2010 Annual Report - Institute for Molecular Bioscience - University ...

11 highlights
IMB HIGHLIGHTS 2010
WORLD-CLASS GENOME CENTRE
OPENS AT IMB
Premier Anna Bligh opened a multi-million
dollar genome research facility on June
16, 2010 that will help pave the way for
personalised genetic treatment.
The Queensland Centre for Medical
Genomics was established with a $5
million grant from the Queensland
Government and contains 11 nextgeneration
sequencing machines that will
allow researchers to compare the genomes
of people with genetic diseases and
determine which changes have occurred to
cause the disease.
“This will lead to the development of more
accurate therapies as well as a better
understanding of genetic diseases, QCMG
Director Professor Sean Grimmond said.
“We are moving rapidly towards a future
in which individuals are diagnosed and
treated according to their genetic code.”
QCMG Director Professor Sean Grimmond and Premier the Hon. Anna Bligh at the opening of the Queensland Centre for Medical Genomics
PROBING THE MACHINERY
BEHIND TISSUE HEALTH
PROBING THE MACHINERY
BEHIND TISSUE HEALTH
A team of researchers has uncovered
several key molecules that control the
health of a major tissue in the body, the
site of inflammation and 80 percent of
cancers, in work published in Nature
Chemical Biology.
Professor Alpha Yap led the researchers,
from the IMB and the National Institutes
of Health in the U.S.A., who probed the
molecular machinery of epithelial tissues,
which cover the internal and external
surfaces of the body. They identified
two of the key molecules that keep
the epithelium healthy, as well as the
signalling pathways that control these
molecules.
“Understanding these signalling
pathways will give us a better insight
into how these diseases are caused,
information that could lead to improved
treatments,” Professor Yap said.
‘STEM CELL DETECTIVES’
UNCOVER POTENTIAL CANCER
CAUSE
Australian researchers have uncovered a
new mutation in stem cells that may be
linked to the development of leukaemia,
breast and colon cancer.
A team led by Dr Peter Papathanasiou
from the John Curtin School of Medical
Research at the Australian National
University and IMB’s Associate Professor
Andrew Perkins have completed a
three-year screening project to find the
genes that control the development and
turnover of stem cells.
A major finding of the new study was the
discovery of a novel DNA mutation in the
c-Myb gene, which has previously been
linked to a number of different cancer
types. The project was the first in the
world to mutate the mammalian genome
in a specific search for novel genetic
regulators of stem cells, and the findings
were published in the journal Blood.
SCIENTIFIC IMAGES GO FROM
LAB TO LIMELIGHT
IMB researchers were given the chance
to display their artistic skills in the
revamped Ångström Art competition,
which aims to showcase stunning
scientific images. Entries were open to
all IMB researchers and the organisers
received 62 images altogether.
Judges Professor Stephen Walker,
Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science;
Nick Mitzevich, Director of the UQ Art
Museum; and Mrs Beverley Trivett,
Director of the John Trivett Foundation;
chose the winner and two runners-up.
Mr Darren Brown, a research assistant
from the Stow group, contributed
both the winning image, “MacBeads”,
and one of the runner-up images,
“RealMacAlien”. Dr Michael Landsberg,
a Research Officer from the Hankamer
group, rounded out the runners-up
with his image, “Insect Assassin”. The
winning image can be viewed on the
front cover of this report, while the
full collection can be seen at www.
angstrom-art.com