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GPH News Winter 2012

Gallipoli Medical Research Foundation update The Gallipoli Medical Research Foundation (GMRF) project which will investigate changes in iron is excited to announce its involvement in a new metabolism in animal models of liver disease. cancer research study. Through GMRF, a clinical This will include non-alcoholic fatty liver disease trial known as the GAP Study has commenced as well as alcoholic liver injury. at Greenslopes Private Hospital, with the first Nishreen Santrampurwala worked as a patient in Australia enrolled here at the Cyril Research Assistant with the GMRF Liver Research Gilbert Cancer Centre. The trial hopes to improve Team until applying for her PHD earlier this year. treatment for patients with operable pancreatic Nishreen was very excited to have her application cancer and was initiated as a response to the accepted and will spend the next three years lack of improved outcomes in recent decades studying the relationship between iron and fatty for patients suffering from the disease. GAP will liver disease with this great team of scientists. investigate the role of a new drug and seek to Both Dr Britton’s and Nishreen’s PHDs are determine the effects of a different treatment supported by the Gallipoli Medical Research approach for patients. The trial will operate Foundation and the Liver Research Team, which for two years and GMRF is proud to work with is a highly regarded research group undertaking Dr Warren Joubert, the Principal Investigator here great science here in the GMRF laboratories. at GPH, and Associate Professor Andrew Barbour, GMRF also welcomes Kimberly Stannard the study chairperson, to support it. to Dr Nicol’s team. Kimberly will work with It is also an exciting time in the GMRF the Centre for Immune and Targeted Therapy laboratories with new expertise joining the team. to bring new cancer therapies to patients. GMRF is pleased to welcome Dr Laurence Britton The Gallipoli Medical Research Foundation is and Nishreen Santrampurwala to the Foundation, dedicated to improving future health standards both of whom recently commenced their PHDs for the Australian community. We are confident here with the Liver Research Group under the that our current projects and new team members guidance of Professor Darrell Crawford. will assist in the realisation of this vision. Far above: Nishreen Santrampurwala Dr Britton is a gastroenterologist who has To learn more about GMRF, visit the website Above: Dr Laurence Britton decided to pursue his passion for research in a www.gallipoliresearch.com.au GMRF Director of Research Professor Darrell Crawford Why is teaching and research so important in a hospital? There is some evidence from the US that patient outcomes are better in teaching and research hospitals than what they are in centres that don’t have an academic component. A very palpable example of this is found if you look at our clinical trial patients, who have been getting access to new drugs (probably for three years) which are now the new standard of care. Is it unique for a private hospital like GPH to have such a large commitment to medical research? We are the leading hospital in this field by so far. I believe that there is GPH coming first and daylight second in terms of this type of research element in private hospitals. What is the most important role that a Director of Research plays? Your very first aim is to make sure that the research that comes out of this centre is of high quality and that it is easily translated into patient care. I think that in terms of this hospital that it should always have some sort of focus on veterans. You must always strive to make sure that there is some engagement between the research centre and the day to day life of the people who work in the hospital. I believe that one of your first innovations has been a program to encourage young investigators at GPH? This program is about engaging potential young researchers and providing them with some assistance with their research experience. This program will help young investigators with training requirements, it will make them more competitive in terms of job applications in the future and it will probably give them different insights into how interesting and difficult research can be. In some of them it will stimulate a core interest in pursuing research in a more serious way. A research agenda needs clinicians – people who understand what clinical medicine is all about, people who understand where the certain advances can be easily translated into the clinical environment. The progression of medicine needs clinicians to be at the forefront of research. 14 GPHnews


GPH News Winter 2012
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