Operations

Building a blood cancer treatment from the ground up

Mark Dawson has helped to build a new drug to fight an aggressive form of blood cancer, discovering the basic science of gene expression in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), developing the drug to block that action, and leading an international clinical trial to test it.

Mark first explored how genes function in leukaemia, then identified molecules that interrupt the key genetic instructions that perpetuate cancer cells. The drug subsequently developed to treat AML is now the subject of more than 50 clinical trials around the world. [Read more…] about Building a blood cancer treatment from the ground up

2017 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science

The winners of the 2017 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science are:

Jenny Graves (La Trobe University, Melbourne)—Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
Eric Reynolds (The University of Melbourne/Oral Health CRC)—Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation
Jian Yang (The University of Queensland)—Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
Dayong Jin (University of Technology Sydney)—Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
Neil Bramsen (Mount Ousley Public School, Wollongong)—Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
Brett McKay (Kirrawee High School, Sydney)—Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools

What can kangaroos and platypus tell us about sex and humanity? 2017 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science

Distinguished Professor Jenny Graves AO FAA

Professor Jenny Graves AO has transformed our understanding of how humans and all vertebrate animals evolved and function. In the course of her work, she has kick-started genomic and epigenetic research in Australia, and predicted the disappearance of the male chromosome.

How Australian dairy milk is saving the world’s teeth: 2017 Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation

Laureate Professor Eric Reynolds AO FICD FTSE FRACDS

Thirty years ago, a young dental researcher discovered a protein in dairy milk that repairs and strengthens teeth. Today, that protein, sold as Recaldent, is used by millions of people every day as they chew gum and visit the dentist.

Unravelling the complexity of height, intelligence, obesity and schizophrenia: 2017 Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year

Professor Jian Yang

The publication of the human genome near fifteen years ago revealed that the human genome is complicated. Jian Yang has created pioneering new techniques to unravel that complexity and solve the ‘missing heritability paradox’.

Watching the processes of life: 2017 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year

Professor Dayong Jin

We need new ways to detect the early stages of disease and cancer. Dayong Jin believes the key is for physicists, biologists, engineers and doctors to work together. And that’s what he’s doing with his team at the University of Technology, Sydney.

The outdoor classroom: 2017 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools

Mr Neil Bramsen

In the outdoor classroom at Mount Ousley Public School in Wollongong, primary students are watching and recording bird sightings. They’re down at the beach assessing the level of marine debris. They’re reading, or just thinking, in the butterfly garden.

Bringing science alive: 2017 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools

Mr Brett McKay

Kirrawee High School has a rich history in sport and music. Its alumni include six Olympic athletes and several leading musicians. Today, thanks to the work of Brett McKay over the past twenty years, Kirrawee has become a force in science education as well.

Photos: 2017 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science

Photos

For hi-res versions please click on the photo and then right click to download the file.

- Jenny Graves – Prime Minister’s Prize for Science

- Eric Reynolds – Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation

- Jian Yang – Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year

- Dayong Jin – Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year

- Neil Bramsen – Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools

- Brett McKay – Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools

Stunted, obese and unhealthy: can cocoa help rebuild impoverished communities?

In West Sulawesi, 400,000 families depend on cocoa farming. But downturns in price and production are pushing families into poverty, with profound implications for public health.

Fifty per cent of children stunted, 90 per cent of males smoking, and an increasing number of obese women. These were the results from a health and livelihood survey of 140 households in the subdistricts of Anreapi and Mapili.A team of Indonesian and Australian researchers want to address these issues.

The households surveyed are all located in cocoa-producing villages, and they’re under strain with the downturn in Indonesia’s cocoa production. So the team is looking at links between smallholder productivity, health and livelihood, to identify which public health factors have the biggest impact on livelihood in cocoa farming areas.

Cocoa is currently a major livelihood provider for farming families across Indonesia. The supply chain supports more than 400,000 smallholder families, as well as enterprises and services. The crop also provides essential products for international export, including to Australia.

[Read more…]

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