The Prime Minister will present his 2014 Prizes for Science this evening in Canberra.
The winners are from Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra.
There is an embargoed media briefing at 12 noon today in the Great Hall at Parliament House and the embargo lifts at 5 pm.
Full details at www.scienceinpublic.com.au/prime-ministers-prize. But you’ll need to call or email me for the password on 0417 131 977 or niall@scienceinpublic.com.au
Also:
A molecule that could potentially accelerate clinical trials to combat autoimmune diseases has been discovered by researchers from the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute at Monash University and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. Published last Thursday. More below.
And finally:
The Australian Institute of Physics’ ‘Women in Physics’ tour continues into November with talks about experiments to detect gravitational waves in Perth, Wollongong, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane. The speaker, Sheila Rowan, is available to talk to media about gravitational waves and women in science. More below.
Kind regards,
Niall
Waves of the Universe tour continues around the country
Sheila Rowan from the University of Glasgow uses yo-yos, whistles and ball-bearings on a rubber sheet to explain what gravitational waves are, what’s needed to detect them and what they can tell us about our Universe.
Gravitational waves, or ripples in the curvature of space-time, are extremely difficult to detect, but they have the potential to give us insight into some of the most violent events in the Cosmos – from black holes to the beginning of the Universe.
Sheila is giving lectures around the country about the network of sensitive detectors being built all over the world, with the first data expected to come in 2015.
The speaking tour continues into November with talks about experiments to detect gravitational waves in:
- Perth: 10 November
- Wollongong: 14 November
- Sydney: 15 November
- Adelaide: 17-19 November
- Brisbane: 21 November
These talks are part of the Australian Institute of Physics annual Women in Physics lecture series, featuring female physicists who’ve made a significant contribution to their field and are excellent public speakers.
Media contacts
- Niall Byrne on 0417 131 977 or niall@scienceinpublic.com.au
- Chris Lassig on 0401 304 514 or chris@scienceinpublic.com.au
Molecule could suppress immune system’s ‘friendly fire’
Researchers from the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) at Monash University and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Italy believe the molecule, called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), could play a key role in combatting autoimmune diseases.
Autoimmune diseases occur when a group of immune cells called pro-inflammatory T-effector cells become sensitised to specific cells in the body, identifying them as foreign and attacking them as if they were invading bacteria. This ‘friendly fire’ goes unchecked due to the failing of another type of immune cell-the T-reg, which controls T- effector cells, shutting them down when they are not needed.
In laboratory work, researchers created conditions that mimic two of the most common types of autoimmune disease: type-1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. They found that administering IGF-1 induced the production of T-reg cells, which in turn suppressed symptoms. The research confirms that IGF-1 acts directly on T-reg cells – rather than indirectly by affecting some other factor that induces T-reg cells to multiply.
Professor Nadia Rosenthal who is also Scientific Head of EMBL Australia said the findings, published today in EMBO Molecular Medicine, have clinical significance.
“IGF-1 is already an approved therapeutic and has been tested in many different settings. That means it will be much easier to start clinical trials for IGF-1 in auto-immune and inflammatory diseases than it would if we were proposing a new, untested drug,’ Professor Rosenthal said.
In a separate study published earlier this year, Professor Rosenthal and Daniel Bilbao at EMBL found that IGF-1 also suppresses allergic contact dermatitis, an inflammatory skin disease.
The next phase of the research will see Professor Rosenthal further explore the role of IGF-1 in inflammation and regeneration, and its potential for treating conditions such as muscular atrophy, fibrosis and heart disease.
Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute: www.armi.org.au
EMBL Australia: www.emblaustralia.org
Media Contacts:
- Lucy Handford (Monash University) on 0427 647 396 or lucy.handford@monash.edu
- Niall Byrne (for EMBL Australia) on 0417 131 977 or niall@scienceinpublic.com.au
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Kind regards,
Niall
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