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| Dr Champa Nataraja, Dr Fabien Vincent, Dr Kathryn Connelly |
Monash confirmed its position as a national leader
in research at the recent Australian Rheumatology Association (ARA) Annual
Scientific Meeting.
Monash University and Monash Health researchers
scooped the basic science free paper, poster, and trainee awards at the
Meeting, representing 100 per cent of the annual basic science awards given by
the ARA nationally.
Monash Health
Rheumatology Fellow and Monash University PhD student Dr Champa
Nataraja received the basic science poster award for 2018, and was also
nominated for the new investigator award.
Dr Nataraja is
investigating a protein called glucocorticoid induced leucine zipper (GILZ) as
a potential treatment option for lupus.
“Systemic Lupus
Erythematosus (SLE) or lupus is a multi-system autoimmune disease that
predominantly affects younger women,” Dr Nataraja said.
“The treatment of
lupus has scarcely changed over the last six decades—glucocorticoids or
steroids remain the most prescribed treatment in lupus.”
“As a ‘double
edged sword’, the use of these drugs is accompanied by litany of adverse effects
that contribute to morbidity and mortality in these patients,” Dr Nataraja
said.
Dr Nataraja said
there is an urgent need for a drug that mimics the anti-inflammatory effects of
steroids but without the negative metabolic effects.
“GILZ may
represent such an alternative, potentially leading to improved outcomes for
lupus patients,” she said.
Monash Health
colleague, rheumatology registrar Dr Kathryn Connelly, received the prestigious
Roche Travelling Scholarship for best Basic Science
Presentation by a trainee at the conference.
The former
BMedSc(Hons) student at the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health (SCS)
is investigating how levels of different biological markers vary between
patients with lupus, and how these variations relate to changes in their
disease activity over time.
“This research
will be a platform for better understanding biological pathways in patients
with lupus, with the ultimate future goal being the ability to personalise
disease monitoring and treatment,” Dr Connelly said.
Meanwhile, Dr
Fabien Vincent, a research fellow in the Rheumatology Research Group, Centre
for Inflammatory Diseases, was awarded the Best Basic Science Free Paper for
2018.
“My research
focuses on a protein called BAFF, which we showed predicts the presence of
kidney disease in some patients suffering from lupus,” Dr Vincent said.
“Unfortunately,
no tool is currently available that enables physicians to select patients who
could benefit from anti-BAFF therapy”.
Dr Vincent said
future research would evaluate whether patients with lupus nephritis might
benefit from a drug targeting BAFF.
In further
recognition, the Australian Scleroderma Interest Group (ASIG)—whose Monash
Health members include Dr Joanne Sahhar, Ms. Kathleen
Elford, Dr Gene-Siew Ngian, and Dr Lucy Croyle— was awarded the
ARA President’s Collaborative Research Prize.
“This highly
prestigious prize, awarded triennially, is in recognition of national and
international collaborative research efforts spanning not only our own
discipline but also those of several other disciplines in medicine,” said Professor
Eric Morand, Head of the Monash University Rheumatology Research Group.
“It’s also
noteworthy that in the Basic Science award category, three of the six
shortlisted papers were from Monash, including that of SCS PhD candidate Dr Melissa
Northcott.”
“All these lean
to some extent on the Monash Lupus research framework lead by Dr Alberta Hoi
and supported by Dr Rangi Kandane and Monash Health nurse Ms Sue Morton,”
Professor Morand said.
Professor Morand
extends his sincere congratulations to all on this national level achievement.
“This is a very proud achievement for the team, and a proud day for me,” he
said.
