Postgraduate Research Opportunities
at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
Student project booklet 2014
Welcome to the
Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
The Telethon Institute for Child Health Research is the largest medical research
facility in Western Australia and with more than 500 staff and students, the Institute
is also one of Australia’s largest research facilities dedicated to child health.
Our multidisciplinary approach brings together clinical researchers, laboratory
scientists and epidemiologists all under the one roof to tackle the many complex
childhood diseases and issues from a range of different angles.
The Institute has a proven track record of translating research findings into actions
that make a real difference to the lives of children everywhere.
The Institute has strong affiliations with Princess Margaret
Hospital for Children and the School of Paediatrics and Child
Health at The University of Western Australia, as well as widereaching collaborations with leading research organisations
around the world. We are also affiliated with UWA through
the Centre for Child Health Research and with the state’s
other four universities.
You can find out more about areas of research and opportunities for students at the
Institute by:
• Reading the Postgraduate Student Project Booklet. This gives a range of
suggested projects and should be considered a guide to the opportunities
available, not a definitive list.
• Referring to the Institute website - www.childhealthresearch.org.au
• Contacting individual researchers for further information about research projects.
• Contacting Kathy Vial for general queries on (08) 9489 7799 or email study@ichr.
uwa.edu.au
• Attending the Prospective Students Evening at the Institute on Wednesday
August 14th, 2013 at 4:00pm.
Stan and Jean Perron Awards (for research conducted principally at the Institute)
With the support of the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation, since 2005 the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
has established several prestigious awards aimed at supporting exceptional postgraduate research students who are
undertaking their research at the Institute.
Stan and Jean Perron Scholarships
These Scholarships accompany PhD scholarships which commence in 2014 and are won by the recipients through their
enrolling Universities in a separate application process. The amount will be $5000 per year each for the duration of the
scholarship, paid in conjunction with that scholarship.
To be eligible for consideration, a student has to enrol full-time for a research higher degree (PhD or equivalent) at
the University, and conduct the research principally within the Institute under the supervision of one or more of the
Institute’s researchers. This Scholarship is supplementary to a scholarship awarded to the student through the University.
Successful applicants must have First Class Honours (or equivalent) and have been awarded an APA. At least three
awards will be given in 2014 and applications will be judged on merit.
For more information or a copy of the application form please contact:
Kathy Vial, Academic Services Manager, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research By mail: PO Box 855 West Perth WA
6872, or by email (kvial@ichr.uwa.edu.au) or telephone enquiries: 08 9489 7799.
Application due date: Friday 1st November 2013.
Reminder: Requirement for Concurrent Scholarship. Applicants are also required to have submitted an application form
for the Australian Postgraduate Awards/University Postgraduate Awards directly to the relevant University Scholarships
Office (or equivalent) by the specified closing date (Thursday 31st October 2013, for UWA).
Stan and Jean Perron Award for Excellence
Students intending to enrol in a PhD at the Institute may be interested to know
of the Stan and Jean Perron Award for Excellence. The Award is designed to
recognise outstanding research performance whilst a student is undertaking
research at the Institute. The Award has the value of $5000 for one year, and
will be awarded to the research higher degree student whose performance
is deemed the best in the preceding 12 months. More than one award may be
made in any year.
If you’d like further information, please contact:
Kathy Vial
Academic Services Manager
kvial@ichr.uwa.edu.au
Research areas
Aboriginal health
Our Aboriginal researchers work
with Aboriginal communities to help
children overcome the many hurdles
they face - higher rates of pre-term
birth, lower birth weight, SIDS,
infectious diseases and emotional
and behavioural problems.
Bioinformatics and data services
Bioinformatics is an exciting and
relatively new field of science,
encompassing the branch of life
science that applies information
technology to the field of biology
to help understand various
biological processes. The primary
goal of bioinformatics is to increase the
understanding of biological processes.
Asthma, allergy & respiratory
disease
We are looking at the environmental
and biological factors that could
be linked to asthma, as well as the
effects of UV light and vitamin D on
the immune system. Our researchers
are also working on improved
treatments for children with cystic
fibrosis and working towards preventing
this disease.
Children’s cancer and
leukaemia
Leukaemia is the most common
cancer in children and our research
focus is on why some children don’t
respond to therapy and relapse. We
are investigating paediatric brain
tumours and ways to reduce their
devastating impact. We are also
looking at the genetic, dietary and environmental risk
factors for childhood cancer.
Child development and wellbeing
Datasets and cohort studies
There is a broad range of interacting
factors that affect children’s
development and wellbeing.
Thousands of families are helping
us as we investigate language
difficulties, school readiness, and
pathways to health and wellbeing.
The Telethon Institute has a range
of long-term studies to expand our
knowledge on all aspects of child
health. A number of databases
underpin our population-based
research and these can now be linked
to other datasets to provide a more
complete picture of child health.
Diabetes, obesity and related
disorders
Our researchers are conducting
research which aims to improve the
lives of children and adolescents
living with diabetes, obesity and
other endocrine conditions. Children
with Type I diabetes require insulin
injections every day for the rest of
their lives. Related to the increasing rates of
childhood obesity is type 2 diabetes in children.
Disability and developmental
disorders
From conception through
childhood, our research into
disabilities and developmental
disorders encompasses any
condition that disrupts ‘typical’
child development. We are looking
are Down Syndrome, Rett syndrome,
Autism Spectrum Disorders, birth
anomalies, cerebral palsy and Fetal Alcohol
Spectrum Disorder.
Drug discovery
Our Drug Discovery Technology
Group is focused on developing new
therapies to target disease-causing
interactions between proteins; both
inside and outside of cells, as well
as the development of ‘mimetic’
vaccines against discontinuous
epitopes.
Genetic impacts on health
Our researchers are world leaders
in the application of genetic and
metabolomic approaches to identify
biological markers of complex disease,
helping us to find better treatments
and ways of preventing disease.
Modern research tools allow us to
look at all of our genes, to identify genetic
and metabolic biomarkers of complex
diseases like infections and diabetes.
Infectious disease
Worldwide, 10 million children
under the age of five die from
infection each year. Our infectious
disease researchers are involved in
understanding the inner workings
of disease, including the pathway
from immunity to infection; disease
surveillance; risk factors in the development
of disease; vaccine development and trials.
Environmental impacts on
health
The physical environment, which
includes diet, housing and pollution,
can have a large impact on child
health and disease. These can affect
health at all stages of childhood
development. Our researchers use
spatial epidemiology, data linkage
and pollution monitoring to better understand
environmental influences on childhood health.
Impacts on policy and
practice
One of the aims of the Telethon
Institute is to improve the health
of all children by translating
research outcomes to influence
public health policy. Our impact on
health policy and practice in the last
decade has been significant including
mandatory fortification of breadmaking flour with
folate to prevent neural tube defects and the Western
Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey.
Mental health
Around one in five Australian
children will develop some form
of behavioural problem by the
time they reach adulthood. Poor
mental health in childhood is a
significant predictor of mental health
problems later in life and also impacts
negatively on physical health and
school achievement. Much of our work is dedicated to
understanding how mental health problems develop and
working towards mental illness prevention.
Pregnancy and maternal health
Emerging research is focusing on
pregnancy as a crucial time in
determining of the future health and
wellbeing of the child. We are looking
at multiple factors during pregnancy
that can influence the way in which
the unborn child is programmed
for future life outside the womb
including maternal lifestyle factors such as stress,
hypertension, substance use, nutrition and obstetric risk.
For more information about our research areas, visit
www.childhealthresearch.org.au
Table of Contents
ABORIGINAL HEALTH (No projects in 2014) .......................................................................... 4
ASTHMA, ALLERGY AND RESPIRATORY DISORDERS ............................................................ 5
Manipulation of airway surface liquid acidity in cystic fibrosis .................................................... 6
Assessing the effects of community derived rhinoviral infection on airway epithelial cells ........ 7
Antibiotic treatment to combat viral-induced inflammation in cystic fibrosis ............................. 8
New technologies and methodologies to grow airway epithelial cells from children with cystic
fibrosis ........................................................................................................................................... 9
Immune privileged cell therapy for children with cystic fibrosis ................................................ 10
The identification of the human rhinovirus C receptor .............................................................. 11
Development of a high throughput bacterial-specific IgG assay system for use in paediatric
asthma cohort studies ................................................................................................................. 12
Deriving global population reference ranges for the gas transfer lung function test ................ 13
The Identification of Thoracic Targets for Prevention and Intervention in Bronchopulmonary
Dysplasia...................................................................................................................................... 14
Identifying the clinical utility of the multiple breath washout (MBW) test in early cystic
fibrosis lung disease .................................................................................................................. 15
The utility of breath analysis for lung disease biomarkers using the R-Tube/SPME collection
device combined with metabolomics ......................................................................................... 16
Viral and bacterial interaction in the airway – which is the critical factor for developing severe
secondary infection? ................................................................................................................... 17
Exploring the impact of respiratory syncytial virus infection of dendritic cells .......................... 18
Assessment of the relationship between vaccination and allergies ........................................... 19
Dendritic cells and the induction of allergic airways inflammation ............................................ 20
Type I Interferon immunomodulation of allergic asthma ........................................................... 21
BIOINFORMATICS AND DATA SERVICES ............................................................................. 22
Evaluating bioinformatics data processing platforms to support metabolomics-driven
discovery of disease biomarkers ............................................................................................... 23
CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND WELLBEING ............................................................................. 24
The built environment and child health and development ........................................................ 25
Physical activity in the early years............................................................................................... 26
Pathways to preventable and unexplained deaths in childhood and young adulthood in
Western Australia........................................................................................................................ 27
Investigating medium-long term neurocognitive and neurobehavioural consequences of
weight gain and nutrition in the first year of life ...................................................................... 28
Long-term influence of early nutrition on metabolic health OR
Analysis of metabolic profiles in adolescents by mass spectrometry-based metabolomics:
biomarkers for metabolic consequences of early programming (scientific title) ....................... 29
CHILDREN’S CANCER AND LEUKAEMIA ............................................................................... 30
microRNA and childhood brain tumours .................................................................................... 31
Immunity to Melanoma .............................................................................................................. 32
New uses for old drugs: repurposing drugs to treat childhood brain cancer ............................. 33
Investigating medium-long term neurocognitive and neurobehavioural outcomes in
medulloblastoma and cerebellar pilocytic astrocytoma ............................................................. 34
The role of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in leukaemogenesis and haematopoiesis . 35
Novel peptide based drugs for the treatment of sonic hedgehog dependent cancers .............. 36
Does chemotherapy alter the primary cilium in normal brain and brain tumours?................... 37
Understanding the genetics of paediatric brain tumours ........................................................... 38
1
Testing the efficacy of an Akt inhibitor in childhood brain cancer treatment ............................ 39
A novel treatment strategy for non-SHH and non-WNT medulloblastoma................................ 40
Developing novel techniques and assays for the pharmacokinetic evaluation of
chemotherapeutics in childhood brain tumour models ............................................................. 41
Adjuvant therapy in a preclinical melanoma brain tumour model ............................................. 42
DATASETS AND COHORT STUDIES (No projects in 2014) ................................................. 43
DIABETES, OBESITY AND RELATED DISORDERS ................................................................. 44
Neurocognitive outcomes in children with type 1 diabetes ....................................................... 45
Human enteroviruses in the aetiology of type 1 diabetes .......................................................... 46
Profiling previous weight loss attempts in obese youth ............................................................. 47
Psychosocial outcomes in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes ................................ 48
Evaluating the effectiveness of an innovative Acceptance and Commitment Group-based
Intervention in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes ..................................................................... 49
Exploring perinatal complications seen in a contemporary Type 1 Diabetes cohort ................. 50
Relationship between BMI and Type 1 Diabetes in Western Australia ...................................... 51
DISABILITY AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS ................................................................ 52
Transition from school experiences of young people with Down syndrome and post-school
quality of life................................................................................................................................ 53
Management of long bone fracture in Rett syndrome ............................................................... 54
Online survey of gastro-intestinal issues and their management in Rett syndrome.................. 55
How are families of girls with Rett syndrome responding to research suggesting that the
symptoms of Rett syndrome might be prevented or halted with advances in medical
knowledge ................................................................................................................................... 56
MECP2 duplication syndrome: a new cause of intellectual disability ......................................... 57
Comparison of Parent-report and Medicare data in a longitudinal study .................................. 58
Process evaluation of lay booklets on recommended management for scoliosis and
gastrointestinal disorders in Rett syndrome ............................................................................... 59
Online survey of sleep issues and their management in Rett syndrome.................................... 60
Socio-economic differences and parental satisfaction with services for children with disability
..................................................................................................................................................... 61
Longitudinal analysis of behaviour in Rett syndrome ................................................................. 62
Development of an environmental stimulation measure for Rett syndrome ............................ 63
The quality and quantity of post-school activities for young people with Down syndrome prior
to the NDIS .................................................................................................................................. 64
Assisted reproductive technology and cerebral palsy ................................................................ 65
The cost of childhood intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder without intellectual
disability in Western Australia: A cost-of-illness study ............................................................... 66
The International CDKL5 Disorder database – Follow-up study and governance ...................... 67
Understanding the CDKL5 Disorder and its impact on families .................................................. 68
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ON HEALTH (No projects in 2014) ..................................... 69
GENETIC IMPACTS ON HEALTH (No projects in 2014) ...................................................... 70
INFECTIOUS DISEASE .............................................................................................................. 71
Determining the pathogen specific risk of infection in a birth cohort by data linkage .............. 72
Health economic analysis of the of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in
Australia ...................................................................................................................................... 73
Understanding client needs in rheumatic heart disease control ................................................ 74
Understanding the reasons for under-vaccination of infants in WA .......................................... 75
The relationship between clinical markers and the regulation of immunological pathways in
acute HIV infection in Africans .................................................................................................... 76
Cellular immune responses to infection and vaccination in otitis-prone children ..................... 77
Investigating antimicrobial peptide responses in children with otitis media ............................. 78
Metabolomics to characterize host-pathogen interactions in bacterial infections .................... 79
2
MENTAL HEALTH (No projects in 2014) .............................................................................. 80
PREGNANCY AND MATERNAL HEALTH (No projects in 2014)......................................... 81
PRINCESS MARGARET HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN .............................................................. 82
Obesity: The mechanics of lung function impairment and risks related to Perioperative
Respiratory Adverse events (PRAE)............................................................................................. 83
SCHOOL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH .................................................................. 84
Are genome-wide DNA methylation profiles associated with asthma and allergy in children
exposed to a “Western” environment? ...................................................................................... 85
Infant nutrition ............................................................................................................................ 86
Mechanims of acute asthma and viral respiratory illness in children ........................................ 87
Food allergy: Pathways to very early sensitization ..................................................................... 88
3
ABORIGINAL HEALTH
(NO PROJECTS IN 2014)
ASTHMA, ALLERGY AND
RESPIRATORY DISEASE
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Manipulation of airway surface liquid acidity in cystic fibrosis
Asthma, allergy and respiratory disorders
Epithelial Research Group
January 2014
Dr André Schultz (SPACH)
A/Professor Anthony Kicic (TICHR)
Dr Erika Sutanto (TICHR)
Professor Stephen Stick (SPACH)
Project Outline
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common life-shortening genetic disease in
Australia. Individuals with CF suffer from progressive airway inflammation,
infection and lung damage eventually resulting in respiratory failure. CF disease is
caused by defects in the genes coding for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane
regulator (CFTR) protein. The precise mechanism by which defective CFTR cause
CF disease is not yet clear, but CFTR is known to play a critical role in the
regulation of airway surface liquid (ASL) through ion transport. The thin (±740µm) ASL layer that lines the airways is the micro environment in which
pathogens come into contact with the airways, proliferate, and cause
inflammation and epithelial damage. ASL contains an abundance of antimicrobial
molecules including immunoglobulins, lysozyme, and lactoferrin, defensins, and
neutrophil products such as proteases that act against bacteria. Every molecular
process in the ASL, whether bacterial of immunological, has an optimal acidity
(pH) at which it occurs. Therefore a small change in ASL pH will influence a large
number of molecular processes involved in both host defence and pathogenic
attack. An increasing body of evidence suggest that dysfunctional CFTR
bicarbonate transport which results in reduced ASL pH is the driving force behind
CF airway inflammation, infection and eventual lung disease.
Measuring ASL pH in humans has always been a major challenge. Novel
luminescent micro fibre-optic technology developed by our research group has
made accurate and reproducible measurement of ASL pH possible.
This project will make use of air-liquid interface human bronchial epithelial cell
cultures and luminescent micro fibre-optic technology for in vitro measurement of
ASL pH and testing of candidate drugs to change and correct ASL pH in CF.
As the carbonic anhydrase inhibitor acetazolamide has been shown to inhibit
epithelial bicarbonate secretion in vitro carbonic anhydrase activators (e.g. imidazole
derivatives) are expected to stimulate epithelial bicarbonate secretion and raise ASL
pH. cAMP agonists like forskolin are also expected to raise ASL pH. We anticipate
repurposing of an existing drug for clinical use to correct abnormal pH in CF.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
Essential Qualifications BSc. (hons for higher degree)
Cell culture
Essential Skills
Additional Skills
Funding
Contact for further
information
Some understanding of molecular biology and cell biology.
Motivated and team player
Sound oral communication and written skills
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
André Schultz
Andre.Schultz@health.wa.gov.au
9340 8830
6
PhD
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Assessing the effects of community derived rhinoviral infection on airway
epithelial cells
Asthma, allergy and respiratory disorders
Epithelial Research Group
January 2014
A/Professor Anthony Kicic (TICHR)
Professor Stephen Stick (SPACH)
Dr Erika Sutanto (TICHR)
Epithelial cells of the lung airways function as a barrier that prevents injurious
particles, toxins and infectious agents from entering the body. They are also
important for maintaining the airway structure and function. In addition,
epithelial cells had been suggested to play role in the host’s response to
infection and contribute to inflammatory damage seen in several respiratory
diseases such as asthma, cystic fibrosis and COPD. Respiratory viral infections
play a role as the most common cause of childhood wheezing. Although there
are a number of pathogens, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and rhinovirus
(RV) are the most common amongst them. Particular attention has been
focused on RV as its infection during infancy is a significant risk factor for
development of wheezing and asthma in later life. It has also been suggested
that RV plays a role in serious respiratory diseases leading to increased
morbidity and mortality.
This project will aim to (i) identify and culture community strains of RV, (ii)
investigate the propensity of epithelial cells to cause inflammation in
response to respiratory viruses and compare responses in cells from children
with respiratory diseases from healthy children and (iii) compare newly
identified community strains of RV with currently utilized laboratory strains of
RV to determine whether inflammatory responses are non-specific or
dependent upon the type of virus. The generation of a repository of
community isolates of RV will facilitate many investigations that will be
beneficial for patients, hospital and the community at large
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
Essential Qualifications BSc. (hons for higher degree)
Essential Skills
Some understanding of molecular biology and cell biology
Additional Skills
Funding
Contact for further
information
Motivated and team player
Sound oral communication and written skills
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Anthony Kicic
anthonyk@ichr.uwa.edu.au
9340 8140
7
PhD
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Antibiotic treatment to combat viral-induced inflammation in cystic fibrosis
Asthma, allergy and respiratory disorders
Epithelial Research Group
January 2014
A/Professor Anthony Kicic (TICHR)
Dr Erika Sutanto (TICHR)
Professor Stephen Stick (SPACH)
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetically inherited disease affecting mostly the
Caucasian population. There are over 300 individual with CF in WA and 12-15
newborns are diagnosed each year following newborn screening. As part of
the Australian Respiratory Early Surveillance Team for CF, we have
demonstrated that early lung damage present early in life and that the lungs
of children with CF are prone to inflammation from birth.
The airways in the lungs are lined with specific type of cells, the epithelial
cells, whose roles are to provide barrier to the external environment and as
such are continually exposed to pollutants, allergens and pathogens. In CF,
this epithelial function is defective, and one of the earliest trigger for
inflammation is viral infection, which are common in young children.
Recently, we have published data demonstrating the abnormal responses of
CF cells to viral infection compared to healthy cells. This study aims to
investigate the potential of using antibiotic treatment, including azithromycin
to ameliorate these responses. Outcomes from this study would help us to
better understand the mechanism(s) involve in innate immune response to
viral infection and to provide an avenue for better patient management.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
Essential Qualifications BSc. (hons for higher degree)
Essential Skills
Some understanding of molecular biology and cell biology.
Additional Skills
Motivated and team player
Sound oral communication and written skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Anthony Kicic
information
anthonyk@ichr.uwa.edu.au
9340 8140
8
PhD
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
New technologies and methodologies to grow airway epithelial cells from
children with cystic fibrosis
Asthma, allergy and respiratory disorders
Epithelial Research Group
January 2014
A/Professor Anthony Kicic (TICHR)
Dr Erika Sutanto (TICHR)
Professor Stephen Stick (SPACH)
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetically inherited disease affecting mostly the
Caucasian population. There are over 300 individual with CF in WA and 12-15
newborns are diagnosed each year following newborn screening. As part of
the Australian Respiratory Early Surveillance Team for CF, we have
demonstrated that early lung damage present early in life and that the lungs
of children with CF are prone to inflammation from birth.
The airways in the lungs are lined with specific type of cells, the epithelial
cells, whose roles are to provide barrier to the external environment and as
such are continually exposed to pollutants, allergens and pathogens. In CF,
this epithelial function is defective, and one of the earliest trigger for
inflammation is viral infection, which are common in young children.
Establishing and expanding CF epithelial cells in vitro presents its own unique
challenges. In addition to the normal technical challenge of collecting
sufficient cells, the predisposition of CF children to respiratory infection poses
an increased risk of contaminating organisms. The lack of functional CFTR
protein may also influence establishment due to its involvement in many
essential cell processes. This study aims to investigate a new co-culture
methodology to establish and expand these cells and to compare their
characteristics to that of cultures currently established.
Outcomes from this study will identify the factors influencing culture
establishment as well as develop new methods to expand this in vitro without
affecting their lineage characteristic and function.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
Essential Qualifications BSc. (hons for higher degree)
Essential Skills
Cell culture
Some understanding of molecular biology and cell biology.
Additional Skills
Motivated and team player
Sound oral communication and written skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Anthony Kicic
information
anthonyk@ichr.uwa.edu.au
9340 8140
9
PhD
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Immune privileged cell therapy for children with cystic fibrosis
Asthma, allergy and respiratory disorders
Epithelial Research Group
January 2014
A/Professor Anthony Kicic (TICHR)
A/Professor Yuben Moodley
Dr Erika Sutanto (TICHR), Professor Stephen Stick (SPACH)
Project Outline
Cell therapy has the potential to address several aspects of Cystic Fibrosis (CF)
such as reducing inflammation and augmenting repair. Certain stem cell
subtypes may be differentiated into airway epithelium and replace damaged
or defective airway epithelium. Preliminary data we have generated has
shown that human amnion epithelial cells (hAECs; with normal ion transport)
which can be readily isolated in abundance from the amnion membranes of
human placenta after birth, display features of embryonic and multipotent
stem cells, as shown by the ability to differentiate in vitro into several
lineages derived from the three germ layers. The use of hAECs has several
advantages over other stem cells. There are no ethical issues with hAECs since
and they are readily available from discarded placental tissue compared with
ESCs that are derived from embryos. hAECs are not acquired from invasive
procedures as compared to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) which require
bone marrow aspiration. Furthermore, hAECs are non-immunogenic and have
been successfully administered to immunocompetent animals, as well as
human subjects. Importantly, hAECs have been previous shown to the ability
to differentiate into lung epithelium and reduce inflammation as well as
fibrosis. Finally, hAECs have not been genetically manipulated, as is the case
with other stem cell approaches, such as those that use induced pluripotent
stem cells (iPs).
This project provides a potential paradigm shift in the treatment of CF, a
lethal genetic condition with a prevalence of approximately 1 in 2,500 births
in Australia. The major defects in CF arise from mutations in the cystic fibrosis
transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene that results in
compromised ion transport and reduced airway surface liquid height (ASL).
The resulting self-perpetuating cycle of inflammation, airway infection, and
progressive structural lung damage leads to end-stage lung disease.
Conventional treatments, while useful, do not cure or halt progression of the
disease. However, we propose an exogenous non-immunogenic novel cell
based therapy using hAECs to potentially correct the consequences of
abnormal CFTR function.
This approach had not been attempted before and outcomes from this
project will assess the feasibility to use cell-based therapy in the form of
hAECs to correct reduced ASL in CF.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications BSc. (hons for higher degree)
Essential Skills
Cell culture
Some understanding of molecular biology and cell biology.
Additional Skills
Motivated and team player
Sound oral communication and written skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Anthony Kicic
information
anthonyk@ichr.uwa.edu.au
9340 8140
10
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
The identification of the human rhinovirus C receptor
Asthma, allergy and respiratory disorders
Molecular Paediatrics/Clinical Sciences
Early-mid 2014
A/Professor Belinda Hales (TICHR/SPACH)
A/Professor Anthony Kicic (PMH/TICHR/SPACH)
Professor Peter Le Souëf (PMH/TICHR/SPACH)
Human rhinoviruses (HRV) are highly prevalent respiratory pathogens which
besides causing common upper respiratory infections are strongly associated
with exacerbations and the development of asthma in susceptible children.
Discoveries made in the last few years have shown that the previously
unrecognised species, HRV-C, is especially associated with more severe
respiratory disease requiring hospitalisation and could have the greatest
propensity to exacerbate asthma. For this reason we have produced
recombinant viral capsid proteins of rhinovirus type C to investigate immune
responses to this new species in children with asthma.
HRV-C is unable to be easily cultured as the receptor for HRV-C is not known.
For this project the viral capsid protein VP1 of HRV-C will be used to generate
polyclonal antibodies to identify the receptor for HRV-C on freshly isolated
epithelial cells collected from children with a rhinovirus infection. VP1 is the
most surface exposed of the four capsid proteins and is required to gain entry
into cells. Our preliminary studies already show children and adults produce
robust antibody responses against VP1 and polyclonal antibodies to VP1 from
HRV-A and HRV-C can be readily produced in mice. What isn’t clear is whether
antibodies to VP1 will be able to bind to the infecting virus on epithelial cells
and whether they can be used to pull down the receptor and enable it’s
identification using proteomics. The identification of the receptor for HRV-C
has enormous implications in understanding it’s mechanism of action and
potentially identifying pathways to treat rhinovirus infections.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Honours/BMedSci: BSc (Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Microbiology or similar
discipline), medical undergraduates wishing to undertake a BMedSci
PhD: 1st class Honours or equivalent in a biological discipline (2A considered
depending on academic transcript)
Essential Skills
Excellent writing skills, good communication skills, motivated.
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Belinda Hales
information
belinda@ichr.uwa.edu.au
9489 7871
11
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Development of a high throughput bacterial-specific IgG assay system for
use in paediatric asthma cohort studies
Asthma, allergy and respiratory disorders
Molecular Paediatrics /Cell Biology
Early 2014
A/Professor Belinda Hales (TICHR/SPACH)
Professor Patrick Holt (TICHR)
Professor Peter Le Souëf (PMH/TICHR/SPACH)
Our group has already shown children with asthma have reduced antibody
responses to two common constituents of the respiratory microbiome,
namely Haemophilus influenza and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Metagenomic
profiling is currently being conducted on nasopharyngeal samples collected
from young children with asthma and healthy children to identify other
relevant organisms. The aim of this project is to develop a Luminex-based
multiplex assay for bacterial-specific IgG targeted at 5 common potential
pathogens identified within the lung microbiomes of infants and young
children.
Initially DNA encoding protein antigens from selected bacterial strains will be
cloned and used to produce recombinant polypeptide antigens. The antigens
that will be produced will be conserved amongst the target bacteria and will
be antigenically distinct from antigens expressed by related strains. The
structurally validated antigens will then be used in our standard DELFIA
immunoassay to determine their antigenicity before proceeding to the
development of a multiplex Luminex based assay which incorporates all 5
antigens. The Luminex assay will then be evaluated in paediatric cohorts,
including in cohorts from Princess Margaret Hospital and from our
international collaborators.
The proposed study will build on our prior findings of aberrant immunity to
pathogens of the respiratory tract in children who develop asthma and
allergy. The project will identify, clone and express antigens of bacterial
pathogens that are commonly found in the respiratory microbiome of young
children to extend these studies in infants and children with virus-associated
bronchiolitis and/or asthma exacerbations.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
st
Essential Qualifications PhD: 1 class Honours or equivalent in a biological discipline (2A considered
depending on academic transcript)
Essential Skills
Excellent writing skills, good communication skills, motivated. Strong
background in molecular biotechnology desirable.
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Belinda Hales
information
belinda@ichr.uwa.edu.au
9489 7871
12
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Deriving global population reference ranges for the gas transfer lung
function test
Asthma, allergy and respiratory disorders
Paediatric Respiratory Physiology Group
January 2014 or earlier
Professor Graham Hall (TICHR)
Dr Sanja Stanojevic (Toronto Hospital for Sick Children)
Lung function test results are used to make important medical decisions.
Interpretation of these test results relies on the availability of appropriate
reference data to help distinguish between health and disease and to assess
the severity and nature of any functional impairment. The Global Lung
Function Initiative (GLI) group has developed spirometry reference equations
that span from 3-95 years is applies to multiple ethnic groups.
We propose building on this success and expertise by expanding our work to
develop new reference equations for the measurement of the transfer factor
for carbon monoxide in the lung (TLCO).
This project will involve working with a range of international investigators to:
- Collate and clean submitted TLCO data
- Develop regression models based on the LMS – cubic-spline approach
that allows TLCO reference ranges to be defined
- Investigate the impact of ethnic and/or methodological factors that
impact on these regression models
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications BSc (or similar) with a major in mathematics/statistics/epidemiology and a
strong interest in applied statistics and how it can be applied in real world
biological settings. Check eligibility with relevant University
Essential Skills
Additional Skills
Funding
Contact for further
information
Ability to work with infants and families
Interest in respiratory epidemiology and/ or physiology
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship may be available to exceptional students
Full scholarship available
Professor Graham Hall
grahamh@ichr.uwa.edu.au
13
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
The Identification of Thoracic Targets for Prevention and Intervention in
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
Asthma, allergy and respiratory disorders
Princess Margaret Hospital for Children (PMH)
Paediatric Respiratory Physiology Group
March 2014
Professor Graham Hall (TICHR)
Dr Shannon Simpson (TICHR); Dr Andrew Wilson (PMH); Professor Jane Pillow
(KEMH)
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) remains the most significant chronic lung
complication following preterm birth and the most common form of chronic
lung disease in infancy. Although BPD is often assessed in relation to the lung
alone, the clinical picture is more of a complex multisystem disorder with
multiple contributory factors including abnormal pulmonary vascular, chest
wall and respiratory muscle development and their contributions to
respiratory problems in very preterm infants are unknown.
We will quantify the pulmonary, cardiac and respiratory muscular
contributions to the development and persistence of BPD in a large cohort of
very preterm infants by performing comprehensive respiratory, cardiac and
diaphragmatic function testing prior to initial hospital discharge (KEMH) and
again at 12 months of age (PMH). Risk indices for perinatal adverse exposures
and abnormal function of each system will be used to develop a predictive
model to identify infants at high risk of developing BPD and who may benefit
from early intervention.
This project will involve the measurement, analysis and interpretation of:
- lung function in infants
- And/or cardiac function in infants
- And/or respiratory muscle function in infants
- Development of a predictive risk index to identify those preterm
infants most at risk of adverse outcomes throughout the first years of
life.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
Essential Qualifications BSc (or similar); MBBS. Check eligibility with relevant University
Applicants will require a valid Working with Children Check
Essential Skills
Ability to work with infants and families
Additional Skills
Interest in neonatology and physiology
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship may be available to exceptional students
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Professor Graham Hall
information
grahamh@ichr.uwa.edu.au
14
PhD
Title of Project
Major Research Theme
Identifying the clinical utility of the multiple breath washout (MBW) test in
early cystic fibrosis lung disease
Asthma, allergy and respiratory disease
Associated Research
Theme
Start Date
Available immediately
Chief Supervisor
Professor Graham Hall (TICHR)
Other Supervisors
Professor Stephen Stick (TICHR and PMH), Dr Kathryn Ramsey (TICHR)
Project Outline
The prevalence of structural lung disease increases dramatically during the
preschool years in children with cystic fibrosis, thus the preschool years
represent a critical window for intervention. The multiple breath washout
(MBW) test is a simple, easy to perform lung function test that has shown
promising potential to be used in clinical trials in school-age children with CF.
However, the clinical utility of the MBW test in preschool children with CF has
yet to be explored.
This project will involve:
-
Measurement of MBW and other lung function tests in preschool
children with cystic fibrosis
-
Correlation of lung function outcomes with clinical outcomes
including the presence and extent of structural lung disease,
pulmonary inflammation and lower respiratory infections in
preschool children with cystic fibrosis.
This project would be highly suited to individuals that would like a clinical /
child focus to their research. Exposure to a wide range of clinical and scientific
disciplines is available and the opportunity to work with a dynamic team with
a focus on improving child health.
This project is suitable
Honours
for
Essential Qualifications BSc or MBBS
Essential Skills
Additional Skills
Funding
Contact for further
information
Masters
PhD
Ability to work with young children and families, Working with Children Check
is compulsory
Confident with computers and computerised equipment
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship possible
Full scholarship possible
Professor Graham Hall
grahamh@ichr.uwa.edu.au
15
Title of Project
Major Research Theme
The utility of breath analysis for lung disease biomarkers using the RTube/SPME collection device combined with metabolomics
Asthma, allergy and respiratory disease
Associated Research
Theme
Start Date
Metabolomics in health and disease
Chief Supervisor
Assistant Professor Michael Clarke (UWA)
Other Supervisors
Professor Graham Hall (TICHR), Professor Jane Pillow (UWA and PMH), Dr
Shannon Simpson (TICHR)
Project Outline
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) remains the most significant chronic lung
complication of preterm birth and the most common form of chronic lung
disease in infancy. Current sampling techniques used to assess lung molecule
production in this patient group are either invasive (bronchiolar lavage
sampling), or may be inappropriate for lung assessment (urine and plasma).
Breath sampling potentially represents a non-invasive, specific sample type to
assess lung disease biomarkers and drug levels (both inhaled and ingested).
Aim: To establish collection protocols to sample breath from infants enrolled
in an ongoing study which is designed to fully quantify and characterise lung
function abnormalities in very preterm infants. Exhaled breath condensate
(EBC) samples will be collected into a modified R-Tube™ collection device that
also contains a solid phase micro-elution (SPME) volatile molecule trapping
fibre. Analysis of oxidative stress and inflammation in EBC will be determined
by measuring 8-Isoprostane and Leukotriene B4 respectively. Volatile
molecules trapped on the SPME fibre will be assayed separately using GCMS.
Biomarkers will be assessed against current testing procedures to determine
their potential utility in the management of BPD. All biochemical testing will
be performed at the UWA Centre for Metabolomics at UWA. This project
would be highly suited to individuals that would like a clinical / child focus to
their research with emphasis on new analytical technologies. Exposure to a
wide range of clinical and scientific disciplines is available and the opportunity
to work with a dynamic team with a focus on improving child health.
Honours
Masters
PhD
This project is
suitable for
Essential
Qualifications
Essential Skills
Additional Skills
Funding
Contact for further
information
Feb 2014
BSc or MBBS with a strong interest in clinical biochemistry
Ability to work with young children and families, Working with Children Check
is compulsory
Confident with computers and computerised equipment
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship possible
Full scholarship possible
Assistant Professor Michael Clarke (UWA)
michael.clarke@uwa.edu.au
16
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Viral and bacterial interaction in the airway – which is the critical factor for
developing severe secondary infection?
Asthma, allergy and respiratory disorders (SPACH)
Paediatric respiratory infections group
March 2014
Professor Mark Everard (SPACH)
Dr Angela Fonceca (SPACH)
The interaction of potential pathogens such as non-typable haemophilus
influenza (NTHi) with the host microbiota and viruses is poorly understood.
NTHi repeatedly colonises the upper airway throughout life without causing
significant disease. However it is also capable of causing significant disease in
the form of otitis media [middle ear infections], sinusitis and bacterial
bronchitis. It is commonly associated with airways diseases such as COPD
seen in smokers and bronchiectasis when its ability to exist as a biofilm plays
a key role.
NTHi and other organisms that can become pathogens such as streptococcus
pneumonia interact with each other and viruses. Respiratory viral infections
appear to predispose to initiation of acute and chronic disease caused by the
organisms and are also important in initiating exacerbations of disease
severity.
This study aims to explore the role of viral co-infections in both the initiation
of disease and in the causation of exacerbations.
Students will be trained in cell culture techniques needed to complete viralbacterial infections. Confocal microscopy, ELISA and PCR techniques will be
used to assess cellular morphological changes and signalling.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications BSc with Honours (min 2:1)
Essential Skills
Working knowledge of aseptic technique, cell culture and completion of
PAWES course would be considered an advantage
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Mark Everard
information
Mark.everard@uwa.edu.au
93408174
17
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Exploring the impact of respiratory syncytial virus infection of dendritic cells
Asthma, allergy and respiratory disorders (SPACH)
Paediatric respiratory infections group
March 2014
Professor Mark Everard (SPACH)
Dr Angela Fonceca (SPACH)
The respiratory syncytical virus [RSV] remains a major cause of morbidity and
mortality with an estimated 500,000 infants dying worldwide each year due
to RSV infections. To date it has not been possible develop and effective
vaccine and it is likely that poor long term memory responses following
infection contributes to poor herd immunity and hence plays a factor in the
viruses ability to cause annual epidemics of disease.
We have shown that RSV productively infects dendritic cells, key cells in
antigen presentation, and is also able to remain dormant within these cells. It
is likely that this ability to infect DCs affects their ability to effectively present
antigen and also provides the virus with a natural reservoir during the
summer months between the winter epidemics.
Understanding the interaction of RSV and DCs and the impact of this on the
hosts immune response is likely to be key to developing effective
preventative and therapeutic strategies. This project will look to develop in
vitro and animal models to further explore this important topic.
Students will be trained in cell culture techniques needed to complete viralbacterial infections. Confocal microscopy, ELISA and PCR techniques will be
used to assess cellular morphological changes and signalling.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications BSc with Honours (min 2:1)
Essential Skills
Working knowledge of aseptic technique, cell culture and completion of
PAWES course would be considered an advantage
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Mark Everard
information
Mark.everard@uwa.edu.au
93408174
18
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Assessment of the relationship between vaccination and allergies
Asthma, allergy and respiratory disorders
Infectious Diseases Epidemiology/ Vaccine Trials Group
February 2014
Dr T Snelling (TICHR)
Professor Peter Richmond (SPACH/TICHR)
Allergic diseases have replaced infections as the most common cause of
chronic morbidity among children in developed countries. For some allergic
conditions, most notably allergy to foods, the incidence among young
children continues to increase. While the cause is not known, some have
speculated that changes in infant vaccination practices over the past 2
decades may have contributed to this increase.
This project will investigate the possible relationship between infant
immunisation and allergic diseases in early childhood. The project will
combine observational or quasi-experimental analyses of the association
between allergy and vaccination, with a pilot randomised control study based
at the Princess Margaret Hospital. The project will provide excellent research
experience in study design and analysis, including in all facets of the design
and conduct of randomised control trials.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications MBBS
Essential Skills
Additional Skills
Previous research experience or training in biostatistics is desirable but not
essential.
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Tom Snelling
information
tsnelling@ichr.uw.edu.au
19
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Co Supervisor s
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Dendritic cells and the induction of allergic airways inflammation
Asthma, Allergy and Respiratory Disease
Cell Biology and Immunology
February 2014
Dr Vanessa Fear (TICHR)
Initial development of atopic asthma is strongly linked with viral infection
early in life, and more recently delayed development of innate immunity,
including the antiviral cytokine Type I Interferon.
The normal adaptive immune response to inhaled antigen is initiated by
airway dendritic cells (DC) and leads to the generation of immunologic
tolerance. During asthma the dendritic cell response to usually innocuous
antigens/allergens results in airways inflammation and development of a Th2
memory cell response. This Th2 memory cell response is the underlying
mechanism responsible for asthma. This project will investigate the impact to
type I IFNs on the development of bone-marrow derived dendritic cell
cultures and their ability to induce an immune response in vivo. Dendritic cells
will be characterised with regard to maturation, phenotype, tissue homing
capacity, and induction of inflammatory responses.
Techniques used:
Animal models of disease; Tissue preparation; Tissue culture; Flow cytometry;
Cell sorting; Histology; ELISA; Immunex assay; Proliferation assays;
Fluorescent labelling of cells and cell transfer.
Honours
Masters
PhD
This project is suitable
for
Essential Qualifications BSc
Essential Skills
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Dr Vanessa Fear
information
vfear@ichr.uwa.edu.au
9489 7836
20
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Type I Interferon immunomodulation of allergic asthma
Asthma, Allergy and Respiratory Disease
Cell Biology and Immunology
February 2014
Dr Vanessa Fear (TICHR)
Asthma is a chronic disease effecting over 12% of the Australian population.
Recent data strongly indicates that asthmatics experiencing severe viral
exacerbation of disease, requiring hospitalization, are deficient in their type I
Interferon response. The type I Interferons (IFNs) are expressed early in the
innate immune response to viral challenge, induce antiviral responses and
alert surrounding cells to the presence of pathogen.
Current scientific evidence determining the reduced type I Interferon
expression in asthmatics has been limited to two type I Interferon subtypes
viz. IFNa2 and IFNb. In humans, however, there are over 14 type Interferon
subtypes, including 13 IFNa subtypes and two isoforms of the IFNb.
This laboratory has a panel of Type I IFN subtypes for investigation of
immunomodulation of asthmatic disease in a murine model of asthma. The
efficacy and underlying mechanisms of the IFN subtypes will be investigated.
Techniques used:
Animal models of disease; Tissue preparation; Tissue culture; Flow cytometry;
Cell sorting; Histology; ELISA; Immunex assay; molecular biology, cell
signalling; and DNA gene therapy.
This project is suitable
Honours
Masters
for
Essential Qualifications BSc
Essential Skills
Cell biology; molecular biology; immunology
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Dr Vanessa Fear
information
vfear@ichr.uwa.edu.au
9489 7836
21
PhD
BIOINFORMATICS AND
DATA SERVICES
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Evaluating bioinformatics data processing platforms to support
metabolomics-driven discovery of disease biomarkers
Bioinformatics
Genetic and Health
January 2014
Dr Saskia Decuypere (TICHR)
Metabolomics is a biomedical discipline that is primarily based on advanced
mass-spectrometry (MS) to simultaneously profile hundreds of metabolites in
a biological sample (or metabolic profile). Such metabolic profiling of healthy
and diseased individuals plays an increasingly important role in the discovery
of diagnostic disease biomarkers and was recently introduced at TICHR for the
study of cancer and infectious diseases. Metabolomics based biomarkerdiscovery largely depends on bioinformatics-driven processing of crude MS
signals which results in a data matrix with quantitative information of all
detected metabolites. This matrix is the starting point for downstream
statistical and biological comparison of the studied samples.
Although the principles for this type of MS data processing are well
established, in practice metabolomics data analysis for biomarker studies is a
challenging task requiring innovative bioinformatics and biostatistics
solutions. A large number of MS data processing packages have been
developed in recent years, and all offer different functionalities and have
different shortcomings. This project will comparatively evaluate the
performance of leading packages to analyse metabolomics data sets from
biological models and clinical patient cohorts. The objective is to identify and
implement the best-performing tools into configurations for biomarker
discovery studies.
Student projects will involve introduction to mass-spectrometry technology,
bioinformatics processing of crude MS data, and univariate/multivariate
biostatistics.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Masters – enrolment in relevant Masters course
Essential Skills
Advanced computer skills, familiarity with R environment, understanding of
multivariate statistics, ability to work in interdisciplinary research, willingness
to learn, good communication skills.
Additional Skills
Familiar with Linux and Windows OS, keen interest in infectious disease
biology, diagnosis and control.
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Saskia Decuypere
information
sdecuypere@ichr.uwa.edu.au
9489 7886
23
CHILD DEVELOPMENT
AND
WELLBEING
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
The built environment and child health and development
Child development and wellbeing
Population Science
Flexible
Asst/Prof Hayley Christian (TICHR & Centre for the Built Environment and
Health - School of Population Health - UWA)
W/Prof Steve Zubrick (TICHR)
Dr Steve Ball (TICHR)
The main aim of this research is to identify aspects of the built environment
that are important for child health and development. This project will help fill
the knowledge gap on how to design urban landscapes that are supportive of
good child health outcomes. The built environment incorporates land use
patterns, transportation systems, building design and social infrastructure
including public open space, and creates conditions that optimal (or
detrimental) for child health and development. This research project will
involve a systematic review of the relationship between the built
environment and child health and development outcomes. The project will
aim to develop measures of the built environment for examining the
relationship with child health and development within different settings (i.e.,
home environment, local neighbourhood, childcare facilities).
While research on the impact of the built environment on health in adults has
increased rapidly over the past decade, little is known of the effect of the
built environment on early childhood health and development. This is
important because efforts to create environments that support healthy child
development could have a large impact on the health of children over their
lifetime and are especially critical for the overall health and wellbeing of the
community. Only a handful of studies have examined the role of physical
neighbourhood characteristics on child health and development outcomes.
More evidence is required to determine what is a child-friendly environment
in the context of neighbourhoods and what are optimal levels of built
environmental features (e.g., density, connectivity, mixed-use) for early child
health and development?
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications For PhD candidates: minimum of 2A Honours degree
For Masters candidates: degree in public health, epidemiology, or related
field.
Essential Skills
Ability to conduct quantitative research
Excellent writing skills
Statistical analysis
Ability to work as part of a team
Good interpersonal and communication skills
Additional Skills
Knowledge of child health behaviours
Familiarity with SPSS
Geographic Information Systems skills desirable
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Asst/Prof Hayley Christian
information
hayley.christian@uwa.edu.au
6488 8501
25
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Physical activity in the early years
Child development and wellbeing
Population Science
Flexible
Asst/Prof Hayley Christian (TICHR & Centre for the Built Environment and
Health - School of Population Health - UWA)
W/Prof Steve Zubrick (TICHR)
The main aim of this research is to examine the influence of the physical,
social and policy environment on young children’s physical activity and
sedentary behaviour while attending childcare. This project will provide
information on how best to create a healthy childcare environment. The
project will involve qualitative research with children, parents, staff and key
stake holders in the childcare setting, objectively measuring the physical
activity and sedentary behaviour of young children and the physical, policy
and social environment of childcare centres. This research will form the basis
for an intervention study.
There is growing interest in built environment interventions targeted at
increasing children’s physical activity because of their potential reach and
impact on the health and well-being of future generations. In the last decade
there has been a 20% increase in the number of 0-4 year olds in Western
Australia (WA) with 63% of WA 2-3 year olds attending some type of child
care. The child care setting is where children spend a considerable portion of
their time, thus this is an important setting in which children should have the
opportunity to accumulate physical activity and other forms of unstructured
physical play.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications For PhD candidates: minimum of 2A Honours degree
For Masters candidates: degree in public health, epidemiology, or related
field.
Essential Skills
Ability to conduct quantitative and qualitative research
Excellent writing skills
Statistical analysis
Ability to work as part of a team
Good interpersonal and communication skills
Additional Skills
Knowledge of child health behaviours
Familiarity with SPSS
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Asst/Prof Hayley Christian
information
hayley.christian@uwa.edu.au
6488 8501
26
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Pathways to preventable and unexplained deaths in childhood and young
adulthood in Western Australia
Child development and wellbeing
Paediatric Mortality
January 2014
Professor Fiona Stanley (TICHR)
Dr Carrington Shepherd (TICHR)
Dr Amanda Langridge (TICHR)
Dr Kristjana Einarsdottir (TICHR)
The study aims to elucidate and quantify the pathways to premature and
unexplained mortality among children and youth in Western Australia,
including those in disadvantaged groups.
The Telethon Institute has had a long-term, active involvement in ascertaining
the patterns and trends in mortality of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal infants,
children and young people in Western Australia since 1980. This study will
extend on this work, and apply a quantitative methodology to explore specific
pathways to death, including unexplained deaths. It will draw upon unique,
individually linked population-level administrative data from Western
Australia’s statutory and health data collections (that include information on
cause of death, births registrations, hospitalisations, juvenile justice, child
protection) and utilise a range of designs (e.g. case-control) and analytic
techniques (e.g. multivariate analysis and modelling).
The study forms part of a collaboration with Professor Fiona Stanley and
Professor Ruth Gilbert (University College London) that aims to guide the
development of practical interventions and population health strategies that
can prevent poor health and death in the early life course.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications For PhD candidates: a minimum of 2A Honours degree or a Masters degree in
a related field.
Essential Skills
Background knowledge in relevant areas, such as developmental health,
epidemiology and population health. Knowledge of quantitative data
analyses is essential.
Additional Skills
Experience in the analyses of linked datasets would be advantageous but not
essential.
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Dr Carrington Shepherd
information
carringtons@ichr.uwa.edu.au
08 9489 7839
27
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Investigating medium-long term neurocognitive and neurobehavioural
consequences of weight gain and nutrition in the first year of life
Child development and wellbeing
Developmental Neuroscience and Nutrition Research Groups
As soon as possible
Joint supervisors: Jonathan Foster & Wendy Oddy (TICHR)
A recently published paper has created considerable interest concerning the
relationship between early postnatal weight gain and nutrition during the first
year of life and subsequent intellectual development. Specifically, recent
research from the University of Adelaide published in the journal Pediatrics
has shown that weight gain and increased head size in the first month of a
baby's life is linked to a higher IQ at early school age (see the following link:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2013/06/12/peds.20123497).
We wish to undertake a similar study in the Raine cohort. We will examine
weight in the first year of life and investigate its correlation with
neurocognitive development at six years.
It may also be feasible to examine the relationship between weight gain in
the first year of life and its relationship with later cognitive development,
through additional data that are available through the Raine cohort.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
Essential Qualifications 3 year Bachelors degree in a biomedical or relevant social science (e.g.
psychology, nutrition)
Essential Skills
Literacy, numeracy and an enquiring scientific mind
Additional Skills
Familiarity with SPSS would be an advantage
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Jonathan Foster
information
Jonathan.Foster@health.wa.gov.au
0452 266598
28
PhD
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Long-term influence of early nutrition on metabolic health OR
Analysis of metabolic profiles in adolescents by mass spectrometry-based
metabolomics: biomarkers for metabolic consequences of early
programming (scientific title)
Child development and wellbeing
Nutrition in Population Sciences
Early 2013
Professor Wendy H. Oddy (TICHR)
Dr Rae-Chi Huang (TICHR)
Background: A shorter duration of breastfeeding in early infancy may be
associated with an increased risk of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in later
adolescence and young adulthood. The aim of this project is to investigate in
detail, associations between sensitive periods of early infant feeding and
prevalence of the MetS as defined by metabolomics and cluster analyses at
20 years, in a prospective pregnancy cohort.
Methods: Infant feeding history was assessed by parent/guardian
questionnaire in 2420 children participating in The Western Australian
Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. Blood samples drawn at the age of 20 years
from study participants will be used for mass spectrometry-based targeted
metabolomics. Metabolic profiling data will be analyzed for associations with
covariates indicative of early programming (infant nutrition, early growth)
and with variables of the current metabolic state at age 20 (BMI, waist-hipratio, food frequency questionnaire, plasma lipids, liver enzymes, presence of
metabolic syndrome or diabetes type 2 according to established diagnostic
criteria (IDF, ATP)). A broad range of metabolites from protein, energy and
lipid metabolism (amino acids, acyl-carnitines, hexoses, phosphatidylcholines,
lysophosphatidylcholines and sphingomyelins) will be analyzed in Germany by
direct infusion-tandem mass spectrometry in all available (~ 1300) blood
samples from study participants. Adjustment will be made in multivariate
logistic regression for relevant covariates.
To date: Following multivariate adjustment, breastfeeding cessation prior to
four months of age was associated with an increased prevalence of being at
risk for the MetS at 1, 8, 14 and 17 years adding support to our hypothesis.
This study supports the theory that a shorter duration of breastfeeding is
associated with a higher prevalence of being in the high risk cluster for MetS
in later adolescence.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications BSC (Hons) Nutrition, Biochemistry or similar relevant degree
Essential Skills
Data analysis
Additional Skills
Passion and dedication
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Professor Wendy Oddy
information
wendyo@ichr.uwa.edu.au
Mob: 0413030052 / Wk: 08 9489 7879
29
CHILDREN’S CANCER
AND
LEUKAEMIA
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
microRNA and childhood brain tumours
Children’s cancer & leukaemia
Brain Tumour Research Program
Feb 2014
Dr Peter Dallas (TICHR)
Dr Kim Carter (TICHR) Dr Keith Giles (WAIMR)
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules with important
regulatory roles in mammalian development. Concomitant with their
functional importance, deregulated miRNA expression has been linked to the
pathogenesis of many cancers, including medulloblastoma (MB), the most
common type of malignant brain tumour affecting children. Four molecular
sub-types of MB have been described providing an opportunity to devise new
treatments that are sub-type specific, more effective, and less damaging to
normal cells. We have identified several deregulated miRNAs and their
putative mRNA targets that are associated with the more aggressive MB
subtypes. The aims of this project are to investigate and confirm these
miRNA/mRNA interactions, and assess their functional significance using our
panel of MB cell lines. Ultimately, this research may open up new avenues for
the treatment of MB.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications BSc Biomedical Science or equivalent
Essential Skills
Molecular biology and/or tissue culture experience, good communicator and
team player
Additional Skills
Knowledge of cancer and/or miRNA biology
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Dr Peter Dallas
information
peterd@ichr.uwa.edu.au
94897854
31
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Immunity to Melanoma
Children’s cancer & leukaemia
Tumour Immunology
March 2014
Dr Jason Waithman (TICHR)
Dr Vanessa Fear (TICHR), Dr Elke Seppanen (TICHR), Professor Prue Hart
(TICHR)
Metastatic melanoma is a disease that is on the rise in the human population.
Clinically, disease progression begins in the skin and final stages involve
spread of tumour cells beyond the primary site where they can proliferate
and establish a metastatic focus. Common sites include regional lymph nodes
and sadly, once distant metastases are evident, patient prognosis is dismal
and the median survival is ∼ 6 months. Clearly, new treatments are
desperately needed to prevent and treat this disease.
My research focuses on harnessing the power of the immune system to
destroy melanoma. To truly understand the disease, living systems must be
employed that correctly depict the course of disease. I have developed a
novel transplantable cutaneous mouse model of melanoma that more closely
mimics the human condition than other commonly used subcutaneous
models employed worldwide. This is best highlighted by consistent metastatic
formation in regional lymph nodes, a process not observed in the classical
subcutaneous model. My team is using this model to elucidate the immune
sentinels responsible for initiating cellular immunity to melanoma. Our
hypothesis is that distinct populations within the skin comprise a component
of the complex immunosurveillance program and that our model is ideal for
elucidating their function. We hope to identify that distinct populations of
these sentinels provide a more favourable anti-tumour response. Such a
discovery provides the potential for new vaccination strategies to target
candidate immune sentinels with specific novel tumour-specific antigens for
the promotion of enhanced anti-tumour cellular responses that assist in
disease control and prevention.
In addition, we are in the process of setting up multiple preclinical models of
melanoma to test the efficacy of novel treatments as well as determine the
underlying mechanisms in current successful immunotherapies. It is hoped
the results from these studies will identify new approaches and improve
existing protocols to mediate complete and durable responses in people
suffering from melanoma.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Greater than credit average for Hons; BSc (Hons) or equivalent in biological
discipline for Masters or PhD
Essential Skills
Good organisational skills, motivation and dedication
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Dr Jason Waithman
information
jwaithman@ichr.uwa.edu.au
(08) 9489 7833
32
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
New uses for old drugs: repurposing drugs to treat childhood brain cancer
Children’s cancer & leukaemia
Brain Tumour Research Program
ASAP
Dr Tobias Schoep (TICHR)
Dr Nicholas Gottardo (TICHR), Dr Raelene Endersby (TICHR), Peter Dallas (TICHR)
The Brain Tumour Research Program is led by the practicing clinician Nicholas
Gottardo and contains several senior scientists with expertise in cancer research.
Survival rates for childhood brain cancers are poor and are not improving.
We focus on understanding both the basic biology of childhood brain cancers
and developing new therapies for the treatment of these cancers. One strategy
for developing new therapies is the use of high-throughput screening and
rational selection to take drugs used to treat other diseases, and repurpose them
for the treatment of childhood brain cancer. Drug effectiveness and mechanisms
of action will be evaluated in tissue culture and mouse models of childhood brain
cancer. Those drugs that enhance existing therapies used to treat childhood
brain cancer will be of special interest. We are also interested in how to improve
the delivery of drugs to the brain for therapy. We invite you to discuss the details
of research projects in this area.
As well as gaining a greater depth of understanding of cancer biology, you can
expect to gain skills in: i) drug discovery methodologies ii) tissue culture and
associated assays, iii) molecular engineering and vector production, v)
biochemical and immunological techniques and assays, iv) animal work and
downstream analyses such as histological analyses. You will also connecting and
working with a network of national and international collaborators.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
Essential Qualifications For Honours or Masters: greater than credit average
For a PhD: First class Honours degree or equivalent
Essential Skills
Willingness to work with small animal models
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Tobias Schoep
information
tschoep@ichr.uwa.edu.au
9489 7897
33
PhD
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Investigating medium-long term neurocognitive and neurobehavioural
outcomes in medulloblastoma and cerebellar pilocytic astrocytoma
Children’s cancer & leukaemia
Cancer/Developmental Neuroscience
As soon as possible
Joint supervisors: Profs Jonathan Foster & Nick Gottardo (TICHR)
N/a
Cognitive impairment has been reported in medium-long term follow-up of
children who have suffered from malignant brain tumours. We here seek to
determine to what extent this may be attributable to the brain lesion per se
and consequent surgery as distinct from radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy.
We will focus in this project on the following conditions: medulloblastoma
and cerebellar pilocytic astrocytomas. We will assess children who underwent
either i) surgery alone for cerebellar pilocytic astrocytomas or ii) surgery and
subsequent chemotherapy and radiotherapy for medulloblastoma and
compare their medium-long term functional outcome with a control group
who are matched on relevant sociodemographic variables. The focus of
cognitive assessment will be on the domains of intelligence, executive
function, attention, perception and memory – as these are the cognitive
domains which have been cited in the literature to date. Our approach will
enable us to dissociate the impact of a) the radiotherapy and/or
chemotherapy as distinct from b) the brain lesion per se and subsequent
surgery to the cerebellum.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
Essential Qualifications 3 year Bachelors degree in a biomedical or relevant social science (e.g.
psychology)
Essential Skills
Literacy, numeracy and an enquiring scientific mind
Additional Skills
Familiarity with SPSS would be an advantage
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
A/Prof Jonathan Foster
information
Jonathan.Foster@health.wa.gov.au
0452 266598
34
PhD
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Supervisors
Other Supervisor
Project Outline
The role of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in leukaemogenesis and
haematopoiesis
Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia
Leukaemia Team
March 2014
Dr Meegan Howlett (TICHR) and Mr Laurence Cheung (TICHR)
Professor Ursula Kees (TICHR)
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children
and accounts for approximately 80% of leukaemia cases, with peak
prevalence at 2 to 5 years of age. Moreover, B-lineage ALL is the most
common type of ALL in children with an incidence of about 85% while T-cell
ALL accounts for 15% of cases.
High expression of CTGF has been consistently identified in patients with ALL
across several patient cohorts. Specifically, high CTGF expression is exclusive
to B-lineage ALL and is secreted by ALL cells, but is not found in T-cell ALL.
Moreover, high levels of CTGF expression in B-lineage ALL are linked to poor
outcome in patients.
The project is designed to further elucidate the role of CTGF in
leukaemogenesis and haematopoiesis. The student will be part of the team to
address key issues that regulate the function of CTGF. To perform the project,
the student will develop expertise in
• Animal handling and tissue preparation;
• Tissue culture;
• Paraffin sectioning and Immunohistochemistry;
• Flow cytometry and cell sorting;
• RNA and protein extraction;
• Gene expression analysis
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
Essential Qualifications BSc or equivalent
Essential Skills
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Laurence Cheung
information
lcheung@ichr.uwa.edu.au
94897859
35
PhD
Title of Project
Novel peptide based drugs for the treatment of sonic hedgehog dependent
cancers
Key Research Area
Children’s cancer & leukaemia
Drug discovery (Phylogica)
Research Group
Drug discovery/Brain Tumour Research Program
Start Date
Feb 2014
Chief Supervisor
Dr Peter Dallas (TICHR)
Other Supervisors
Dr Nadia Milech (TICHR)
Project Outline
Phylomers are a novel class of peptides that are being developed by the
Institute’s drug discovery team to treat a wide range of diseases, including
cancer. One of the cancers the drug discovery and brain tumour teams are
interested in is medulloblastoma (MB), the most common type of childhood
malignant brain tumour. The growth of some MB is driven by deregulated
sonic hedgehog (SHH) signalling, which is also associated with the
pathogenesis of a broad range of other tumours, including basal cell
carcinoma (BCC), and cancers of lung, pancreas, prostate, and breast.
Importantly, targeted inhibition of Smoothened, an integral component of
the SHH signalling cascade, can be clinically effective for treating patients
with BCC and MB, including those with metastatic disease. Thus, inhibitors of
the SHH pathway may be broadly effective for cancer treatment in diverse
contexts. Activation of GLI proteins is the culmination of SHH signalling, and
these proteins are therefore attractive targets for therapeutic intervention.
The aim of this project is to screen Phylogica’s extensive Phylomer libraries
using a bacterial two-hybrid screening system to identify Phylomers that bind
to GLI proteins. The inhibitory capabilities of Phylomers isolated in this way
will then be investigated in vitro and ex vivo using a suite of established cell
line models prior to testing using biophysical models and animal systems.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications BSc Hons in a biomedical/biotechnology or related discipline
Essential Skills
Molecular biology experience
Additional Skills
Comfortable working with small animal models
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Peter Dallas
information
peterd@ichr.uwa.edu.au
94897854
36
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Does chemotherapy alter the primary cilium in normal brain and brain
tumours?
Children’s cancer & leukaemia
Brain Tumour Research Program
Flexible, available immediately
Dr Raelene Endersby (TICHR)
Dr Nicholas Gottardo (PMH), Miss Hilary Hii (TICHR)
The Brain Tumour Research Program is a collaborative group comprising
clinicians, neurosurgeons and laboratory scientists. We focus on
understanding mechanisms underlying formation of childhood brain tumours,
development of experimental models of disease as well as identifying and
testing potential new therapies.
One in five childhood cancers arise in the central nervous system.
Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumour that affects
children. Abnormal activity of the Sonic Hedgehog pathway is a known
causative factor in a subset of human and mouse medulloblastomas. Activity
of this pathway is exquisitely controlled in a poorly understood organelle
known as the primary cilium which exists on most mammalian cell types. The
primary cilium is a microtubule-based organelle that protrudes from the
plasma membrane and acts much like an ‘antenna’ to sense extracellular
signals. One of the chemotherapeutics used in the treatment of
medulloblastoma, vincristine, is a microtubule inhibitor. Moreover several
new drugs in clinical trial for this disease target proteins that reside in the
primary cilium. The goal of this study is to determine the impact of these
treatments on tumour growth in an animal model of SHH-subtype
medulloblastoma with particular focus on the activity of the primary cilium. In
addition, neurotoxicty of these treatments will be assessed in normal brain.
Techniques include: animal work (colony management, drug treatment, tissue
harvesting), histology (tissue processing, paraffin sectioning, cryosectioning,
immunohistochemistry) and advanced imaging (fluorescence and confocal
microscopy).
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Honours/Masters: greater than distinction average.
*Medical undergraduates wishing to undertake a BMedSci are also suitable
Essential Skills
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, willingness to learn new
skills and work with animals, good organisational skills, initiative, dedication,
ability to work independently
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Raelene Endersby
information
rendersby@ichr.uwa.edu.au
37
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Understanding the genetics of paediatric brain tumours
Children’s cancer & leukaemia
Brain Tumour Research Program
Flexible, available immediately
Dr Raelene Endersby (TICHR)
Dr Mark Cruickshank (TICHR), Dr Nicholas Gottardo (PMH)
Paediatric brain tumours, like medulloblastoma (MB), can be defined into
multiple molecular subgroups by gene expression profiling and genomic DNA
analysis. This provides important insights into the pathogenesis of MB and
highlight targets for therapeutic development. However, whilst many
targeted anti-cancer agents have recently been developed, evaluation of their
efficacy is delayed due to a lack of model systems that accurately reflect the
various subtypes of these diseases in children.
To address this, we have generated a panel of unique cell lines representative
of various primary and relapsed paediatric brain tumours. Furthermore, to
more closely resemble their natural microenvironment, we have established
mouse models for these diseases by orthotopic transplant providing a unique
resource in the preclinical analysis of novel therapies. However, the
preclinical utility of these new models requires full characterisation of their
underlying genetic alterations such that molecularly targeted therapies are
assessed in the most appropriate systems.
Our study aim is to identify mutations across the coding regions of several
new models of paediatric brain tumours using whole-exome capture and
deep sequencing. The sequence information will be integrated with DNA copy
number alterations and gene expression analyses to identify genes or
pathways that might drive cancer growth. Significant tumour causing
mutations will be further assessed in our cell lines and mouse models to
determine the mechanisms by which they influence cancer initiation,
progression and/or therapeutic resistance.
Techniques include: In vitro culture of patient-derived cancer cells, DNA and
RNA extraction, bioinformatic analysis (exome sequencing, analysis of DNA
copy number microarrays, DNA methylation microarray analysis), protein
extraction/analysis, establishment of new brain tumour models by
intracranial implant.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Honours/Masters: greater than distinction average. PhD: First class Honours
degree or equivalent (eg. Masters by research) in biological discipline,
computer science or statistics.
Essential Skills
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, interest in computer
programming, willingness to learn new skills, good organisational skills,
initiative, dedication, ability to work independently
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Raelene Endersby
information
rendersby@ichr.uwa.edu.au
38
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Testing the efficacy of an Akt inhibitor in childhood brain cancer treatment
Children’s cancer & leukaemia
Brain Tumour Research Program
Flexible, available immediately
Dr Raelene Endersby (TICHR)
Dr Jacqueline McGlade (TICHR), Dr Tobias Schoep (TICHR), Dr Nicholas
Gottardo (PMH)
Project Outline
Primitive neuroectodermal tumours, including medulloblastoma and
pineoblastoma, are the most common malignant brain tumours of childhood.
Despite improvements in surgery and radiotherapy, as well as intense
chemotherapeutic regimens, many children with these tumours remain
incurable and survivors are often left with devastating long-term side effects.
Therefore new therapeutic approaches are required to improve cure rates
and minimise treatment related consequences. To this end, we have
developed several tumour cell lines derived from patients with these cancers
and performed a high-throughput drug screen to identify potential new drugs
for treatment.
Through this we have identified a number of promising drugs that require
further validation to determine if they have true anti-cancer actions. One of
these is an inhibitor that blocks the Akt kinases. The Akt proteins play a key
role in multiple cellular processes such as glucose metabolism, apoptosis,
proliferation, transcription and cell migration. The activation of Akt is also one
of the most frequent alterations observed in human cancer, therefore,
understanding Akt and its pathways is important for the creation of better
therapies to treat cancer and tumour cells.
Several of our brain tumour models exhibit abnormal Akt activation. This
study aims to perform a preclinical study to determine the effect that Akt
inhibition has on paediatric brain tumours. The anti-tumour activity of the
drug MK-2206 will be compared with conventional chemotherapy in cells
isolated from brain tumour patients. The potential synergy of this new drug
with conventional chemotherapeutics will also be determined. Synergistic
drug combinations will be evaluated in mouse models to determine if these
novel treatments are more effective that conventional chemotherapeutics.
Techniques include: cell culture, in vitro drug testing, proliferation assays,
cell death assays, drug interaction studies, protein extraction/analysis,
intracranial implant, mouse handling, drug administration to animals, live
animal imaging, tissue collection/processing/sectioning, histology,
immunohistochemistry, computational data analysis.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Honours/Masters: greater than distinction average. PhD: First class Honours
degree or equivalent (eg. Masters by research) in biological discipline.
*Medical undergraduates wishing to undertake a BMedSci are also suitable
Essential Skills
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, willingness to learn new
skills and work with animals, good organisational skills, initiative, dedication,
ability to work independently
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Raelene Endersby
information
rendersby@ichr.uwa.edu.au
39
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
A novel treatment strategy for non-SHH and non-WNT medulloblastoma
Children’s cancer & leukaemia
Brain Tumour Research Program
Flexible, available immediately
Dr Raelene Endersby (TICHR)
Dr Jacqueline McGlade (TICHR), Dr Tobias Schoep (TICHR), Dr Nicholas
Gottardo (PMH)
Medulloblastomas, the most common malignant paediatric brain tumours,
are molecularly divided into four major groups: SHH, WNT, Group 3 and
Group 4. Group 3 tumours, which often overexpress and frequently amplify
the MYC oncogene, are the most aggressive and least curable. The Telethon
Institute Brain Tumour Research Program is part of an international
collaboration where our colleagues have identified a novel chemotherapeutic
drug combination that appears effective in a mouse model of Group 3
medulloblastoma. These drugs are both FDA-approved compounds with
activity as an inhibitor of the folate pathway and an inhibitor of nucleotide
synthesis.
The aims of this project are to experimentally determine the efficacy of this
new treatment in multiple in vitro and in vivo experimental models of
medulloblastoma, which represent several of the different molecular
subtypes of the disease. Preclinical studies will determine the effects of
treatment on survival and will be molecularly studied to reveal the antitumour mechanisms of treatment.
Techniques include: cell culture, in vitro drug testing, proliferation assays, cell
death assays, drug interaction studies, protein extraction/analysis,
intracranial implant, mouse handling, drug administration to animals, live
animal imaging, tissue collection/processing/sectioning, histology,
immunohistochemistry, computational data analysis.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Honours/Masters: greater than distinction average. PhD: First class Honours
degree or equivalent (eg. Masters by research) in biological discipline.
*Medical undergraduates wishing to undertake a BMedSci are also suitable
Essential Skills
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, willingness to learn new
skills and work with animals, good organisational skills, initiative, dedication,
ability to work independently
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Raelene Endersby
information
rendersby@ichr.uwa.edu.au
40
Title of Project
Developing novel techniques and assays for the pharmacokinetic evaluation
of chemotherapeutics in childhood brain tumour models
Key Research Area
Children’s cancer & leukaemia
Research Group
Brain Tumour Research Program
Start Date
Flexible, available immediately
Chief Supervisor
Dr Raelene Endersby (TICHR)
Other Supervisors
Dr Nicholas Gottardo (PMH) and other interstate (UNSW/CCIA) and
international supervisors (St Jude Children’s Hospital) (TBA)
Project Outline
For the past three decades, advances in the treatment of central nervous
system (CNS) tumours such as medulloblastoma have only been modest. One
particular challenge facing treatment of brain tumours is the delivery of
therapeutically effective concentrations of anti-cancer agents to the target
site in the brain. The sanctuary of the brain is protected by several barrier
systems such as the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the blood-cerebrospinal
fluid barrier (BCSFB). These barriers restrict the passage of anti-cancer drugs
into the brain via several protective mechanisms.
We employ a translational approach to identifying new treatments for brain
cancer. This includes the identification of new drugs that might be effective
therapies by targeting known oncogenic pathways (eg. Akt) or via highthroughput screening. Potential new drugs are tested for anti-cancer action in
different mouse models that are representative of the human disease.
However, for many of these compounds the concentrations that are
achievable in brain tumours are unknown.
The aims of this study are to learn and establish methods to enable cerebral
microdialysis sampling, a technique for sampling unbound molecules in brain
extracellular fluid (ECF) via semi-permeable probe, to assess the
pharmacokinetics of several conventional brain tumour chemotherapeutics,
with particular focus on the concentration of drug within brain tumours. A
secondary aim is to perform pharmacokinetics on the most promising novel
anti-brain tumour compounds identified by high-throughput drug screening.
This work will be performed in collaboration with colleagues at the Children’s
Cancer Institute of Australia and at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital (USA)
and thus requires a student/postdoc of exceptional calibre.
Techniques include: mouse handling, intracranial implantation, drug
administration to animals, live animal imaging, tissue collection/processing,
histology, immunohistochemistry, intratumoral microdialysis, drug
detection/measurement (LC/MS, HPLC), pharmacokinetic modeling.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Overall above distinction average in undergraduate degree, first class
Honours degree or equivalent (eg. Masters by research) in biological
discipline. Additional laboratory experience highly desirable.
*Project also suitable for early-career postdoctoral fellow
Essential Skills
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, willingness to learn new
skills and work with animals, good organisational skills, initiative, dedication,
ability to work independently and contribute to team goals, desire to travel
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Raelene Endersby
information
rendersby@ichr.uwa.edu.au
41
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Adjuvant therapy in a preclinical melanoma brain tumour model
Children’s Cancer & Leukaemia
Tumour immunology and Brain Tumour Research Program
Flexible, available immediately
Dr Jason Waithmann (TICHR)
Dr Raelene Endersby, Dr Vanessa Fear, Dr Meegan Howlett (all TICHR)
Metastatic melanoma leads to brain metastases in 74% of patients. Current
treatments including surgical resection, radiosurgery, whole brain radiation
and/or chemotherapy have had limited success and brain metastasis is the
direct cause of death in 60-70% of patients. Thus, new experimental
approaches are required to develop efficacious therapies for the treatment of
brain metastases.
Immunotherapy for patients with metastases to brain and extracranial sites is
a developing area of research. Most commonly, T cells are targeted for
activation of anti-tumour activity with recent therapies directed to either
stimulation of endogenous T cells infiltrating the tumour or transformation of
host T cells to detect melanoma antigens specifically. Other forms of
immunotherapy involve the application of antibodies or molecules that
specifically block T cell inhibition. A recent example is Ipilimumab, approved
by the FDA in 2011, which extends the longevity of tumour-specific T cells
within the body leading to increased efficacy of treatment. Ipilimumab was
initially developed in a murine preclinical melanoma model and rapidly
translated into clinical use, becoming the first new therapy for melanoma in
over a decade.
This project involves the development of a preclinical murine melanoma brain
tumour model to investigate new adjuvant immune therapy protocols.
Melanoma cell lines expressing firefly luciferase will be transplanted into
mouse brain and kinetics of tumour growth assessed using non-invasive
longitudinal bioluminescence imaging. Furthermore, the initiation of T cell
responses to intracranial tumour antigens and the application of adjuvant
therapies in modulating anti-tumour T cell immunity will be explored.
Techniques include: cell culture, mouse handling, intracranial implant,
intravenous and intracarotid inoculation of mice, live animal imaging, tissue
processing, histology, immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, cell sorting.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Honours/Masters: greater than distinction average. PhD: First class Honours
degree or equivalent (eg. Masters by research) in biological discipline.
*Medical undergraduates wishing to undertake a BMedSci are also suitable
Essential Skills
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, willingness to learn new
skills and work with animals, good organisational skills, initiative, dedication,
ability to work independently
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Raelene Endersby
information
rendersby@ichr.uwa.edu.au
42
DATASETS AND
COHORT STUDIES
(NO PROJECTS IN 2014)
DIABETES, OBESITY
AND RELATED
DISORDERS
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Neurocognitive outcomes in children with type 1 diabetes
Diabetes, obesity & related disorders- Child development and wellbeing
Diabetes & Obesity Research Team
March 2014
Professor Tim Jones (PMH, SPACH, TICHR)
Jenny Mace (PMH)
Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune disease where
destruction of cells in the pancreas causes a failure to produce sufficient (or
any) insulin, where insulin is a hormone required throughout the body to
facilitate the utilisation of glucose with the blood stream as a source of
energy. If left untreated, the consequences are fatal, however treatment via
insulin supplementation has been in use since the 1920’s. In Western
Australia (WA), approximately 100 children per year are diagnosed and begin
treatment for T1DM.
Research has indicated that children with T1DM may experience deficits in
their neurocognitive development compared with healthy children. It has
been reported that individuals with the disease performed more poorly on a
number of measures, including speed of information processing, executive
functioning and IQ, than healthy controls. Whilst the impact that T1DM has
on the developing brain remains controversial, evidence suggests that these
deficits may reflect the occurrence of episodes of severe hypoglycaemia.
Research has also suggested that fluctuating chronic blood glucose levels can
affect both grey and white matter density and hippocampal volumes. Studies
have found that diabetic patients aged 25-40 years, with disease duration of
12-25 years, showed modest (approximately 5% on average) reductions in
grey matter density compared with controls. Grey matter density reductions
have also been linked to a history of severe hypoglycaemia.
The aim of the project is to examine the neurophysiological development of
children with T1DM by analysing data from Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(MRI) scans and electroencephalograms (EEG). This project will be part of a
wider study assessing the neurocognitve development of children with type 1
diabetes.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
Essential Qualifications Honours degree
Essential Skills
Data handling skills, basic statistical analysis skills, strong quantitative
background.
Additional Skills
Experience with programming languages is desirable.
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Katie McNamara katie.mcnamara@health.gov.au
information
kmcnamara@ichr.uwa.edu.au
93407856
45
PhD
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Human enteroviruses in the aetiology of type 1 diabetes
Diabetes, obesity & related disorders
Molecular Paediatrics/ Diabetes and Obesity Research
Early 2014
A/Professor Belinda Hales (TICHR/SPACH)
Dr Aveni Haynes (PMH/TICHR/SPACH)
A/Professor Elizabeth Davis (PMH/TICHR/SPACH)
Recent data including from our Diabetes team has shown a cyclical pattern in
the incidence of childhood type 1 diabetes suggesting a role for
environmental factors. Viral infections, particularly gut-trophic enterovirus
infections, are strongly associated with islet autoimmunity or type 1 diabetes.
The Molecular Paediatrics group has a strong interest in respiratory
enteroviruses as human rhinoviruses (HRV) are detected in the majority of
children admitted to hospital with asthma exacerbations. In addition to
investigating immune response to the lung-trophic rhinovirus antigens we
have also produced gut-trophic enterovirus antigens and found a remarkable
degree of cross-reactivity between all enteroviruses. We propose that
children who develop type 1 diabetes have strong immune responses to all
enterovirus species that contributes to the immunopathology of the disease.
The project will initially identify whether children with type 1 diabetes have
high anti-enterovirus antibody responses compared to healthy controls.
Specifically we will compare cross-reactive and species specific responses
between gut-trophic and lung trophic enterovirus antigens that have already
been produced in the Molecular Paediatrics laboratory. The PhD project will
investigate this in more detail including whether polyclonal antibodies raised
against these enteroviruses bind to human pancreatic islet tissue. Most
studies have only focussed on one enterovirus species and this project will
significantly increase our knowledge of the role of all enterovirus species in
the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Honours/BMedSci: BSc (Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Microbiology or similar
discipline), medical undergraduates wishing to undertake a BMedSci
PhD: 1st class Honours or equivalent in a biological discipline (2A considered
depending on academic transcript)
Essential Skills
Excellent writing skills, basic statistical analysis, motivated
Additional Skills
Interest in immunology and diabetes
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Belinda Hales
information
belinda@ichr.uwa.edu.au
9489 7871
46
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Profiling previous weight loss attempts in obese youth
Diabetes, obesity & related disorders
Diabetes and Obesity Research Team
February 2014
Dr Jacqueline Curran (PMH, SPACH)
Assoc/Prof Elizabeth Davis (PMH, SPACH, TICHR), Rachelle Kalic (TICHR)
With one in 4 Western Australian children and adolescents now being obese
variety in treatment options are being sought. Obese youth with severe or
complex obesity will eventually require treatment at tertiary services by way
of multidisciplinary lifestyle programs such as the CLASP service at PMH.
Obese adults prior to seeking treatment through tertiary treatment centres
have often attempted to lose weight by using treatments available in their
community. These treatments may take the form of unstructured diets (“lowfat diet”), structured diets (Lite n’ Easy), unstructured exercise (“going for
walks”), structured exercise (personal training), complementary and
alternative therapies (acupuncture) or over the counter medications. The
majority of these treatments have been created for use in an adult population
and may or may not be appropriate/safe for use in youth. To date there have
been no reports describing the use of these weight loss treatments in youth.
The aims of this project are to;
- Determine the number and type of weight loss attempts before
engaging with tertiary programs of youth
- Determine the facilitators and barriers to these weight loss attempts
All current and new patients of the PMH CLASP service will be asked to
provide information (approx n= 100) An electronic questionnaire/interview
will be used for data collection. The data collected will be used by the CLASP
team to provide targeted treatment for the individual. Collectively the data
will be used to describe the use and type of treatments utilized by youth. In
addition the information gathered may assist tertiary and community weight
loss treatment providers with a means to prescribe successful personalised
treatments dependent on previous weight loss treatments attempted.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Completed undergraduate degree but not honours
Essential Skills
Statistical and data analysis skills, good written and verbal communication
skills
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Rachelle Kalic
information
Rachelle.Kalic@health.wa.gov.au
9340 7857
47
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Psychosocial outcomes in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes
Diabetes, obesity & related disorders- Child development and wellbeing;
Mental health
Diabetes and Obesity Research Team
March 2014
Assoc/ Prof Elizabeth Davis (PMH, SPACH, TICHR)
Jenny Mace (PMH)
Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune disease where
destruction of cells in the pancreas causes a failure to produce sufficient (or
any) insulin, where insulin is a hormone required throughout the body to
facilitate the utilisation of glucose with the blood stream as a source of
energy. If left untreated, the consequences are fatal, however treatment via
insulin supplementation has been in use since the 1920’s. In Western
Australia (WA), approximately 100 children per year are diagnosed and begin
treatment for T1DM.
Individuals with type 1 diabetes are more at risk of developing adverse
psychosocial outcomes than the general population. The burden of managing
diabetes can not only affect the individual, but the whole family as well.
Youth with T1DM are twice as likely to develop depression than their peers in
the general population and have an increased chance of developing
unhealthy eating attitudes and behaviours. The general psychosocial
implications of having T1DM during childhood and adolescence also have a
large-scale impact on the daily lives of these individuals. Research indicates
that a youth’s quality of life can be adversely impacted by diabetes related
complications and the pressure of daily disease management. Psychosocial
risk is also predictive of poor diabetes outcomes, showing that the
relationship between diabetes and psychosocial health is two-way.
The purpose of the project is to review the psychosocial risk factors in
children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes in Western Australia. Data
collection will primarily involve questionnaire completion by patients and
their families. The project will aim to determine whether youth with type 1
diabetes have poorer psychosocial outcomes than their peers. Furthermore,
we aim to establish the type of psychosocial issues that are present in this
group in order to direct future clinical care.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
Essential Qualifications Honours degree
Essential Skills
Data handling skills, basic statistical analysis skills
Additional Skills
Knowledge of psychosocial or mental health research
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Katie McNamara katie.mcnamara@health.gov.au
information
kmcnamara@ichr.uwa.edu.au
93407856
48
PhD
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Evaluating the effectiveness of an innovative Acceptance and Commitment
Group-based Intervention in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes
Diabetes & Obesity Related Disorders -Mental health
Paediatric Consultation Liaison (PCL) Research Group
August 2013
Ms Wendy Radcliffe – (PMH)
Assoc/Prof Elizabeth Davis (PMH, SPACH, TICHR); Dr. Tiziana Bufacchi (PMH)
Adolescence can be a very difficult experience for a young person with Type
1 Diabetes. During this time the management regime will often intensify and
change with an expectation for self-management. As if the burden of having a
chronic disease was not enough adolescents must negotiate the complexity of
developmental issues such as academic outcomes, peer pressure, family
relationships, stress and depression etc. PCL offers mental health services to
the consumers and their families of the Endocrinology and Diabetes
Department of PMH. We are proposing to facilitate a pilot group of
adolescents using the curricula already developed and based on the principals
of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. The group would specifically target
adjustment to illness and emotion regulation. This research would facilitate
and analyse the collection of psychometric measures pre and post group
intervention from the participants, parents and school. There is potential for
this group, if successful to be further developed to be a regular intervention
strategy with this client population and help forge links with NGO’s.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Completed Honours requirements in BPsych.
Essential Skills
Skills in statistical and data analysis and good skills in written and verbal
communication
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Wendy Radcliffe
information
wendy.radcliffe@health.wa.gov.au
93407030
49
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Exploring perinatal complications seen in a contemporary Type 1 Diabetes
cohort
Diabetes, obesity & related disorders-epidemiology of type 1 diabetes
Diabetes & Obesity Research Team
January 2014
A/Professor Elizabeth A Davis (PMH, SPACH, TICHR)
C/Professor Timothy W Jones (PMH, SPACH, TICHR); A/Professor Sunalene
Devadason (SPACH)
Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease where destruction of cells in
the pancreas causes a failure to produce sufficient (or any) insulin, where
insulin is a hormone required throughout the body to facilitate the utilisation
of glucose with the blood stream as a source of energy. If left untreated, the
consequences are fatal, however treatment via insulin supplementation has
been in use since the 1920’s. In Western Australia (WA), approximately 100
children per year are diagnosed and begin treatment for T1D.
Research has shown that woman with T1D have higher rates of miscarriage,
higher rates of small or large for gestational age babies and higher rates of
congenital malformations (especially kidney or heart related). It has also been
shown that pregnancy may be linked with the progression of diabetes related
complications, for example eye damage.
Western Australia Linked Health Data
The WA Data Linkage Branch, which sits within the WA Department of Health,
holds linkages between over 60 databases containing over 36 million records.
One of the core state databases is the Midwives Notification System
(WAMNS), which has comprehensive birth records on all births in WA (>20
weeks gestation or >400g rams) since 1980 (423,643). The WA Childhood
Diabetes Database (WACDD), stored and maintained on site at PMH, contains
information on all (>99%) children in WA diagnosed with T1D aged <16 years.
Data from clinic visits (approximately 1 every 3 months) is recorded detailing
diabetes management indicators, treatment regimes and complications
experienced as well as general anthropometric measures and general
demographics.
A linkage of the WACDD and WAMNS will form the primary dataset for this
project. This enable the following aims to be addressed:
- What are the current rates of complications experienced by women with
T1D? Have these changed during the past decade?
- How do diabetes management factors during childhood effect perinatal
complications?
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Honours (are research experience equivalent)
Essential Skills
Data handling skills, basic statistical analysis skills, health research experience
Additional Skills
Biostatistics training, Perinatal epidemiology experience
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Elizabeth Davis
information
Elizabeth.Davis@health.wa.gov.au
9340 7023
50
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Relationship between BMI and Type 1 Diabetes in Western Australia
Diabetes, obesity & related disorders
Diabetes Research Group
Any date
Associate Professor Elizabeth Davis
Dr Aveni Haynes
Questions to be answered:
1. Has there been a change in the prevalence of childhood obesity and
overweight in children diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in Western
Australia?
2. Can the increasing incidence of Type 1 diabetes in Western Australia be
partly explained by the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity and
overweight ?
3. Is there a difference in the BMI of children diagnosed with Type 1
diabetes between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas of Western
Australia?
Methods:
Data on the BMI of children diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes will be extracted
from the Western Australian Childhood Diabetes Database (WACDD), a
prospective population-based diabetes register at Princess Margaret Hospital.
The BMI between 3 and 6 months after diagnosis will be used to determine
the mean BMI in children diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes by gender, age
group, place of residence and year of diagnosis. Trends in the mean BMI over
time and by place of residence will be analysed to examine whether or not
changes in BMI may be contributing to the increasing incidence of childhood
Type 1 diabetes in Western Australia and the greater rate of increase in
incidence in non-metropolitan compared to metropolitan areas of the State.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Undergraduate degree
Essential Skills
Data extraction, data manipulation, statistical analysis using SPSS or similar
software package. Ability to critically appraise scientific literature
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Aveni Haynes
information
Aveni.Haynes@health.wa.gov.au
0409 372 550
51
DISABILITY AND
DEVELOPMENTAL
DISORDERS
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Transition from school experiences of young people with Down syndrome
and post-school quality of life
Disability & developmental disorders
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Intellectual Disability Research Group
January 2014
Professor Helen Leonard
Ms Jenny Bourke
Dr Jenny Downs
Dr Terri Pikora
Project Outline
This project will use data collected in 2009 and 2011 as part of an ARC
project investigating the experiences of young people with Down syndrome
and their families as they transition from school to adulthood. The extent of
involvement of families in transition planning, awareness of services and
school preparation for post-school occupation may impact on the post-school
outcomes experienced. The general well-being of the young person with
Down syndrome as measured by their level of satisfaction in 2009 and by the
Kidscreen survey in 2011 may also be affected by many factors. This project
will explore these transition experiences and quality of life outcomes for the
young person with Down syndrome.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Degree in health science, science, psychology or other health-related area
Essential Skills
Knowledge of statistical analysis/ data management
Computer competence
Ability to work as part of a team
Additional Skills
Interest in developmental disabilities and service provision
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Professor Helen Leonard/ Jenny Bourke
information
hleonard@ichr.uwa.edu.au / jennyb@ichr.uwa.edu.au
0419956946 / 0419903834
53
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Management of long bone fracture in Rett syndrome
Disability & developmental disorders
Intellectual Disability Research Group
January 2014
Dr Jenny Downs (TICHR)
Professor Helen Leonard (TICHR)
Project Outline
The Australian Rett Syndrome Database is a population-based longitudinal
database established in 1993. The InterRett International Phenotype
Database was established in 2002, and contains data about girls and women
with Rett syndrome worldwide. Those with Rett syndrome have 4 times the
risk of fracture compared with the general population, and fracture
commonly occurs in the long bones. Yet there is little known on how best to
manage long bone fracture in Rett syndrome which can have long term
implications because of poor mobility. This project will involve conducting
interviews with families of children with Rett syndrome whose daughter has
had a long bone fracture and who live in Australia or internationally. The
interviews will explore experiences with clinical processes, orthopaedic
management and rehabilitation as well as burden of caring. Strategies that
were helpful and unhelpful will be identified.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in science, health science or other health-related area.
Essential Skills
Communication skills
Computer skills
Basic statistical skills
Additional Skills
Interest in developmental disabilities
Medical or health background
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Professor Helen Leonard
hleonard@ichr.uwa.edu.au
0419956946
Contact for further
information
54
Title of Project
Online survey of gastro-intestinal issues and their management in Rett
syndrome
Key Research Area
Disability & developmental disorders
Research Group
Intellectual Disability Research Group
Start Date
January 2014
Chief Supervisor
Dr Jenny Downs (TICHR)
Other Supervisors
Professor Helen Leonard (TICHR)
Dr Madhur Ravikumara (PMH)
Dr Alison Anderson (TICHR)
Project Outline
The InterRett International Rett Syndrome Phenotype Database contains data
from families with a child with Rett syndrome and clinicians involved in their
management. Some of the common comorbidities of Rett syndrome relate to
gastrointestinal function and include feeding difficulties, poor growth, reflux,
constipation and abdominal bloating. This project will involve consulting with
families of children with Rett syndrome, clinical experts and the literature to
develop a questionnaire to explore gastrointestinal issues and their
management in children with Rett syndrome. The questionnaire will then be
administered online to InterRett families (n>1000) to collect information
about these issues and their management.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in science, health science or other health-related area.
Essential Skills
Computer skills
Basic statistical skills
Additional Skills
Interest in developmental disabilities
Medical or health background
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Professor Helen Leonard
hleonard@ichr.uwa.edu.au
0419956946
Contact for further
information
55
Title of Project
Major Research
Theme
Associated Research
Theme
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
How are families of girls with Rett syndrome responding to research suggesting
that the symptoms of Rett syndrome might be prevented or halted with
advances in medical knowledge
Understanding Disability
Social and Emotional Wellbeing
2013 or 2014
Professor Helen Leonard (TICHR)
Dr Jenny Downs (TICHR)
Rett syndrome is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder mainly affecting females
and resulting in severe intellectual and physical disability. It is characterised by a
short period of normal development followed by a regression of function
(including loss of hand skills and communication ability) and the appearance of
hand stereotypes. In 1999 the methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene was
found to be associated with the disorder. The clinical diagnosis which is confirmed
by molecular testing in ~80% of cases is made in accordance with sets of clinical
and necessary criteria. An Australian population-based study of Rett syndrome
(AussieRett) has been in existence for 12 years with a current enrolment of over
357 cases born since 1976.
There have been advances in medical technology which may herald the
prevention of symptoms developing in Rett syndrome and may halt further
development of symptoms in young women diagnosed with Rett syndrome.
Anecdotally, families have talked about what the affects of these measures might
look like. Mixed emotions have been expressed as to how they would decide if
their daughter should be treated; anxiety around how they would cope with a
possibly very different caring role; and questions as to whether their daughter
would still be the same person as before treatment.
This project is
suitable for
Essential
Qualifications
Essential Skills
Additional Skills
Funding
Contact for further
information
This research seeks to articulate how families of girls with Rett syndrome are
responding to research suggesting that the symptoms of Rett syndrome might be
prevented or halted with advances in medical knowledge.
Honours
Masters
PhD
Bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, or other health-related area or
Postgrad qualifications in counselling
Knowledge of qualitative research
Ability to work as part of a team
Interest in genetic and population Health and the possible effects on social
wellbeing
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Professor Helen Leonard 0419956846
or hleonard@ichr.uwa.edu.au
56
Title of Project
Major Research
Theme
MECP2 duplication syndrome: a new cause of intellectual disability
Understanding Disability
Associated Research
Theme
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
The early years
Project Outline
This project is
suitable for
Essential
Qualifications
Essential Skills
2013 or 2014
Professor Helen Leonard (TICHR)
Alison Anderson (TICHR)
Jenny Downs (TICHR)
Ami Bebbington (TICHR)
Individuals who have two or more copies of the Methyl CpG Binding Protein 2
(MECP2) gene, located on the Xq28 chromosome, have been found to share a
distinct clinical phenotype known as MECP2 duplication syndrome. Loss or
mutation of the protein produced by this gene is associated with the rare disorder
Rett syndrome which mostly affects females and is well described in the
literature. By contrast, the clinical outcomes arising from excess dosage of MECP2
are less well understood and cases of MECP2 duplication reported to date are
predominantly male. The incidence and prevalence of the syndrome are totally
unknown, as there have been no population-based studies undertaken. The aim
of this project will be to use data collected at national and international levels and
to: estimate the birth prevalence of the disorder in Australia; describe the natural
history of MECP2 duplication syndrome and describe the natural history of
MECP2 duplication syndrome and investigate associations between the
phenotype and underlying genomic anomalies.
Honours
Masters
PhD
Bachelor’s degree in science, health science or other health-related area including
genetics
Computer skills
Basic statistical skills
Additional Skills
Interest in developmental disabilities
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Professor Helen Leonard 0419956846
or hleonard@ichr.uwa.edu.au
Contact for further
information
57
Title of Project
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
(and Department)
Other supervisors
(and department)
Project Outline
This project is
suitable for
Essential
qualifications
Essential skills
Additional Skills
Funding
Contact for further
information
Comparison of Parent-report and Medicare data in a longitudinal study
2013 or 2014
Professor Helen Leonard (TICHR)
Ami Bebbington (TICHR)
This project will compare data from Medicare to data submitted by parents and
carers of people with Rett syndrome to the Australian Rett syndrome Database.
The Australian Rett syndrome database is a database of initial and followup
questionnaires from a population-based study of people with Rett syndrome in
Australia born since 1976. In these questionnaires parents and carers were asked
to provide details on the health service use and medication used by their child
(person in care) during the study period. We have Medicare data from the
corresponding time frame. This could be expanded to a Masters by including a
comparison with similar data on Down syndrome.
Honours
Masters
PhD
Degree in health science, science(including mathematics), psychology or other
health-related area
Knowledge of statistical analysis/data management
Computer Competence
Ability to work as part of a team
Interest in population health and linked data
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Professor Helen Leonard
0419956946 or hleonard@ichr.uwa.edu.au
58
Title of Project
Process evaluation of lay booklets on recommended management for
scoliosis and gastrointestinal disorders in Rett syndrome
Key Research Area
Disability & developmental disorders
Research Group
Intellectual Disability Research Group
Start Date
January 2014
Chief Supervisor
Dr Jenny Downs (TICHR)
Other Supervisors
Professor Helen Leonard (TICHR)
Dr Alison Anderson (TICHR)
Ms Deirdre Croft (TICHR)
Project Outline
Rett syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder with severe disability,
usually caused by a mutation on the MECP2 gene. Rett syndrome occurs
rarely and as such, most clinicians have limited experience managing those
with Rett syndrome. To provide clinical guidance, the Rett Syndrome Study
Team has used consensus methods to develop recommendations for the
assessment and management of both scoliosis and gastrointestinal disorders.
Findings were published in the peer reviewed literature and then developed
into lay booklets as a reference for families. The scoliosis booklet was
disseminated in 2010 and has since been translated into Spanish, Danish and
Hungarian. The gastrointestinal booklet will be disseminated later in 2013.
This project will involve a process evaluation of the both booklets to
determine how the information has been received and translated into
everyday management.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in science, health science or other health-related area.
Essential Skills
Computer skills
Basic statistical skills
Additional Skills
Interest in developmental disabilities
Medical or health background
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Professor Helen Leonard
hleonard@ichr.uwa.edu.au
0419956946
Contact for further
information
59
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Online survey of sleep issues and their management in Rett syndrome
Disability & developmental disorders
Intellectual Disability Research Group
January 2014
Dr Jenny Downs (TICHR)
Professor Helen Leonard (TICHR)
Dr Alison Anderson (TICHR)
Dr Kingsley Wong (TICHR)
The InterRett International Rett Syndrome Phenotype Database was
established in 2002 and contains data from clinicians managing Rett
syndrome and from families with children with this condition worldwide. A
large proportion of girls and women with Rett syndrome experience
dysfunctional sleep including night waking, screaming and laughing with
considerable burden for those affected and their families. There is little
known about the management of sleep problems in Rett syndrome. This
project will involve consulting with families with a child with Rett syndrome,
clinical experts and the literature to develop a questionnaire to explore
problems with sleep and their management in children with Rett syndrome.
The questionnaire will then be administered online to InterRett families
(n>1000) to collect information about these issues and their management.
This project could be extended to a PhD by an additional study monitoring
sleep disturbance in the Australian Rett syndrome cohort and possibly
evaluating an intervention.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in science, health science or other health-related area.
Essential Skills
Computer skills
Basic statistical skills
Additional Skills
Interest in developmental disabilities
Medical or health background
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Professor Helen Leonard
hleonard@ichr.uwa.edu.au
0419956946
Contact for further
information
60
Title of Project
Major Research
Theme
Associated Research
Theme
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
This project is
suitable for
Essential
Qualifications
Essential Skills
Socio-economic differences and parental satisfaction with services for children
with disability
Understanding Disability
Social and emotional wellbeing
2013 or 2014
Dr Sonya Girdler (Curtin)
Professor Helen Leonard (TICHR)
Jenny Bourke (TICHR)
This project will explore the impact of socio-economic factors on parental
satisfaction with services for people with Rett syndrome and Down syndrome.
Parents of children with Rett syndrome have participated in the Australian Rett
syndrome database, a longitudinal study that has operated since 2000. Since
2002, we have collected information on parental satisfaction with medical
services (MPOC), therapy services, provision of special equipment, respite, and
education services. Information about these aspects has also been collected in
the two waves of the Down syndrome NOW questionnaire. Information on a
range of socio-economic factors such as parental income, work status,
occupational skill level and location (SEIFA and ARIA) are also available. This
project will use information from the two data collections to determine if there is
any relationship between satisfaction and socio-economic status and whether
that differs for the two conditions.
Honours
Masters
PhD
Bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy, social work, psychology, health science
or other health-related area
Basic statistical skills
Additional Skills
Interest in developmental disabilities
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Professor Helen Leonard 0419956846
or hleonard@ichr.uwa.edu.au
Contact for further
information
61
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Longitudinal analysis of behaviour in Rett syndrome
Disability & developmental disorders
Intellectual Disability Research Group
January 2014
Dr Jenny Downs (TICHR)
Professor Helen Leonard (TICHR)
Dr Geoffrey Hammond (TICHR)
Project Outline
The Australian Rett Syndrome Database was established in 1993 and has
since collected data longitudinally on medical conditions, functional abilities
and family factors for the population of girls and women with Rett syndrome
in Australia. Behaviour is measured with the Rett Syndrome Behaviour
Questionnaire, the only measure currently available for Rett syndrome.
However, some of the items relate to physiological rather than psychological
function and its validity is uncertain. Using the large and longitudinal data
collection in the Australian Rett Syndrome Database, this project will
investigate the value of each of the items, potentially adjust the scale and
assess its new measurement properties. Using the longitudinal data, this
study will then analyse the longitudinal trajectory of behaviour in Rett
syndrome.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in science, health science or other health-related area.
Essential Skills
Computer skills
Basic statistical skills
Additional Skills
Interest in developmental disabilities
Medical or health background
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Professor Helen Leonard
hleonard@ichr.uwa.edu.au
0419956946
Contact for further
information
62
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Development of an environmental stimulation measure for Rett syndrome
Disability & developmental disorders
Intellectual Disability Research Group
January 2014
Dr Jenny Downs (TICHR)
Professor Helen Leonard (TICHR)
Mr Peter Jacoby (TICHR)
Project Outline
Rett syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder with severe disability that is
usually caused by a mutation on the MECP2 gene. There are difficulties
performing daily tasks in relation to communication, gross motor and hand
function, and feeding skills. We know very little about the effects of
environmental stimulation on the development and maintenance of skills in
Rett syndrome. Data from multiple sources will be integrated to develop an
environmental enrichment scale including the literature, and video of
functional abilities and questionnaire data already collected by the Australian
Rett Syndrome Study. This project will also involve conducting interviews with
parents who have a daughter with Rett syndrome and experienced therapists
to identify additional items that could be included in the scale. Initial content
validation and reliability testing will be conducted.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in science, health science or other health-related area.
Essential Skills
Computer skills
Basic statistical skills
Additional Skills
Interest in developmental disabilities
Medical or health background
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Professor Helen Leonard
hleonard@ichr.uwa.edu.au
0419956946
Contact for further
information
63
Title of Project
Key Research Area
The quality and quantity of post-school activities for young people with
Down syndrome prior to the NDIS
Disability & developmental disorders
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Intellectual Disability Research Group
January 2014
Professor Helen Leonard (TICHR)
Ms Jenny Bourke (TICHR)
Ms Ami Bebbington (TICHR)
Ms Deirdre Croft (TICHR)
Project Outline
This project will use data collected in 2009 and 2011 as part of an ARC
project investigating the experiences of young people with Down syndrome
and their families as they transition from school to adulthood. The transition
from a structured and regulated environment at school to activities
undertaken post-school can have a chaotic effect on families. Describing the
full range of post-school activities, whether employment based, further
learning or recreational, will be based on a “weekly diary” provided by
parents in 2011. The influence of environmental factors such as support
services on the accomplishment of their daily activities (as reported by
parents in 2011) will be investigated. This study will provide information on
the effect of disability support services prior to implementation of the NDIS.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Degree in health science, science, psychology or other health-related area
Essential Skills
Knowledge of statistical analysis/ data management
Computer competence
Ability to work as part of a team
Additional Skills
Interest in developmental disabilities and service provision
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Professor Helen Leonard/ Jenny Bourke
information
hleonard@ichr.uwa.edu.au / jennyb@ichr.uwa.edu.au
0419956946 / 0419903834
64
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Assisted reproductive technology and cerebral palsy
Disability & developmental disorders
Developmental Disorders Research Group
Immediate start possible
Dr Michele Hansen (TICHR)
Professor Carol Bower (TICHR), A/Prof Eve Blair (TICHR)
Western Australia is the only Australian state, and one of very few places in
the world, with a statutory Reproductive Technology Register (RTR). This
Register contains information on all assisted reproductive technology (ART)
procedures undertaken in WA since April 1993. These data can be linked to
the Midwives’ Notification of Birth System (MNS) in order to identify all ART
and non-ART births in the state and to the other health registers in order to
assess a range of health outcomes beyond the immediate birth episode.
This project involves analysis of a linked dataset incorporating information
from the RTR, MNS and the Western Australian Register of Developmental
Anomalies (WARDA) providing information on all ART and non-ART births in
WA during the time period 1994-2002, and further information about any
children diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
The project will examine the prevalence of cerebral palsy in ART and non-ART
infants. We have detailed information about the cerebral palsy diagnosis,
severity and whether there are other co-existing conditions, including birth
defects. Recent reports in the literature have had conflicting results about
whether the increased risk of cerebral palsy observed in ART infants remains
after adjustment for multiple births and preterm birth. We will address this
issue with these data.
This project would be suitable for an honour’s thesis or the thesis component
of a Master of Public Health degree
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in science or health science; or eligibility to enrol for
Honours
Essential Skills
Knowledge of statistical techniques/ multivariate analyses, experience in
using SPSS, data management skills.
Good written and verbal communication skills.
Background knowledge in epidemiology, biostatistics and public health
Additional Skills
Experience in the analyses of linked datasets would be advantageous but not
essential. Background knowledge in reproductive technology and cerebral
palsy also advantageous but not essential.
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Dr Michele Hansen
information
michele@ichr.uwa.edu.au
9489 7771
65
Title of Project
The cost of childhood intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder
without intellectual disability in Western Australia: A cost-of-illness study
Key Research Area
Disability & developmental disorders
Research Group
Developmental Pathways Project
Start Date
August 2013
Chief Supervisor
Professor Helen Leonard (TICHR)
Other Supervisors
Professor Elizabeth Geelhoed (School of Population Health, UWA), Dr Rebecca
Glauert (TICHR)
Project Outline
The aim of the study is to examine the burden and cost estimates of
childhood intellectual disability in Western Australia using linked populationbased data. A subproject on the Developmental Pathways in WA Children
Project (DPP), this project will be able to link data sources including health,
education, community and disability, and judicial services. This will enable
the quantification of costs of care attributed to intellectual disability as well
as the contribution of childhood disability to education, child maltreatment
and juvenile justice for example. Ultimately informing the prioritisation of
interventions, policies and the necessary allocation of resources to service
this special population.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications For PhD candidates: a minimum of 2A Honours degree or a Masters degree in
a related field.
Essential Skills
Background knowledge in relevant areas, such as developmental health,
psychology, disability, health economics, medical sociology/anthropology,
social epidemiology and population health. Knowledge of quantitative data
analyses.
Additional Skills
Experience in the analyses of linked datasets would be advantageous but not
essential.
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Dr Rebecca Glauert
information
rglauert@ichr.uwa.edu.au
9489 7754
66
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
The International CDKL5 Disorder database – Follow-up study and
governance
Datasets & cohort studies
Disability & developmental disorders
Intellectual Disability Research Group
March 2013
Professor Helen Leonard (TICHR)
Dr Jenny Downs (TICHR)
The CDKL5 disorder is caused by mutations within the Cyclin-dependent
Kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) gene. Key clinical features include seizure onset in the
majority before 3 months of age, global developmental delay and impaired
gross motor abilities, gastrointestinal and sleep issues, impaired muscle tone
and bruxism.
The International CDKL5 Disorder Database was established in 2012 in
collaboration with the International Foundation for CDKL5 Research to
further develop our understanding of the clinical features of this disorder. The
database aims to collect information from families and clinicians on
individuals with the CDKL5 disorder. It also aims to become a resource so that
researchers from across the world can conduct meaningful and collaborative
research into the CDKL5 disorder.
The aim of this project is to design and implement the governance required
for this database. You will also be involved in designing the first family followup questionnaire and continue collaborations with the CDKL5 centres of
Excellence in the USA to collect clinician data.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Honour’s degree in health science, science, psychology or other healthrelated area. Students with Honors in Law also qualified to apply.
Essential Skills
Knowledge of statistical analysis
Computer competence
Ability to work as part of a team
Passionate about collaboration
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Stephanie Fehr
information
sfehr@ichr.uwa.edu.au
94897782
67
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Understanding the CDKL5 Disorder and its impact on families
Disability & developmental disorders
Intellectual Disability Research Group
March 2013
Dr Jenny Downs (TICHR)
Ms Stephanie Fehr (TICHR)
Professor Helen Leonard (TICHR)
Mutations within the Cyclin-dependent Kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) gene have been
identified in children and adults who have been diagnosed clinically with a
multitude of conditions and disorders, including West syndrome, X-linked
Infantile Spasms syndrome, epileptic encephalopathy and the early-onset
seizure variant of RTT. However through research conducted at the Telethon
Institute for Child Health Research this disorder is now known as the CDKL5
Disorder.
Key clinical features include seizure onset in the majority before 3 months of
age, global developmental delay and impaired gross motor abilities,
gastrointestinal and sleep issues, impaired muscle tone and bruxism.
In 2012 the International CDKL5 Disorder database was established at the
Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in collaboration with the
International Foundation for CDKL5 Research. This database was the first to
start collecting information from families at an international level and aims to
help in further defining the clinical features and family impact of this disorder.
The aim of this project is to further examine the clinical presentation of
individuals with the CDKL5 disorder and investigate the impact that this
disorder has on family functioning.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in science, health science or other health-related area
including genetics.
Essential Skills
Computer skills
Basic statistical skills
Additional Skills
Interest in intellectual disabilities or rare disorders
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Stephanie Fehr
information
sfehr@ichr.uwa.edu.au
94897782
68
ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACTS ON HEALTH
(NO PROJECTS IN 2014)
GENETIC IMPACTS ON
HEALTH
(NO PROJECTS IN 2014)
INFECTIOUS DISEASE
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Determining the pathogen specific risk of infection in a birth cohort by data
linkage
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases
February 2014
Dr Claire Waddington (TICHR)
Dr Tom Snelling (TICHR)
Both enteric (gut) and bloodstream infection are frequent cause of ill health
in children and young adults and causes a significant number of deaths
worldwide. This project will examine which pathogens are responsible for
these infections in children in WA, who are most at risk, and what predicts
the outcome.
Patients presenting to WA’s health care facilities with a pathogen in their
stool or blood will be identified. Using data linkage, a process by which
information stored on public records is brought together, data on pathogens
will be linked to patient data. This will allow us to identify the patient’s age,
Aboriginal status, postcode, main diagnosis, other illnesses, and what
happened to the patient as a result of the infection. WA covers a vast
geographical area of 2.5 million km2, and has a population of 2.5 million of
whom an estimated 3% are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This
will allow comparisons between different geographical and climatic regions in
the state, with postcode data of the place of admission used to categorise
populations into both metropolitan, rural and remote regions, as well as
climatic regions (arid, tropical and temperate). Similarly, patients will be
classified by Aboriginal status and comparisons made as to how common gut
infections are, and what the main pathogens are. Using these data,
opportunities for prevention, such as vaccination will be identified.
Students will gain skills in data linkage, biostatistics and epidemiology
relevant to infectious diseases and public health.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications A minimum of 2A Honours degree in a related field for masters applicants
Essential Skills
Background knowledge of public health, infectious disease or biostatistics
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Claire Waddington
information
cwaddington@ichr.uwa.edu.au
(08) 9489 7848
72
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Health economic analysis of the of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic
heart disease in Australia
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases
January 2014
Dr Claire Waddington (TICHR)
Professor Jonathan Carapetis (TICHR)
Mr Jeffrey Cannon (TICHR)
Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is a complication of infection with the bacteria
Group A Streptococcus (GAS) that leads to heart damage (rheumatic heart
disease; RHD). Worldwide, at least 15.6 million people suffer with RHD, and
233,000 people die annually. RHD occurs almost exclusively in resource-poor
settings, including in the Aboriginal populations of Australia who experience
rates of RHD that are amongst the highest in the world.
The majority of RHD is the result of recurrent GAS infection in patients who
have already had ARF. This recurrent infection can be prevented by penicillin
treatment, but this requires painful monthly injections that are logistically
difficult and expensive to provide. As a result most patients at risk of RHD do
not receive adequate penicillin, and patients continue to suffer with, and die
of, preventable heart disease. Our team are developing long-acting penicillin
preparations that will provide a practical, less painful method of treatment
compared to monthly injection for the prevention of RHD. Additionally we are
persuing vaccines agains GAS for the prevention of ARF.
This project will focus on the health economic appraisal of the burden of ARF
and RHD in Austrlaia and modelling of the economic impact of long acting
penicillin and GAS vaccines. This work will support the implementation of
these two interventions and hence the control of ARF and RHD in Australia.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications A minimum of 2A Honours degree in a related field for masters applicants
Essential Skills
Background knowledge of biostatistics or economics
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Claire Waddington
information
cwaddington@ichr.uwa.edu.au
(08) 9489 7848
73
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Understanding client needs in rheumatic heart disease control
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases
February 2014
Dr Claire Waddington (TICHR)
Professor Jonathan Carapetis (TICHR)
Mr David Hendrickx (TICHR)
Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is a complication of infection with the bacteria
Group A Streptococcus (GAS) that leads to heart damage (rheumatic heart
disease; RHD). Worldwide, at least 15.6 million people suffer with RHD, and
233,000 people die annually. RHD occurs almost exclusively in resource-poor
settings, including in the Aboriginal populations of Australia who experience
rates of RHD that are amongst the highest in the world.
The majority of RHD is the result of recurrent GAS infection in patients who
have already had ARF. This recurrent infection can be prevented by penicillin
treatment, but this requires painful monthly injections that are logistically
difficult and expensive to provide. As a result most patients at risk of RHD do
not receive adequate penicillin, and patients continue to suffer with, and die
of, preventable heart disease. Our team are developing long-acting penicillin
preparations that will provide a practical, less painful method of treatment
compared to monthly injection for the prevention of RHD. Additionally we are
persuing vaccines agains GAS for the prevention of ARF.
This particular research project will focus on determining the acceptability
and practical processes required for the successful implementation of these
new treatment technologies. A mix of research methods, ranging from indepth interviews to surveys, will be applied to improve our understanding of
the patient’s needs in rheumatic heart disease control, as well as their
attitudes towards the proposed treatment methods. This study will be an
essential step in ensuring the overall effectiveness of the newly developed
treatment regimens. Students will learn skills in qualitative research and gain
experiences in the fields of public health, infectious diseases and consumer
and community participation.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications A minimum of 2A Honours degree in a related field for masters applicants
Essential Skills
Background knowledge of public health, vaccinology or qualitative research
methods
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Claire Waddington
information
cwaddington@ichr.uwa.edu.au
(08) 9489 7848
74
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Understanding the reasons for under-vaccination of infants in WA
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases
February 2014
Dr Claire Waddington (TICHR)
Dr Tom Snelling (TICHR)
Western Australia (WA) has the lowest rates of infant vaccination for any
state in Australia, according to data from the Australian Childhood
Immunisation Register (ACIR). Vaccine uptake in WA exhibits considerable
variability between different regions of the state, and is particularly low in
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Current ACIR data does not
address the issue of timeliness of vaccination, nor does it appraise uptake for
all recommended vaccines, meaning that the true rates of age-appropriate
vaccination is lower that then figures suggest. Reasons for under-vaccination
of infants are likely to differ between socio-economic and geographic groups,
but are not known for WA. The knowledge of health care professionals
providing vaccinations is important in vaccine delivery but has not been
assessed in WA. Attendance of children at secondary and tertiary level
paediatric services may allow opportunistic ‘catch up’ vaccination of undervaccinated children, but the practicality of this has not been assessed for WA.
This project or projects will focus around 3 specific research projects:
1. A case-control, computer-assisted telephone interview study of
children in a birth cohort in WA will be conducted to ascertain
reasons for non-vaccination and under-vaccination in geographic
regions identified as having low vaccination rates
2. A postal questionnaire study assessing the knowledge of vaccinators
in the state will be conducted
3. Children recorded on the EDIS database for children attending
emergency care departments in the state will be assessed for vaccine
completeness by checking their details on the ACIR database.
Vaccine completeness will also be assessed for children attending
any PMH service, and parents of children who are non-vaccinated or
under-vaccinations will be asked to complete a questionnaire
assessing reasons for non-vaccination and willingness to receive
catch-up vaccination at PMH
The results of this research will be used to identify interventions to increase
vaccine uptake. Students will gain skills in qualitative research methods,
vaccinology and public health.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications A minimum of 2A Honours degree in a related field for masters applicants
Essential Skills
Background knowledge of public health, vaccinology or qualitative research
methods
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Claire Waddington
information
cwaddington@ichr.uwa.edu.au
(08) 9489 7848
75
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
The relationship between clinical markers and the regulation of
immunological pathways in acute HIV infection in Africans
Infectious disease
UWA School of Paediatrics and Child Health (SPACH)
Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM)
March 2013
Professor Peter Le Souëf (SPACH)
Dr Holly Clifford (TICHR)
A/Professor Denise Naniche (CRESIB)
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a major global public health
problem as one of the most devastating infectious diseases to have emerged
in recent history. Sub-Saharan Africa carries the highest burden of HIV and
HIV-related mortality in the world, with the virus responsible for
approximately 1.2 million fatalities in the region each year.
In this study, acute cases of HIV presenting to a clinic in southern
Mozambique with self-reported fever will be studied. Acute HIV is infection is
common in this part of Africa, allowing prospectively larger numbers of cases
to be studied at earlier stages of disease. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells
(PBMCs) from forty patients with confirmed acute HIV, and forty uninfected
controls, will undergo whole-genome microarray analysis.
Gene expression results will be compared to a panel of potential HIV
biomarkers in blood and stool samples taken from these patients at baseline
presentation, and at one-month follow-up. It is hypothesised that a set of
host genes expressed during early HIV infection will corroborate findings of
protein-based biomarkers of early HIV, and reveal other potential candidates
useful in identifying HIV infection in the acute phase.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
Essential Qualifications
Essential Skills
Additional Skills
Interest in developing world medicine and public health
Interest in laboratory work and genetics
Competency in Portuguese useful though not essential
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Erica Parker
information
ericaparker01@gmail.com
76
PhD
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Cellular immune responses to infection and vaccination in otitis-prone
children
Infectious disease
Vaccine Trials Group
Early 2014
Dr Lea-Ann Kirkham (SPACH/TICHR)
Dr Ruth Thornton (SPACH/TICHR), Dr Peter Richmond (SPACH/TICHR/PMH)
Middle ear infections (OM) are the most common reason for GP visits,
antibiotic prescriptions, and surgical procedures for children in Australia. Over
80% of children will have one ear infection by the age of 3 years and over 1/3
will have recurring OM, placing a significant burden on healthcare systems.
OM can result in hearing loss, which has a major effect on speech
development and school performance. Australian Indigenous children have
the highest rates of OM in the world, which the World Health Organization
has identified as “a massive public health problem requiring urgent
attention”. There is currently no vaccine that provides adequate protection
against recurrent OM. We are investigating the immune system of children
with recurrent OM and how they respond to bacterial infection/vaccination in
order to develop improved therapies including new OM vaccines.
Normally, when the immune system encounters a foreign particle, either
through infection or vaccination, memory cells are produced which are
important for lasting immunity. We do not know whether otitis-prone
children form memory cells upon vaccination but there is evidence that
memory cell responses to bacterial proteins are dysfunctional in otitis-prone
children. We believe that understanding the cellular immune response to
bacteria and vaccination holds the key to preventing OM. We propose that
immune cells from otitis-prone children will be less able to respond to and kill
bacteria that cause OM in comparison to immune cells from healthy children.
This project will involve using established and novel immunoassays to
measure and compare immune cell memory and bacterial killing capacity in
stored immune cells isolated from the blood of otitis-prone and healthy
children. This will determine whether otitis-prone children form immune
memory to infection or vaccination (Aim 1) and whether immune cells from
otitis-prone children are deficient in their ability to kill the bacteria that cause
ear infections (Aim 2).
This study challenges the current paradigm for understanding the
pathogenesis of OM and will guide treatment and prevention strategies,
including better vaccines that boost cellular immunity, to reduce the burden
of OM.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Honours or Masters degree in relevant field e.g. immunology, microbiology
Essential Skills
Basic laboratory skills, Aseptic handling techniques
Additional Skills
Preferred but not required: Cell culture, PBMC stimulation, bioplex
immunoassays, microbial culture
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Dr Lea-Ann Kirkham
information
lea-ann.kirkham@uwa.edu.au
9340 7907
77
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Investigating antimicrobial peptide responses in children with otitis media
Infectious disease
Vaccine Trials Group
ASAP
Dr Lea-Ann Kirkham (SPACH/TICHR)
Dr Andrew Currie (Murdoch University/SPACH), Professor Peter Richmond
(SPACH/TICHR/PMH)
Otitis media (OM) is a common childhood disease in which pathogens
transcend the eustachian tube and infect the middle ear. Fluid accumulates
behind the ear drum causing painful bulging and inflammation. Recurrent OM
episodes can result in hearing loss and if left untreated the ear drum can
rupture. OM is responsible for the greatest number of GP visits, antibiotic
prescriptions, and surgical procedures for children in industrialised countries.
Our research group is currently investigating adaptive and innate immune
responses in children with recurrent OM and comparing this with healthy
children to determine whether immune deficiencies correlate with OM
susceptibility.
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are produced in microgram quantities by a
range of cell types and are among the most ancient innate defence systems of
the animal kingdom. The role of AMPs in preventing infection in humans is
not well understood but there are suggestions that AMPs can kill the bacteria
that cause OM. In this project, the candidate will use a range of cellular,
molecular, microbiological and immunological methods on primary samples
from children with and without recurrent ear infections to examine how the
human AMP system protects against infection and whether this is impaired in
children with recurrent OM. This represents an exciting new area of human
immunology/infection research with ramifications for preventing infectious
diseases. There is potential to develop this project into a higher degree.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
Essential Qualifications Undergraduate degree in relevant field e.g. biological/medical sciences
including immunology, microbiology
Essential Skills
Basic laboratory skills
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Dr Lea-Ann Kirkham
information
lea-ann.kirkham@uwa.edu.au
9340 7907
78
PhD
Title of Project
Metabolomics to characterize host-pathogen interactions in bacterial
infections
Key Research Area
Infectious disease
Research Group
Genetic and Health
Start Date
January 2014
Chief Supervisor
Dr Saskia Decuypere (TICHR)
Other Supervisors
Co-ordinating supervisor: Professor Jenefer Blackwell (TICHR)
Co-supervisor: Garth Maker (Murdoch University)
Project Outline
Improving control of infectious diseases is all too often hampered by a lack of
understanding of pathogenesis and underlying host-pathogen interactions.
While hypothesis-driven research previously generated fragmented
knowledge on the nature of infections, the technology-driven 'omics'
disciplines can provide a holistic insight into host/pathogen interactions.
Metabolomics offers the possibility to illustrate the ongoing metabolism of a
cell, and can show us what is happening at the cellular interface where host
and pathogens meet and interact. These fundamental insights are in turn
excellent starting points for applied metabolomics research that seeks to
discover biomarkers of disease. Our metabolomics research focuses on
infectious diseases in Australia. This study will mostly focus on melioidosis,
which is an emerging climate-sensitive infectious disease that mainly affects
and kills those suffering from diabetes or health problems ensuing from poor
socio-economic status.
The following specific objectives will be pursued: (i) optimisation of
metabolomics methodology to study bacterial infections in in vitro models,
and (ii) characterisation of in vitro models for melioidosis with non-targeted
metabolomics to improve our understanding of the interaction between host
and bacterium, and to assess host-bacterium interaction dynamics during
infection progression and treatment.
The results are expected to provide insights on the metabolic basis of the
relation between diabetes and melioidosis, but will also advance the
identification of metabolite biomarkers suitable for (i) identifying melioidosis
in diabetic and non-diabetic patients and (ii) monitoring therapeutic
response. The metabolite biomarkers could lead to the development of pointof-care diagnostics, which are urgently needed to improve the clinical
management of melioidosis.
Student projects will involve cell culture, metabolite extraction from cultured
cells, chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, bioinformatics and
multivariate statistical analyses of collected mass spectrometry data.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications For Honours Project – eligibility to enrol
Masters – enrolment in relevant Masters course
For PhD – 1st or upper 2nd class BSc in relevant subject, or MSc with distinction
Essential Skills
Understanding of metabolism and biology of infectious diseases, computer
competence, competence at the laboratory bench, ability to work in
interdisciplinary research, willingness to learn, good communication skills.
Additional Skills
Keen interest in bioinformatics, biostatistics and infectious disease diagnosis
and control.
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Saskia Decuypere
information
sdecuypere@ichr.uwa.edu.au
Telephone – 089489 7886
79
MENTAL HEALTH
(NO PROJECTS IN 2014)
PREGNANCY AND
MATERNAL HEALTH
(NO PROJECTS IN 2014)
PRINCESS MARGARET
HOSPITAL
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Obesity: The mechanics of lung function impairment and risks related to
Perioperative Respiratory Adverse events (PRAE)
Princess Margaret Hospital for Children (PMH)
Asthma, allergy and respiratory disorders
Paediatric Physiology at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
Flexible
Professor Graham Hall (TICHR)
Professor Britta Regli-Von Ungern-Sternberg, Dr Anoop Ramgolam
Obesity concerns about 25% of children in Australia today. It has been
demonstrated to impair respiratory mechanics and reduce lung function.
Additionally the latter are also impaired during surgery due to anaesthetic
agents and the supine position. Obese/overweight children undergoing
surgery might thus be at a higher risk of having a Perioperative Respiratory
Adverse Event (PRAE).
The aim of this study is thus to assess how obesity coupled to surgical
conditions affect the occurrence of PRAE and therefore devise prevention
strategies to be used by the hospital during surgical procedures.
• Children with a BMI≤25 and children with a BMI≥25 undergoing elective
surgery under general anaesthesia will have to be recruited for this study.
• After a pre-anaesthetic assessment prior to surgery, the children will
perform lung function and respiratory mechanic testing in the sitting and
supine positions and these measurements will be repeated in theatre
following the induction phase of anaesthesia.
• Multiple Breath Washout (MBW) will be used to assess the Functional
Residual Capacity (FRC, which is the volume of air in the lung after a
normal passive expiration) and derive the Lung Clearance Index (LCI)
which is a measure of ventilation distribution.
• Forced Oscillation Technique (FOT) will be used to study the mechanical
impedance of the respiratory system and extract the total respiratory
resistance and reactance in line with international guidelines.
Coupled with additional research in this area this project could be extended
beyond a Honours or Masters project to be suitable for a PhD
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Physiology/human biology and/or
Biomedical instrumentation/techniques
A valid working with children check is compulsory
Essential Skills
Excellent and proven communication skills
Ability to work with children and parents
Team attitude
Additional Skills
Ability to manage potentially stressful situations
Interest in signal/data processing/management and troubleshooting
Curious mind
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship may be available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Professor Graham Hall – grahamh@ichr.uwa.edu.au
information
83
SCHOOL OF
PAEDIATRICS AND
CHILD HEALTH
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Are genome-wide DNA methylation profiles associated with asthma and
allergy in children exposed to a “Western” environment?
UWA School of Paediatrics and Child Health (SPACH)
Gene and environment interaction on asthma and allergy
January 2014
A/Professor Guicheng Zhang (SPACH)
Professor Peter Le Souëf (SPACH), Professor Jack Goldblatt (SPACH), Dr
Belinda Hales (TICHR), Dr Phil Stumbles (TICHR)
Australian Born Chinese (ABC) children have a significant prevalence of
asthma and allergy to the same level as, or even higher than the local
population. This prevalence of asthma and allergy in ABC children is related
to the Chinese immigrant families assimilating Western diets and lifestyles
and being exposed to new indoor and outdoor environments after moving
from China (an asthma low-risk environment) to Australia (an asthma highrisk region.)
Methylation, which is an environmentally induced epigenetic code, has
essential roles in cellular processes including genome regulation,
development and disease.
We, therefore, hypothesize that “Western”
environmental influences have altered methylation profiles in ABC Children
and this is the mechanism by which allergy and asthma have increased in
countries like Australia in the past several decades.
In the present study, we aim to identify signatures of DNA methylation in ABC
children to elucidate the aetiology of asthma and allergy. We will investigate
genome-wide DNA methylation profiles in 50 ABC children in Perth and these
profiles will be compared with 50 China Born Chinese (CBC) children in China,
For ABC and CBC children, dietary patterns and exposure to indoor allergens
and endotoxin will also be investigated in order to ascertain environmental
risk factors in the “Western” environment, potentially to develop effective
preventive measures for asthma and allergy.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Honours
Essential Skills
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
A/Professor Guicheng Zhang
information
Guicheng.zhang@uwa.edu.au
93407906
85
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Infant nutrition
UWA School of Paediatrics and Child Health (SPACH)
Centre for Neonatal Research and Education – Nutrition Group
Semester one or two 2014
W/Professor Karen Simmer
Adj Senior Lecturer Ben Hartmann
This $6,000 scholarship is funded by the Raine Foundation and is for a
student undertaking Honours in the area of infant nutrition, with potential
emphasis on human milk banking. Research will be undertaken in the Faculty
of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Science, most likely at the King Edward
Memorial Hospital node although this will be determined by the needs of the
project. Students may start mid-year.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications Eligibility for Honours as determined by the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry
and Health Science at UWA.
Essential Skills
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Ms Diane Arnott
information
Diane.arnott@uwa.edu.au
9340 1208
86
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Mechanims of acute asthma and viral respiratory illness in children
UWA School of Paediatrics and Child Health (SPACH)
SPACH Asthma Genetics Research Group
March 2013
Ass/Professor Ingrid Laing (SPACH/TICHR)
Dr Joelene Bizzintino (SPACH/TICHR), Dr Guicheng Zhang (SPACH/Curtin),
Professor Peter Le Souëf (SPACH), Professor Jack Goldblatt (Director, Genetic
Services of WA),
Project Outline
Asthma and respiratory illnesses are the most common reason for children to
need emergency medical treatment in Western Australia. We have recruited
and studied 500 children during their attack and when they have recovered.
We have studied the aetiology of this illness, particularly in the area’s of
genetics, respiratory viruses, immunology and treatment, finding differences
between children having asthma attacks and healthy children in each of these
area’s. Further research is being conducted on each of these aspects of the
study. Positions for students are available depending on their area of interest
and prior studies. Each project would use a variety of laboratory techniques
to further the applicants’ laboratory skills. Students may also assist our team
with recruitment and follow-up of study children, including sample
processing.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications BSc.
Essential Skills
Good communication & team participation skills, some laboratory experience
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Dr Ingrid Laing
information
Email ingrid@ichr.uwa.edu.au
Telephone 0405 352 952
87
Title of Project
Key Research Area
Research Group
Start Date
Chief Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Project Outline
Food allergy: Pathways to very early sensitization
UWA School of Paediatrics and Child Health (SPACH)
Childhood Allergy and Immunology Research (CAIR)
March 2014
Professor Susan Prescott (SPACH)
A/Prof Debbie Palmer (SPACH)
A/Prof Deborah Strickland (TICHR)
Asst/Prof Paul Noakes (SPACH)
Food allergy has recently emerged as a substantial public health issue and is
now a recognised area of need. Australian pre-schoolers have experienced a
5-fold increase in food anaphylaxis over just 10 years, and now >20% of 1 yrold infants are sensitized to foods and >10% have clinical food allergy. To
date, there is very little known about the mechanisms involved in achieving
oral tolerance induction and how this can be harnessed for better treatment
and prevention of food allergy.
This project will investigate the role of very early allergen exposure on the
development of clinical tolerance or sensitisation. Specifically, the project will
focus on the neonatal period i.e. cord blood (reflecting in utero events), to
examine the very early initiation (and consolidation) of immune responses.
The projects methods would likely include cryopreservation, immunophenotyping and cell culture as well as statistical analysis. Students may also
assist our team with recruitment and follow‐up of study children, including
sample processing.
Project suitable for
Honours
Masters
PhD
Essential Qualifications BSc.
Essential Skills
Good communication & team participation skills; some laboratory experience.
Additional Skills
Funding
Applicant should apply for APA, UPA or other scholarship
Top-up scholarship available
Full scholarship available
Contact for further
Name: Dr Paul Noakes
information
Email: paul.noakes@uwa.edu.au
Telephone: 9340 7054
88
TELETHON INSTITUTE FOR CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH
Proudly supported by the people of Western Australia through Channel 7
100 Roberts Road, Subiaco Western Australia 6008
PO Box 855, West Perth Western Australia 6872
Telephone 08 9489 7777
Facsimile 08 9489 7700
www.childhealthresearch.org.au
ABN 86 009 278 755
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