Gallery launch supports child health

By Eszter Vasenszky, February 2010

The launch of the Red Desert Dreamings Gallery is giving a vital boost to child health research.

Research Priorities

By Eszter Vasenszky, February 2010

There are a number of significant health conditions on the rise in Australian children today, which remain unsolved and have the potential to create an enormous social and financial burden on families and the community. Murdoch Childrens has identified four of these areas as strategic priorities for our research team.

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  Immunisation Research (VIRGo/Immunisation CCRE)

Swine flu vaccine trial results in children published

By Eszter Vasenszky, December 2009

An Australian study into the effectiveness of a H1N1 swine flu vaccine has revealed a single dose produces an excellent response against the virus in most children.

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  Immunisation Research (VIRGo/Immunisation CCRE)

Sport the leading cause of child head injuries

By Eszter Vasenszky, December 2009

Sports are the leading cause of head injuries among Victorian children and adolescents presenting to hospital, with Australian Rules football accounting for one in three sports-related head injuries, according to a study by the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.

Critical Care and Neurosciences  /  Child Neuropsychology

Females battle to suppress their inner male

By Eszter Vasenszky, December 2009

The discovery by German scientists that turning off a single gene can cause masculinity in female mice could have important implications for humans, according to world renowned genetics expert Professor Andrew Sinclair, from the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.

Early Development and Disease  /  Molecular Development

Australian preschoolers get fatter

By Eszter Vasenszky, December 2009

The number of overweight and obese Australian preschoolers increased by more than 8000 between 2004 and 2008 as children spent more time watching television and less time being physically active, new research shows.

Healthy Development  /  Public Health Hearing

Video games linked to poor health

By Eszter Vasenszky, December 2009

Children who play video games are putting themselves at increased risk of poor health and well-being, researchers at Murdoch Childrens have found.

Healthy Development  /  Community Child Health

Helping mothers beat depression

By Eszter Vasenszky, December 2009

Better national strategies are needed to identify and treat depression in women during and after pregnancy, according to researchers at Murdoch Childrens.

Healthy Development  /  Healthy Mothers Healthy Families

Preparing couples for life with a new baby

By Eszter Vasenszky, December 2009

Relationship problems, tiredness, guilt and anxiety are among problems experienced by many new mothers, a study has found.

Healthy Development  /  Healthy Mothers Healthy Families

Australian boys more violent than US peers

By Eszter Vasenszky, November 2009

Australian school boys have admitted to being more violent than their US counterparts.

Healthy Development  /  Adolescent Health

‘Hearts and Minds’ study celebrates young patients

By Eszter Vasenszky, November 2009

A celebration was recently held to thank families involved in a study looking at the impact of heart surgery on babies’ brains.

Critical Care and Neurosciences  /  Paediatric Intensive Care

Gates grant funds pneumonia research

By Eszter Vasenszky, November 2009

Murdoch Childrens Research Institute has received a US$1.25 million (AUD$1.34 million) grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help combat childhood pneumonia.

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  International Child Health

What kind of doctor gives Botox to a five year old?

By Rebecca Harford, October 2009

Chances are, if the child has cerebral palsy, then the doctor would be a specialist at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.

Musculoskeletal Disorders  /  Orthopaedics and Gait Analysis

You breathe a sigh of relief that she’s alive. Then you discover she can’t breathe.

By Rebecca Harford, October 2009

It’s a miracle that little Montana, 16 weeks premature and weighing less than a pound of butter, has actually survived. But she is not out of the woods yet.

Critical Care and Neurosciences  /  Victorian Infant Brain Studies (VIBeS)

Teens and young adults most at risk of death

By Eszter Vasenszky, September 2009

Young people from developed countries including Australia are up to four times more likely to die in their late teens and early twenties than in earlier childhood.

Healthy Development  /  Adolescent Health

Better policies needed to fight childhood obesity

By Eszter Vasenszky, September 2009

Current national guidelines for GPs to help overweight and obese children lose weight are costly and ineffective, according to a new Australian study published online in the British Medical Journal.

Healthy Development  /  Public Health Hearing

Reassessing alcohol in pregnancy

By Eszter Vasenszky, September 2009

Women are told not to drink during pregnancy to protect their babies, but can the odd glass of wine actually cause any harm?

Laboratory and Community Genetics  /  Public Health Genetics

Sex determining gene in birds identified

By Eszter Vasenszky, August 2009

The key gene that determines sex in birds has been discovered by researchers at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, University of Melbourne and CSIRO, as published online today in the prestigious journal Nature.

Laboratory and Community Genetics  /  Mitochondrial & Metabolic Research

Very premature toddlers face social-emotional problems

By Eszter Vasenszky, August 2009

More than a third of children born very premature display symptoms of social-emotional problems including anxiety and depression by the time they turn two, according to a new study by the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.

Critical Care and Neurosciences  /  Victorian Infant Brain Studies (VIBeS)

Pandemic H1N1 swine flu vaccine trial set to start

By Eszter Vasenszky, July 2009

Children are being recruited for a pandemic H1N1 swine flu vaccine trial set to begin in Melbourne next week.

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  Immunisation Research (VIRGo/Immunisation CCRE)

Head injuries strike youngsters

By Eszter Vasenszky, July 2009

Babies and toddlers are twice as likely to present to hospital with head injuries as older children, according to new research from the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.

Critical Care and Neurosciences  /  Child Neuropsychology

Premature birth: Angus’ story

By Rebecca Harford, July 2009

Realising Angus would be born 15 weeks early and with less than 50 percent chance of survival was terrifying for his parents Michael & Andrea

Critical Care and Neurosciences  /  Victorian Infant Brain Studies (VIBeS)

Childhood leukaemia: Jordans story

By Rebecca Harford, July 2009

Chemotherapy was traumatic for five-year-old Jordan.

Early Development and Disease  /  Cancer

Children who stutter: Caleb’s story

By Rebecca Harford, July 2009

Five year old Caleb started stuttering two years ago.

Healthy Development  /  Language and Literacy

Nut allergy: Monte’s story

By Rebecca Harford, July 2009

It just took a hint of cashews in a piece carrot cake for eight-year-old Monte to be covered head to toe in hives and struggling to breathe.

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  Allergy and Immune Disorders

Alcohol in teens risky for adult health

By Eszter Vasenszky, June 2009

Drinking ‘safe’ amounts of alcohol does not protect teenagers from developing alcohol-related problems as adults.

Healthy Development  /  Adolescent Health

Common anti-clot drug less safe in children

By Eszter Vasenszky, June 2009

New research has shown Heparin is neither as safe nor as effective in children as previously thought

Critical Care and Neurosciences  /  Haematology Research

Good bugs in pregnancy ward off infant allergy

By Eszter Vasenszky, June 2009

Giving probiotics to women in the final weeks of pregnancy leads to a healthy gut flora in their babies and may reduce the risk of eczema in young children.

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  Allergy and Immune Disorders

Placenta a vitamin D gatekeeper

By Eszter Vasenszky, June 2009

Vitamin D levels are usually tightly regulated by the liver but double during pregnancy. The reason why this happens is beginning to be understood.

Early Development and Disease  /  Developmental Epigenetics

National Award for Professor Melissa Wake

By Eszter Vasenszky, June 2009

Professor Melissa Wake is the recipient of the 2009 Federal Health Minister’s Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research.

Healthy Development  /  Community Child Health

Hip disease scale

By Kylie Skotnicki, April 2009

Researchers at Murdoch Childrens, in collaboration with Melbourne University and the Royal Children’s Hospital, have created the first classification system for hip displacement in children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Musculoskeletal Disorders  /  Orthopaedics and Gait Analysis

GPs & prenatal screening

By Kylie Skotnicki, April 2009

General Practitioners need better support with informing women of prenatal screening tests for foetal abnormality, according to new research at Murdoch Childrens.

Laboratory and Community Genetics  /  Public Health Genetics

Understanding food allergy and anaphylaxis in adolescent school students

By Kylie Skotnicki, March 2009

Childhood food allergy such as peanut allergy has become a major public health problem. The apparently-rising incidence is magnified by the extremely rare but devastating consequences of sudden death in a healthy child following food-induced anaphylaxis.

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  Allergy and Immune Disorders

Stuttering in preschool common but recoverable

By Kylie Skotnicki, March 2009

Stuttering is much more common during the pre-school years than previously thought, new research has found.

Healthy Development  /  Language and Literacy

Finding a new trigger for stomach cancer

By Kylie Skotnicki, March 2009

New research by Murdoch Childrens could lead to early detection of stomach cancer and the development of new drugs to prevent the disease.

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  Gastrointestinal Research in Inflammation and Pathology (GRIP)

2010 program grant winner

By Kylie Skotnicki, February 2009

Professor Andrew Sinclair has been awarded $5 million from the Federal Government for research into Disorders of sexual development.

Early Development and Disease  /  Molecular Development

Disclosing genetic research results

By Kylie Skotnicki, February 2009

Information obtained from performing genetic tests on stored tissue samples can be highly valuable, but is it ethical?

Laboratory and Community Genetics  /  Genetics Education and Health Research

Helping children grow tall and strong

By Kylie Skotnicki, February 2009

More than 1000 children born in Australia every year have skeletal formation problems which lead to poorly formed and fragile bones, early arthritis and short stature.

Musculoskeletal Disorders  /  Skeletal Biology and Disease

Smell ability linked to ADHD

By Kylie Skotnicki, February 2009

For the first time, a link has been made between a child’s sense of smell and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Critical Care and Neurosciences  /  Developmental Neuropsychiatry Research

Clinical trials for Rotavirus vaccine

By Kylie Skotnicki, December 2008

MCRI has announced a new partnership with a Seattle based non profit health organisation called PATH, to produce a rotavirus vaccine candidate for clinical trials.

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  Enteric Viruses

Improving diagnosis of childhood stroke

By Kylie Skotnicki, December 2008

Stroke is among the top ten causes of death in children and over half of stroke survivors will experience long term disabilities.

Critical Care and Neurosciences  /  Neuroscience Research

Embryonic heart exhibits capacity to regenerate

By Kylie Skotnicki, December 2008

A new study demonstrates that the embryonic mouse heart has an astounding capacity to replace diseased tissue through the regeneration of healthy cells.

Laboratory and Community Genetics  /  Mitochondrial & Metabolic Research

Type 1 diabetes – identifying a cause

By Kylie Skotnicki, December 2008

The National Medical Research Council has announced it will provide funding for MCRI to intensify work into the environmental determinants of type 1 diabetes in childhood.

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  Environmental and Genetic Epidemiology Research

Infant sleep beats mum's long-term depression

By Kylie Skotnicki, December 2008

Managing infant sleep problems significantly reduces maternal depression symptoms, and shows no long term adverse effects to the mother or the child.

Healthy Development  /  Community Child Health

Finding Cancer's Cause

By Kylie Skotnicki, November 2008

MCRI is embarking upon the world’s largest study into the cause of leukaemia, the most common type of childhood cancer.

Early Development and Disease / The Children's Cancer Center

Sleepy kids suffer

By Kylie Skotnicki, September 2008

Primary school children with sleep problems are falling behind in their early years at school because their disrupted nights are leaving them tired, grumpy and unable to concentrate.

Healthy Development  /  Community Child Health

Sugar helps the pain go away

By Kylie Skotnicki, September 2008

Babies under intensive care often require frequent painful procedures, but the long-term impact of exposure to pain on a baby's health is not known.

Critical Care and Neurosciences  /  Anaesthesia and Pain Management

Peanut allergy myth debunked

By Kylie Skotnicki, September 2008

MCRI PhD student and epidemiologist Jennifer Koplin was recently presented with the Fresh Science award for her research into peanut allergies.

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  Allergy and Immune Disorders

Mitocarta: the mitochondria blueprint

By Kylie Skotnicki, September 2008

MCRI researchers David Thorburn, Canny Sugiana and Avihu Boneh, in conjunction with Harvard University researchers, have created a world-first blueprint of the mitochondria, our body’s “powerplants”.

Laboratory and Community Genetics  /  Mitochondrial & Metabolic Research

Environmental factors lower risk of Multiple Sclerosis

By Kylie Skotnicki, September 2008

Both sun exposure and having younger siblings can affect the risk of developing Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  Environmental and Genetic Epidemiology Research

MCRI health and medical research makes top ten again

By Kylie Skotnicki, September 2008

MCRI research has been included in the NHMRC’s publication ‘10 of the best’ for the fourth time in the last three years, which is the most a research institute or University has been recognised.

Healthy Development  /  Obesity, Physical Activity and Nutrition

Improved outcomes following heart surgery

By Kylie Skotnicki, July 2008

Improved outcomes following heart surgery

Critical Care and Neurosciences  /  Heart Research

Our research priorities

By Alyssa Jones, May 2008

Our research priorities

Mobile phones used in battle against depression

By Alyssa Jones, May 2008

Mobile phones used in battle against depression

Healthy Development  /  Adolescent Health

Mitochondrial disorders passed on by healthy mums

By Alyssa Jones, May 2008

Mitochondrial disorders passed on by healthy mums

Laboratory and Community Genetics  /  Mitochondrial & Metabolic Research

Adult influenza vaccine study

By Alyssa Jones, April 2008

Adult participants needed for influenza vaccine study

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  Immunisation Research (VIRGo/Immunisation CCRE)

Iron overload affects men

By Kellie Furey, January 2008

Men's health at risk from iron overload

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  Gut and Liver

2000 Stories

By Kellie Furey, January 2008

2000 Stories

Healthy Development  /  Alcohol and Drug Use

Top research discoveries

By Kellie Furey, December 2007

A life saving vaccine

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  Enteric Viruses

Diabetes affects mental health

By Kellie Furey, December 2007

Mental health is the leading complication of diabetes according to researchers.

Early Development and Disease  /  Diabetes

$10 Million - A Life Saving Investment

By Kellie Furey, September 2007

Murdoch Childrens Research Institute will receive a $10 million injection for vital child health research, from the National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC), as announced by the Prime Minister John Howard today.

Cord blood gives second chance

By Kellie Furey, September 2007

Cord blood is found in the placenta and umbilical cord which is usually discarded after childbirth. It is rich in blood-forming haemopoietic stem cells which when transplanted can replace blood cells destroyed by chemotherapy.

Early Development and Disease / Cord Blood Bank

SMILE Foundation supports innovative research at MCRI

By Kellie Furey, September 2007

The SMILE (Supporting Medical Innovation for Life Enhancement) Foundation was launched in Sydney on 21 July. SMILE has been established by like-minded business people to support research into diagnosis, treatment and cures for rare childhood diseases and helps affected families.

Laboratory and Community Genetics  /  Mitochondrial & Metabolic Research

Family finds a cause in loss of a son to allergy

By Kellie Furey, August 2007

A father whose son died from a severe allergic reaction was joined by his Macquarie Bank colleagues to fund important research into the condition at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  Allergy and Immune Disorders

Australia’s obese children need help now

By Kellie Furey, July 2007

Australian children are fatter and less fit than they have ever been. It is estimated that more than 200,000 of our two–18 year olds are obese.

Healthy Development  /  Obesity, Physical Activity and Nutrition

Can probiotics prevent eczema in children?

By Kellie Furey, July 2007

In the past 30 years the number of children affected by eczema, asthma and allergic rhinitis has more than doubled, with one in three Australian kids now suffering some kind of allergy.

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  Allergy and Immune Disorders

Circus training for children with cerebral palsy

By Kellie Furey, July 2007

Murdoch Childrens Research Institute recently collaborated with the Brain Research Institute (BRI), Circus Oz and the YMCA to trial an innovative approach to rehabilitation for children with cerebral palsy using circus training.

Critical Care and Neurosciences  /  Victorian Infant Brain Studies (VIBeS)

Creating new bone gives hope for craniofacial repair

By Kellie Furey, July 2007

What happens when the bones in the skull are damaged by trauma or a baby is born with insufficient bone to form a normal sized skull, as in the case of one in 2000 infants affected by craniosynostosis?

Musculoskeletal Disorders  /  Craniofacial Research

Finding the cause of cancer

By Kellie Furey, July 2007

Solid tumours cause one third of all malignant cancer in children, of these brain tumours and sarcomas are the most significant causes of death.

Early Development and Disease / Cell Biology Laboratory

A Healthy Start to Life for All Australians

By Kellie Furey, July 2007

The National Health & Medical Research Council (NH&MRC) has announced the recipients of ‘A Healthy Start to Life for All Australians’ grants.

Early Development and Disease  /  Developmental Epigenetics

Healthy Development  /  Mental Health, Behaviour and Wellbeing

What do Marilyn Monroe and Winston Churchill have in common?

By Kellie Furey, July 2007

They both stuttered as children. So did Nat King Cole, Isaac Newton & Sam Neil.

Healthy Development  /  Language and Literacy

Rural children need better dental care

By Kellie Furey, July 2007

Children in rural Victoria are four times more likely to be hospitalised for dental problems than those in metropolitan Melbourne.

Musculoskeletal Disorders  /  Oral Health Research

Improving the future for children with traumatic brain injury

By Kellie Furey, July 2007

A Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a relatively high-prevalence injury, often affecting younger children and adolescents.

Critical Care and Neurosciences  /  Child Neuropsychology

Crohn’s disease

By Kellie Furey, March 2007

Researchers aim to learn more about the incurable bowel inflammation which affects 70,000 Australians.

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  Intestinal Failure and Clinical Nutrition

The long term effects of anaethetics on babies

By Kellie Furey, February 2007

Our new study will investigate whether giving infants a general anaethetic causes long term neurological damage

Critical Care and Neurosciences  /  Anaesthesia and Pain Management

Why are children now more likely to have immune disorders?

By Kellie Furey, February 2007

Our new research aims to understand why auto immune disorders, where the body's defense system attacks its own healthy cells, are on the rise among Australian children.

Our tall poppy

By Alyssa Jones, January 2007

Dr Rony Duncan was recently awarded The Australian Institute of Policy & Science's Young Tall Poppy Science Award

Healthy Development  /  Adolescent Health

$2 million to support the future health of children

By Alyssa Jones, January 2007

Children's health recently received a massive boost, thanks to $14 million in funding awarded to the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute from the National Health & Medical Research Council.

Primary students show high rates of alcohol use

By Alyssa Jones, December 2006

Australian primary and secondary school aged children are drinking alcohol at twice the rate of their American counterparts, a new study has shown.

Healthy Development  /  Adolescent Health

Rested parents give nod to sleep study

By Alyssa Jones, December 2006

Our world first study has found that postnatal depression can be dramatically reduced.

Healthy Development  /  Community Child Health

Stepping Out

By Alyssa Jones, August 2006

Stepping Out, a report detailing the activities of the first 18 months of the Gait Centre for Clinical Research Excellence, was released in August 2006.

Musculoskeletal Disorders  /  Orthopaedics and Gait Analysis

Children's cancer research goes world class

By Alyssa Jones, June 2006

The fight against children's cancer was given a major boost with the opening of new world class cancer research laboratories.

Early Development and Disease  /  Cancer

The impact of diabetes on brain development

By Alyssa Jones, May 2006

If glucose levels in the brain are too high or low, skills such as attention, memory, processing and problem solving can be affected.

Early Development and Disease  /  Diabetes

A website to help Australian parents raise their children

By Alyssa Jones, May 2006

A landmark Australian website is helping parents and carers raise young children.

Healthy Development

Drug hope for Friedreich's ataxia

By Tanya Hollis, March 2006

An antioxidant drug that is hoped to slow the progression of the neurological genetic disease Friedreich's ataxia is about to enter trials.

Laboratory and Community Genetics  /  Genetic Health Research (Bruce Lefroy Centre)

Gastro vaccine on hold for more funding

By Tanya Hollis, March 2006

An affordable vaccine that could ward off the most common cause of gastroenteritis is a small step closer.

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  Enteric Viruses

Viagra helps critically ill babies

By Alyssa Jones, January 2006

The erectile dysfunction drug Viagra has been found to have a new life saving use.

Critical Care and Neurosciences

MRI predicts risks for premature babies

By Alyssa Jones, November 2005

New research has revealed that imaging the brains of premature babies give doctors vital clues as to how those babies will develop as children.

Critical Care and Neurosciences

Bird flu vaccine trial a success

By Alyssa Jones, November 2005

The vaccine was tested in 400 healthy adults aged 18 - 45 and the trial showed that it was well tolerated among recipients.

Infection, Immunity and Environment  /  Immunisation Research (VIRGo/Immunisation CCRE)

Solving the puzzle of childhood disabilities

By Alyssa Jones, March 2005

Solve is a new research project seeking to uncover the cause of disabilities including cerebral palsy, intellectual disability and autism.

Critical Care and Neurosciences