Medical Minds

Imagine being able to explore the fascinating world of individual cells and their genomic makeup, to unravel the mysteries hidden within our cells and to uncover the intricate mechanisms that cause disease. Today we meet Professor Joseph Powell, a cellular genomic scientist working on cutting-edge research that's improving the effectiveness of personalised therapy. Support Garvan research: https:/...

The immune system is a complex network designed to protect our bodies from harmful invaders. But sometimes it can turn on us attacking our own cells and in doing so, causing autoimmune disease. Over the last 50 years, research into our immune system has advanced to identify particular drivers that protect us from autoimmune disease. Researchers are learning how these responses are tuned under vari...

In early 2020, the world was plunged to the start of a pandemic that has affected every aspect of our lives. We’ve come to realise how vulnerable we are to viruses. The pandemic has also brought so much more science into awareness, with bell curves and an understanding of immunology than we’ve ever had before. But it’s not over yet – and in this episode, we talk with Dr Deborah Burnett, who’s doin...

Right this second, your immune system is protecting you from all the many potential bugs and foreign particles that can make you sick – bacteria, viruses, fungi, pollen, even food. When you’re healthy, you don’t realise how much work your immune system is doing to keep these nasties away. But if your immune system is out of whack, it can have a huge impact to your health. In this episode, we’re ta...

One heart attack in a young family member is an unexpected shock. Two is a terrible coincidence that raises the heckles, but three that sounds like a genetic mystery. In this episode we talk researcher and cardiac genetic counsellor Associate Professor Jodie Ingles, who works with patients to uncover their genomic secrets. Support Garvan research: https://www.garvan.org.au/support-us/give-now See...

Imagine seeing 20 years of hard work come together to help possibly thousands of people living with type 1 diabetes. Today we talk to Professor Shane Grey, who is experiencing just that. His autoimmune research has led to the discovery of a way to transplant the cells that produce insulin, without the need for immunosuppression. Support Garvan research: https://www.garvan.org.au/support-us/give-no...

The Human Genome project was a $3 billion global endeavour which launched in 1990 and took 13 years to complete. But now thanks to rapid and continuing advances in technology, we can sequence a whole human genome in just a matter of hours. In this episode, we talk to Associate Professor Sarah Kummerfeld, who's collaborating with researchers to analyse medical data, and find out how new technologie...

Medical research sits at the intersection of the lab and the clinic. It's critical for translating breakthrough science into possible treatments for people. It's most successful when scientists and clinicians collaborate. Today, we're talking with Professor Anthony Joshua, one of Australia's leading oncologists and researchers, who is working to improve the treatment, survival and quality of life...

Breast cancer is one of the most studied and high-profile cancers, and yet we still have so much to learn. While we have come such a long way and so many lives have been saved by advances in research, there’s still some breast cancers that are aggressive and don’t respond to treatment. Today we’re talking with Associate Professor Christine Chaffer who is determined to unravel how these cancers wor...

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For science to advance in big leaps, you need people who not only have a mind for the detail, but also the big picture, and the passion to make big things happen. We talk with a researcher who has big goals to bring equity and diversity into genomic medicine in Australia, something surprisingly inadequate presently. Professor Daniel MacArthur is Director of the Centre for Population Genomics, a jo...