uni of melbourne - medical extract

8/16/2019 Uni of Melbourne - Medical Extract

1/6

Think biomedicine is just research?New directions in this exciting field aim tospeed up the process of taking the resultsof research from the bench to the bedside,providing opportunities to help alleviate someof the biggest health problems of our age.

to bedside

HEALTH & WELLBEING

P e t e r C a s a m e n t o


2/6

A

ustralia already punches well above its weight inbiomedical research, producing 3% of the world’s

research with only 0.3% of the population. Whathappens with the results of that research is now being put

under the microscope.“In some ways, the field is experiencing a golden age,”

Australia’s Chief Scientist, Professor Ian Chubb, said in a

keynote address at the BioBreakfast in Melbourne in April 2012.“The amount of basic research being conducted is sky high andbudgets are far larger than they were in the 1980s or ’90s.”

Now, Prof. Chubb says, the emphasis has to be on

‘translational research’, an area of research that has only comeonto the scene in the last decade or so. It is used to find ways totranslate research findings into practice more quickly.

“My favourite description is ‘the bridge across the valleyof death’ where on one side of a great divide, you havedoctors and medical practitioners, and on the other are thebasic researchers… there is a gap between basic research

and clinical applications, and it is to the detriment of ourhealthcare options. We need some sort of link to facilitate apathway from discovery to health,” says Prof. Chubb.

Australia’s international reputation in biomedicine bui lds

on historic breakthroughs that have improved the healthand quality of life of people around the world. These includethe creation of the bionic ear and establishing the ability to

purify and clone three of the major regulators of blood cellformation.

While the amount of fundamental discovery is staggeringand medical journals are choked with quality science, Prof.

Chubb says that research advances have not led to a markedincrease in new cures.

“Much of what we now use to treat many common

ailments is based on research from years ago,” he says.“Two examples come to mind – depression and obesity.

Depression is the second highest cause of disability. Suicide,which is mostly a consequence of depression, is the eleventh

overall cause of death and the third cause of death in theage group of 15 to 24 years.”

D . V .

S h e l u d k o ,

A . J .

M c C u l l o c h a n d R .

S c h o l t e n

Physics is playing a significantrole in the development ofnew drugs, with a new sourceof very cold electrons that willimprove the quality and speed

of nano-imaging for drug andmaterials development to atrillionth of a second.

Better visibility of the structureof a cell membrane proteinand how it functions will assistin more targeted drug design,explains Associate ProfessorRobert Scholten from the Centreof Excellence for Coherent X-ray

Science (CXS), which has itsheadquarters at the University ofMelbourne.

The team led by Prof. Scholtenused lasers to cool atoms to a

few millionths of a degree aboveabsolute zero and then to extract abeam of extremely cold electrons.

Using new technology, theywere able to create beams incomplex shapes, and because theelectrons are so very cold (about10 degrees above absolute zero)the beam retains that shape,rather than exploding as it would

for a conventional hot electronsource.

Depending on the target, nano-imaging using electron microscopywith conventional hot electron

sources can take several minutesto several hours and the resultingimage is not very clear.

“With cold electrons and ournew technology, we will be ableto take a snapshot of the wholesample with atomic resolutionand to reduce the imaging timeto a trillionth of a second,” Prof.Scholten says.

Physics takes a cold approach

This bat-shaped bunch of electrons,propagated through space, willnot lose

its shape because the electrons are so cold.

HEALTH & WELLBEING


3/6

» Ritu Chaurasia

» Bachelor of Biomedicine

Ritu’s love of science and humanbiology was were the major factors

that led her to study at the University

of Melbourne.

“I knew I loved science, in particular

human biology, but I didn’t know exactly

which stream I wanted to venture into.

The Bachelor of Biomedicine allowed

me to get straight into tertiary studies

and work towards a degree while still

keeping my options open,” she says.

Another drawcard was the fact that the

University has strong connections with

some of the leading health institutes

and hospitals in Victoria.

Ritu intends to stay at Melbourne when

she completes her course in order to

embark on the Master of Public Health.

She hopes that completing a pathway

from Biomedicine to a graduate degree

will one day lead to her dream of

working for a leading non-government

body or the World Health Organisation,

for example.

“My course has opened my eyes to so

many fantastic things that biomedicine

can do for the world and for people less

fortunate than us and I really want to

use the knowledge I’ve learned in this

degree to help lift global health and

eradicate diseases in areas that need it

most,” she says.

Prof. Chubb points outthat the action of the

majority of antidepressantsis based on a scientific

principle dating back to1961. This is despite thefact that Australia alone

has spent $140 million onresearch into depression inthe last 10 years.

“In obesity, the story

is similar – two-thirds of Australia ns are overweightor obese,” Prof. Chubb says.

“In the last 20 years, therehas been an explosion inthe science underlyingthe genetics, basic biology and neuroscience regulating

food intake and satiety. In the last 10 years, we have spentalmost $200 million on research. And yet such knowledgehas not been translated to any new drugs that decreaseweight safely and effectively.”

Prof. Chubb notes that the lack of new treatments is notrestricted to obesity or depression – he says the story is thesame across most human diseases.

“It hasn’t always been this way. In the 1960s, there werefairly strong links between basic and clinical research.

Medical research was largely done by physician-scientistswho also treated patients. But as molecular biology

exploded, clinical and basic research started to separate.“Nowadays, the majority of biomedical research is done

by highly specialised PhD scientists who have never seen a

patient before,” he says.Translational research is thought to be the answer.“It has a key part to play in improving our lives and also in

justifying taxpayer dollars, because the underlying question

is always, ‘Is the country gaining the greatest possiblepractical benefit from its research investment?’”

HEALTH & WELLBEING

» Fact6.3 yearsThe minimum time for

evidence to reach

reviews, papers

and textbooks.

9.3 yearsThe average additional

time it then takes for

evidence from reviews,

papers and textbooks

to be implemented into

clinical practice.


4/6

for humansIf you like mechanical engineering and you’refascinated by the human body, there’s a growingarea where the two interests come together.

A robotic arm beingused in physiotherapy.

G e t t y I m a g e s

The study of robotics, biomechanics and virtua lsimulations are coming together as a means of

helping rehabilitate patients. When combined withbroadband technology, these systems can be designed forremote access through a computer.

For example, the Melbourne University Virtual

Environments for Simulations group (MUVES) hasdeveloped a low-cost in-home tele-rehabilitation systemto assist stroke patients. Of those who suffer strokes,

85% have some initial loss of arm function, and earlyrehabilitation of the arm and hand after a stroke can behighly effective.

For a number of reasons, arm training has often been

given a lower priority than walking training i n hospitalsand clinics, with a recent study finding t hat only 6% of

rehabilitation time is allocated to the affected arm, eventhough hand function has a huge impact on a person’sability to lead an independent life.

Using broadband technologies to provide a lternativerehabilitation methods for stroke survivors could

significantly improve healthcare outcomes.The prototype system from MUVES involves a

MAKE IT

HAPPENMaster of Health Sciences or Master of EngineeringBachelor of Science or Bachelor of Biomedicine

FIRST DEGREE GRADUATE STUDY OPTIONS

‘rehabilitation robot’ being placed in thepatient’s home. The robot ma kes use ofhaptic technology that provides ‘force

feedback’ over a broadband connection.This enables physiotherapists to

understand how patients are exercising,even though they are in another location.

Remote monitoring of patients throughbroadband connections has many otherpossibilities still to be explored. For

instance, the Institute for a BroadbandEnabled Society (IBES) and Ericsson

HEALTH & WELLBEING

fund researchers at the University ofMelbourne who are developing a deviceto wirelessly monitor patients with knee

osteoarthritis. The device consists ofsmall inertial sensors, accelerometers

and a gyroscope connected to thepatient’s body to monitor jointmovements. The data is transmitted toan Android smartphone carried by thepatient and then transmitted back to

a server, allowing real-time recordingof movements to help the patient withtheir physiotherapy.

» Fact60,000The annual number of

Australians who have astroke (approx.)

$2.14

billionThe cost of the above to

the health system.


5/6


6/6

HEALTH & WELLBEING

Overall, Australians have better teeth now than everbefore, but this doesn’t mean less work for dentists.

For example, a greater awareness of dental caremeans that elderly people in the future will be li kely toretain their teeth longer than ever before, so they’ll need

more complex dental care for longer. According to the Austra lian Dental A ssociat ion, dentists w ill be treati ng

more older patients with complex medical conditionsthat will inf luence dental disease and dental treatment.

Recognising and managing these conditions will become amore important part of dentistry.

For younger people, dentists are more likely to be

providing instruction to prevent the loss of teeth than tobe carrying out fi llings, for example. But when fillings or

other treatments are necessary, the technology available willprovide more effective treatment with less pain for patients.

As the demand for dental serv ices increases, dentistsare likely to need more dental assistants and hygieniststo handle routine services, which will increase the staff in

private practices (67% of Australian dentists are in privatepractice). This means that in addition to their technical

skills, dentists will require a range of skills to manage theirstaff and their practices.

The Australian Dental Association says employmentopportunities for dentists are excellent, with a shortageespecially in regional, rural and remote areas, and in

government clinics. There is also a greatly increased demandfor aesthetic services.

Despite a greater awarenessof dental care, job prospectsin dentistry are excellent –and the role of the dentist

is changing.

bite

Careers with

Students Ibrahim Husseinand Casey Edgar in the newMOHTEC simulation lab.

MAKE IT

HAPPENDoctor of Dental SurgeryBachelor of Science or Bachelor of Biomedicine

FIRST DEGREE GRADUATE STUDY OPTIONS

The University of Melbourne ispreparing tomorrow’s dental workers

with high-level practical skills t hatsimulate real-life experiences through

two state-of-the-art facilities thatopened in 2012. The Melbourne Oral

Health Training and Education Centre(MOHTEC) has a 50-seat simulationlaboratory integrated with computer-

aided learning suites t hat includesimulated patient dummies.

For second-year student Casey Edgar,who is in the process of completing

her Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)degree, the new laboratory and itsfacilities are proving to be stimulating

learning tools.“We’ve got all our own instrumentsand equipment – it represents what anormal dental practice is. It’s a realistic

environment with instruments on oneside and a spot for the dental assistant

to sit on the other. It makes you feel comfortable with anactual dental setting,” she says.

The new Melbourne Dental Cl inic, which complementsMOHTEC, gives students experience in patient contactin a private and commercial environment. The clinic

features 50 dental chairs – 10 for general dentistry, fourthat are multi-purpose and 36 for specialist treatments. The

specialist chairs are split between orthodontics, endodontics,periodontics and prosthodontics.

In a pioneering concept, a number of suites at the clinicwill be installed with advanced clinical microscopes featuringin-built video cameras, allowing complex dental procedures to

be filmed and then viewed by students and staff for trainingand research purposes. For all the whizz-bang technology andequipment, however, arguably the most important feature ofthe clinic is that it provides students with exposure to direct

patient contact in a private clinical environment.

uni of melbourne - medical extract

Documents