Yesterday was World AIDS Day, marking 40 years since HIV/AIDS was first identified in the USA. It’s estimated that 39 million people worldwide have lost their lives to the virus, including 8000 Australians. As the Burnet Institute reports below, a lot has improved over the past four decades – cases are at an all-time low in Australia and HIV can be effectively managed with antiretroviral treatment – but there is still work to be done in addressing ongoing stigma in the community and global inequalities in access to treatment. At The Alfred, two clinical trials are testing new techniques for treating HIV, offering hope for a long-awaited cure.
Elsewhere on the precinct, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute is marking the end of their 95th year with some personal reflections from researchers about why they got into heart and diabetes research and what inspires them in their work. Monash has secured significant funding for blood cancer and neuroscience research; Burnet experts weigh in on the new coronavirus variant, Omicron; and The Alfred’s ICU is busier than ever.
Forty years on from the first reported cases of HIV/AIDS, a lot has improved but there is still work to be done.
Alfred Health
Refreshed hopes for HIV cure
A cure to HIV could be a step closer thanks to two long awaited trials recruiting at The Alfred.
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Eating disorders on the rise
A dramatic increase in the number of young people presenting to health services with serious eating disorders is one of the most concerning trends to come out of COVID-19, say mental health experts.
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The Alfred’s ICU still busier than ever
The Alfred’s ICU is busier than ever, treating some of the country’s most critically ill patients in record numbers.
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Age-old STI once again on the rise
An Alfred Health study has revealed gonorrhoea infections in Victoria have dramatically increased over the past decade.
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Hercules arrives to take on record testing
When you think of the mythological Hercules, you think of strength, brute force and size.
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Monash University – Central Clinical School
ASPIRE award to support blood cancer research
Monash University’s Associate Professor Ross Dickins has been awarded a USD $232,000 (approximately $325,000 AUD) ASPIRE Award to support his research into preventing relapse following acute myeloid leukemia (AML) therapy from US-based philanthropic organisation The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research.
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Monash secures more than $13m in NHMRC Ideas Grants in neuroscience and mental research
Monash Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences has been awarded more than $13 million in funding across 13 neuroscience and mental health projects in the latest round of National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ideas Grants.
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Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
Inspire discovery
Coming to the end of our 95th anniversary year, we asked some of our team to reflect on the special personal connection they have to their work at the Baker Institute.
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New Baker department at La Trobe University
La Trobe University and renowned medical research institute, the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, have strengthened their research collaborations by announcing a new Baker Department of Cardiovascular Research, Translation and Implementation.
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Burnet Institute
Call for action on global COVID-19 vaccines
Professor Brendan Crabb AC is among leading health and aid experts calling for Australia to commit $250 million to the COVAX global vaccination effort.
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40 years of HIV – where to next?
40 years of HIV – Where to next? was the theme for World AIDS Day 2021, and official events in Victoria commenced with good news from State Health Minister, The Hon Martin Foley.
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Well Beyond 50
The UNAIDS theme for World AIDS Day 2021 is ‘End inequalities. End AIDS’ and Burnet is playing its part with a new project to support people living with HIV who are aged over 50.
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Experts urge caution on Omicron
Allowing the Omicron variant to run its course in the community in the expectation that it will prove to be less virulent than Delta would be a serious mistake, Burnet Institute Deputy Director, Associate Professor David Anderson has warned.
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Omicron variant
The World Health Organization has declared the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of SARS-CoV-2 a new variant of concern.
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Vaccine equity a ‘must’ for new variant
With the emergence of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant, Burnet Institute Director and CEO, Professor Brendan Crabb AC argues Australia’s primary responsibility should be to support global vaccine equity in an interview with host Rachel Mealey on ABC Radio’s The World Today.
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