 |
| Dr Charlotte Keung |
Monash clinician-researcher Dr Charlotte Keung was recently
acknowledged for her research into Crohn’s disease, having been awarded a
competitive $50,000 seed grant by the Gastroenterological Society of Australia
for a pilot study into the use of stem cells to treat the incurable disease.
Crohn's disease is very common in Australia and predominantly starts
in young people (ages 20-40 years) in their most productive years of life. Over
a third of Crohn's patients are affected by perianal fistulas—abnormal
connections that form between the bowel and other parts of the body.
“Fistulas result in recurrent infections, abscesses, need for
hospitalisation and surgery, faecal incontinence and permanent stomas,
significantly impairing quality of life,” Dr Keung said.
“Treatment is lifelong, expensive and with side effects.”
Under the supervision of Associate Professor Greg Moore, Dr Keung
is leading a world-first phase 1 human study of ten patients with complex
refractory perianal Crohn's disease who will receive local injections of human
amnion epithelial cells (a type of stem cell from the placenta) around the
fistula tract.
Dr Keung said a recent phase III study showed locally injected
adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells was effective in this condition compared
to current best treatment, and with long-term efficacy maintained after 1 year.
“Our stem cells have a much more efficient yield and theoretically
better safety profile than the mesenchymal stem cells,” Dr Keung said.
“We are trying to improve patient outcomes with fistula healing to
improve their health as well as quality of life in this difficult to treat
condition.”
In the last ten years there have been no new treatment options specifically
for perianal Crohn's disease.
In other research success, Dr Keung recently presented her
collaborative research with Eastern Health into the diagnostic dilemma
differentiating intestinal tuberculosis Crohn's disease at Australian
Gastroenterology Week in Brisbane.
Dr Keung is co-supervised by Professor William Sievert and
Associate Professor Rebecca Lim, The Ritchie Centre.
No comments:
Post a Comment