Latest news with #WEHI
ABC News
6 hours ago
- Health
- ABC News
New coeliac disease blood test set to enable diagnosis on gluten-free diets
Eating gluten was making Eliza Long sick, but it was the only way for her to get a life-altering diagnosis. Aged 11, she underwent a gastroscopy at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, with a biopsy revealing she had coeliac disease. More than 350,000 Australians live with the disease, caused by an immune reaction to the gluten protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Current testing requires patients to eat gluten for weeks beforehand, in what is called the gluten challenge. "Knowing that what I was eating was going to make me feel really unwell was quite concerning," Ms Long, now aged 23, said. And the lengthy process was "confronting for a kid", she said. Researchers say the gluten challenge puts people off getting answers, with up to 80 per cent of coeliac cases remaining undiagnosed globally. Now, there is hope a "world-first" blood test being developed in Australia can bring that barrier down. Jason Tye-Din is the head of the coeliac research laboratory at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) and a gastroenterologist at Royal Melbourne Hospital. He said a new test being developed by WEHI researchers with Brisbane-based Novoviah Pharmaceuticals could "revolutionise" the diagnostic process for patients. "It's just a simple blood test, they don't need an invasive gastroscopy and, importantly, they don't even need to be eating gluten for it to be accurate," he said. The test involves mixing a person's blood sample with gluten in a test tube, which then signals whether the T cells that cause coeliac disease are present. Dr Tye-Din said it could improve detection of the disease, particularly among those on gluten-free diets who did not want to eat gluten and make themselves unwell. "It's really important to make a diagnosis of coeliac disease because it can lead to long-term health issues such as gut symptoms, osteoporosis, infertility, even some forms of cancer, such as lymphoma." A study of 181 blood samples from people with and without coeliac disease found a "very high accuracy" for the new test to make a diagnosis or exclude it, even in those on gluten-free diets. In one case, Dr Tye-Din said a patient who had been diagnosed 10 years earlier tested negative, allowing a different diagnosis to be made. "This test allowed us to find the right treatment for her," he said. Researchers are working to confirm the test's accuracy across diverse populations and plan to make it available within the next two years. Ms Long said not having to eat gluten for her diagnosis would have been "life-changing".
Courier-Mail
19-05-2025
- Health
- Courier-Mail
Just 2 days of eating high-fat food can damage your gut, study shows
Diets high in saturated fats have been linked to heart disease and strokes, but now Australian researchers believe they've found a link between these foods and chronic inflammation. We know some foods aren't great for our guts, but some are definitely worse than others. A new study from Melbourne's WEHI (formerly the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute) has found that high-fat foods could damage our guts without us even realising. Experts already encourage us not to follow diets high in saturated fats, with the Heart Foundation noting that 'eating too much saturated fat can raise the level of LDL(bad) cholesterol in your blood', and 'a high level of LDL cholesterol in your blood increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.' WEHI's pre-clinical study has highlighted that just a few meals high in saturated fats could cause chronic inflammation. The research team believes symptoms may not appear for years. Mice were fed high-fat meals as a part of the study, and despite having no signs of weight gain or other obvious symptoms of inflammation, the researchers found 'microscopic changes' to their gut health and function. We've shown that every meal we consume actively shapes our gut health. The paper's senior author, Dr Cyril Seillet said 'we've shown that every meal we consume actively shapes our gut health'. 'The more saturated fats we eat, the more inflammation that builds up – gradually weakening our gut defences and increasing our susceptibility to chronic inflammation.' He added that although we may experience some discomfort after eating foods high in saturated fats, we may not be immediately aware of the level of inflammation they can cause, saying 'this inflammation build-up is initially silent, remaining hidden in our bodies until years later, where it can present as chronic inflammation.' Just eating high-fat foods for a short period can decrease the body's production of the protein. IL-22 is an important protein for fighting inflammation, improving mucous production and promoting wound healing. WEHI Laboratory Head Professor Stephen Nutt found that just eating high-fat foods for a short period can decrease the body's production of the protein. The paper's first author, Le Xiong explained that these findings are concerning, highlighting that diets high in saturated fats could both trigger inflammation and hinder the body from being able to fight it. If you add avocado to everything, good news! You could be protecting your gut from inflammation. Image: Getty 'It took only two days of consuming high-fat foods for the mice to lose their IL-22 stores and have an impaired gut function' he said. 'Despite their gut protection capabilities being stripped away, the mice still looked healthy – highlighting how gut health can be compromised long before any visible symptoms appear.' But if you add avocado to everything, good news! You could be protecting your gut from inflammation. Avocados, nuts, seeds, olives and oily fish are high in unsaturated fats and are already endorsed by the Heart Foundation for their role in boosting our heart health. After introducing unsaturated fats into the mice's diets, the team saw the rodents' IL-22 levels grow, signalling that by consuming these foods, people may be able to boost their production of the important protein naturally to potentially improve their gut health. Image: iStock After introducing unsaturated fats into the mice's diets, the team saw the rodents' IL-22 levels grow, signalling that by consuming these foods, people may be able to boost their production of the important protein naturally to potentially improve their gut health. More research is needed, but Seillet said, 'while occasional high-fat meals won't impair your gut protection barrier, a consistent diet that is high in saturated fats is laying the foundation for chronic gut inflammation to present in future.' Originally published as Just 2 days of eating high-fat food can damage your gut, study shows
NDTV
12-05-2025
- Health
- NDTV
Scientists Find Molecule That Blocks Brain Cell Death In Parkinson's, Alzheimer's
Sydney: A team of Australian scientists has identified a small molecule that blocks cell death, an advance that could lead to new treatments for neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. The team from the Melbourne-based Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) aimed to find new chemicals that block cell death, which could help treat degenerative diseases in the future. The findings offer hope for treatments that could slow or stop the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. After screening over 100,000 chemical compounds, the team found a small molecule that targets a killer protein called BAX. By interfering with a well-understood cell death protein, the molecule effectively stopped cells from dying. "We were thrilled to find a small molecule that targets a killer protein called BAX and stops it working," said Professor Guillaume Lessene from WEHI. "While not the case in most cells, in neurons turning off BAX alone may be sufficient to limit cell death," Lessene added. While drugs that trigger cell death are transforming the treatment of certain cancers, the development of cell death blockers -- that could be similarly game-changing for neurodegenerative conditions -- has proven challenging. The new molecule targets a killer protein called BAX, which kills cells by damaging mitochondria, the powerhouse of cells. "For the first time we could keep BAX away from mitochondria and keep cells alive using this molecule," said lead author and Dewson Lab researcher Kaiming Li. "This could pave the way for next-generation cell death inhibitors to combat degenerative conditions," Li said, in the paper published in the journal Science Advances. While drugs that trigger cell death are transforming the treatment of certain cancers, the development of cell death blockers - that could be similarly game-changing for neurodegenerative conditions -- has proven challenging. The study demonstrates the potential to identify drugs that block cell death and may open a new avenue to find much-needed disease-modifying drugs for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, said the researchers.
Hans India
12-05-2025
- Health
- Hans India
Scientists find molecule that blocks brain cell death in Parkinson's, Alzheimer's
Sydney: A team of Australian scientists has identified a small molecule that blocks cell death, an advance that could lead to new treatments for neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. The team from the Melbourne-based Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) aimed to find new chemicals that block cell death, which could help treat degenerative diseases in the future. The findings offer hope for treatments that could slow or stop the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. After screening over 100,000 chemical compounds, the team found a small molecule that targets a killer protein called BAX. By interfering with a well-understood cell death protein, the molecule effectively stopped cells from dying. 'We were thrilled to find a small molecule that targets a killer protein called BAX and stops it working,' said Professor Guillaume Lessene from WEHI. 'While not the case in most cells, in neurons turning off BAX alone may be sufficient to limit cell death," Lessene added. While drugs that trigger cell death are transforming the treatment of certain cancers, the development of cell death blockers -- that could be similarly game-changing for neurodegenerative conditions -- has proven challenging. The new molecule targets a killer protein called BAX, which kills cells by damaging mitochondria, the powerhouse of cells. 'For the first time we could keep BAX away from mitochondria and keep cells alive using this molecule,' said lead author and Dewson Lab researcher Kaiming Li. 'This could pave the way for next-generation cell death inhibitors to combat degenerative conditions,' Li said, in the paper published in the journal Science Advances. While drugs that trigger cell death are transforming the treatment of certain cancers, the development of cell death blockers – that could be similarly game-changing for neurodegenerative conditions -- has proven challenging. The study demonstrates the potential to identify drugs that block cell death and may open a new avenue to find much-needed disease-modifying drugs for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, said the researchers.
ABC News
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Gus Nossal reflects and launches a new research chair
Gus Nossal, from his hospital bed, announces funding a new professorial chair at the WEHI, the famed Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne. Gus, a great friend of The Science Show and the ABC Science Unit, is nearly 94 and ailing, but he is keen to assure scientifically-minded young people that research is still an exciting prospect despite its vanishingly low profile during the election. Sir Gus has now funded a fresh line of research at the lab he once led. Guest Gus Nossal Presenter Robyn Williams Producer David Fisher
