BodyLab

One-in-four Australians have fatty liver disease, most don't even know it. With over two decades leading liver research in Australia, Professor Grant Ramm is excited about the possibility of repairing liver damage. His research could be of particular benefit for those born with cystic fibrosis, with wider implications for possible use in treating scarring in other organs.

Research has shown for the first time how a complication of life-saving stem-cell transplants used for blood cancer patients, impacts the brain. It’s an important step towards improving the quality of life for patients with chronic Graft-Versus-Host-Disease (GVHD), a condition where transplanted donor cells attack the patient’s organs.  While the transplant can cure the cancer, many patients devel...

Imagine leaving school at 13 and becoming one of Australia's richest 200 people. Clive Berghofer AM has achieved just that, turning his work ethic, business acumen, and remarkable generosity to extraordinary philanthropic endeavours. One of those is helping QIMR Berghofer medical researchers find cures for diseases like cancer and Coronavirus through donations totalling more than $60 million....

Is a mastectomy the right option for all women with changes in the #BRCA genes? No – yet women who carry a BRCA variant of “uncertain” significance are unnecessarily having preventive mastectomies. Their variant could be benign, but they don’t want to take the chance it’s not. Professor Amanda Spurdle explains how a remarkable world-first data-sharing trial is helping remove the uncertainty for pa...

If you're allergic to shellfish - you were first allergic to something else! A new study unearthed the real cause, hopefully leading to better diagnosis and treatment of serious allergies. Associate Professor Severine Navarro talks about the culprit and its list of unexpected relatives of which you should be aware.

The story of how commercial sunbeds came to be banned in Australia is incredibly powerful, and two QIMR Berghofer researchers played an integral role in that momentous campaign. Now the world-first modelling they developed then is helping UK researchers in the fight to try and ban commercial solariums in England. But as Health Economist Associate Professor Louisa Gordon explains, despite the healt...

Malaria remains a major global health problem with nearly half of the world's population at risk of contracting malaria. In 2020, the World Health Organisation estimated there were 240 million cases of malaria and more than 620,000 deaths. It is also a disease of inequity with nearly all malaria deaths occurring in African children.   To mark  World Malaria Day, QIMR Berghofer researcher, Ass...

Professor Rajiv Khanna has had a fascinating 30-year research story in immunotherapy that has led to a game-changing therapy for people with multiple sclerosis. His treatment has seen a dramatic and sustained improvement in many people with progressive MS. Early results in Professor Khanna’s Phase 1 clinical trial show that people with MS who had been dependent on a walking aid were able to move a...

Brain cancer survival rates haven’t changed for about 50-years, but breakthrough research at QIMR Berghofer has found a weapon that might exclusively target cancer cells. This medical breakthrough was only possible through the establishment of one of Australia’s most comprehensive brain cancer tissue banks by Professor Bryan Day and his colleagues. It has already led to multiple discoveries worldw...

Lupus is a chronic disease that can cause debilitating inflammation and pain in any part of the body, when the immune system attacks the healthy tissues. Treatment so far has been toxic, but Professor Fabienne Mackay, Director at QIMR Berghofer is behind the first new treatment for lupus in 50 years. She talks about how the discovery was made and what it will mean for the 5-million people who live...

An Australian first trial using deep brain stimulation is delivering exciting results for people living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD is when people have recurring unwanted thoughts, ideas or sensations that drive them to do something repetitively, which  affects around half a million Australians. QIMR Berghofer Psychiatrist and Clinical Research Fellow, Dr Phil Mosley explains how...

People with bowel cancer could eventually receive individually tailored treatment that is more effective with fewer side effects. Bowel cancer is the second most common form of cancer in Australia and it spreads in half of all cases, making treatment challenging. Associate Professor Vicki Whitehall from QIMR Berghofer  is using cancer cells from individual patients to test the effectiveness of dif...

If you live with serious mental health issues, you might already know that exercise can help form part of your treatment plan. Now,  research involving QIMR Berghofer is showing how that exercise program is delivered can have the biggest impact. Dr Justin Chapman says providing access to the right health program is key and could eventually alleviate pressure on the health system.

Faecal transfer is an unconventional treatment that restores the balance in your gut. Dr Andrea Henden from QIMR Berghofer takes us on a fascinating look into how healthy gut bacteria can be introduced into the bowel. The process is offering new hope for the common and sometimes deadly graft versus host disease which can affect the gut. There are also implications for millions with other gut and b...

Dr Kelly Brooks from QIMR Berghofer is working to crack the code that will improve the treatment of eye melanoma, which is one of the most difficult cancers to detect and treat early. Half of these cases have already spread to other parts of the body. In most cases it is found in the liver. Dr Brooks is working on what causes the  cells to spread and how researchers might block that process. 

One of Australia's leading mosquito researchers, Associate Professor Greg Devine from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research explains the science behind the most recent outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis Virus.  His research lab is screening mosquito collections from Queensland for viruses of public health importance. The JEV outbreak in several states is the first time the potentially deadly virus h...

The world's largest study of depression has revealed 23 genes linked to a person's risk of developing depression. This could pave the way for more tailored and effective treatments, according to new research from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. 

Can a regular dose of vitamin D lead to a longer life? That’s what researchers from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute wanted to find out when they started Australia’s biggest health trial.  Researchers examined the benefits of taking vitamin D and whether a monthly dose would reduce the mortality rate in Australians aged over 60. The results might change the way you take your vitamin D.

Climate anxiety in Australian children is on the rise, but how parents discuss and frame the issue can make a difference. QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute has been leading research into the effects of climate anxiety and they found the parents’ values and behaviour towards climate change can shape the views and emotions of children. Researchers have also discovered what parents can do to...

How much influence do our genes and environment have on our personality traits and certain mental health conditions? Professor Nick Martin discusses where we’re at in the age-old nature versus nurture debate.  Nick is the head of the Genetic Epidemiology Research Group at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. He has spent decades studying twins to understand genetic and environmental influenc...

What affects a woman’s risk of developing gynaecological cancer, and can women improve their chances of survival?  Professor Penny Webb has spent decades working to fill the information void for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Penny is the head of the Population Health Department and the Gynaecological Cancers Research Group at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. She has led several ma...

We have more bacteria in our gut than cells in our body.  Associate Professor Severine Navarro explains how these ecosystems affect our health and risk of allergies, and how hookworms could help. Severine is the head of the Mucosal Immunology Research Group at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute.  

How much control do we have over our risk of getting cancer? Professor David Whiteman discusses the simple measures you can take to lower your chances. David is the Deputy Director of QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and the head of the Institute’s Cancer Control Research Group. He has dedicated his career to trying to prevent more cancers in the community.

What everyone with British or Irish heritage, or any woman hoping to fall pregnant, needs to know about iron. Dr David Frazer discusses the effects of too much and too little of the essential mineral. David is the head of the Molecular Nutrition Research Group at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. 

Cut through the confusion and misinformation, and get the facts on sunscreen from one of Australia’s leading skin cancer researchers.  Professor Adele Green is the head of the Cancer and Population Studies Research Group at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute.