly poised to undertake translational research because of the integration
and connectivity of clinicians, researchers, PhD students and patients,” said
Ms Burke.
Ms Burke
said she was delighted to hear about MHTP research into cell therapy that may
possibly treat five or six different health conditions.
“As an Academic
Health Science Centre, Monash Partners is well positioned to bring our
researchers and clinicians together to facilitate true collaboration and
research translation,” said Professor Wallace.
Dr Rebecca
Lim, Dr Courtney McDonald, Professor Chris Sobey and Dr Shayanti Mukherjee each
presented their research, highlighting the translational impact of their work.
Dr Lim leads
the amnion cell biology team at the Ritchie Centre, and has developed a protocol to isolate amnion epithelial cells from placentas for use in
regenerative medicine. Dr Lim’s research focuses on developing
cell therapies for a multitude of diseases such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia,
lung and liver fibrosis, as well as critical limb ischaemia.
NHMRC Cerebral Palsy early
career research fellow Dr Courtney McDonald works in the Neurodevelopment and
Neuroprotection Research Group at the Ritchie Centre. Her research focuses on
understanding how umbilical cord blood stem cells can be used to prevent or
treat perinatal brain injury. She is also investigating which stem cell types
are found in the umbilical cord blood, how these populations change with
disease and how these cells can individually reduce inflammation and contribute
to brain repair.
Head of the Cardiovascular
Disease Program in the new Monash Biomedicine Institute, Chris Sobey is a
Professor in the Department of Pharmacology.
Professor Sobey is investigating the inflammatory mechanisms occurring
in the brain after stroke in order to identify and develop novel approaches to
treat stroke patients.
Dr Shayanti Mukherjee is a
research fellow at the Ritchie Centre and recipient of the prestigious Science and Industry Endowment Fund
(SIEF) John Stocker Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Dr
Mukherjee’s work focuses on the alleviation of Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP), a
major hidden burden affecting millions of women during pregnancy, childbirth
and ageing. Using a combination of stem cell therapy and nanotechnology, her
research will accelerate the clinical translation of POP surgical constructs to
improve women’s quality of life.