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One in five boys lagging behind peers at school

A large study of more than 1000 Australian grade three school children has found that one in five boys in this age group have an emotional or behavioural problem and lag academically about 12 months behind their peers.
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Research News

Freeing up hospital beds – how children can leave hospital sooner

Experts have found that some children with severe infections requiring intravenous (through the vein) (IV) antibiotics, can safely have these at home instead of in hospital. This will help children to leave hospital earlier, which will free up hospital beds and will allow kids to recover at home with their families. A world-wide systematic review into the delivery of IV antibiotics by nurses visiting the child in their own home looked at whether this approach to treatment was as good as in hospital in terms of safety, cost and patient satisfaction. The study published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases looked at studies across Australia and the globe where children were given IV antibiotics at home and compared them to those given in hospital. The results showed that patients and families preferred to be at home and that it was cost effective for the healthcare system, freeing up beds for other...
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Institute News

Louisa Di Pietro inducted into Lifetime achievement honour roll

Commitment to equity and fairness, as well as years of hard work has seen Louisa Di Pietro from the Genetic Support Network Victoria (GSNV) inducted in the Lifetime achievement honour roll at the 2017 Victorian Disability Awards! Former Group Leader of the GSNV (2009 – 2016) and current team member, Louisa has worked as an active peer support worker, advocate and researcher to support individuals made less able by their genetics. This includes her involvement in the establishment and facilitation of over 20 support groups in Victoria for people living with disabilities. The GSNV is co-located at MCRI and works in cooperation with MCRI and Victorian Clinical Genetics Services to better support Victorians impacted by a genetic condition and their experience with genetic health. The GSNV acts a conduit between the community and genetic health services and provides education, support and advocacy in order that a continuum of care is...
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Research News

Research trial shows evidence that a cure may be possible for peanut allergy

We need your help to make breakthroughs like these a reality! Click here to support this research. A treatment for deadly peanut allergy undergoing clinical trials at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) has shown long-lasting effects, more than four years after the original study. It provides the strongest evidence yet that a cure may be possible for peanut allergy and holds important implications for attacking the modern food allergy epidemic. Peanut allergy is the commonest cause of anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction, and one of the commonest causes of death from food allergy. At the end of the original trial in 2013, 82% of children who received the probiotic and peanut oral immunotherapy (PPOIT) were deemed tolerant to peanuts and went home eating peanut Four years later, the majority of children who gained initial tolerance are still eating peanut as part of their normal diet (80%) and have passed...
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Student News

Student Information Evening

Join us at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute for pizza and drinks, meet potential supervisors and current students and find out more about Honours, Masters and PhD projects offered in 2018.
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Research News

Disadvantaged kids may be at higher risk for heart disease later in life

Children from socially and economically disadvantaged families and neighbourhoods appear more likely to have thicker carotid artery walls, which in adults may indicate higher risk for heart attack and stroke in later life according to new research at MCRI, which has been published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
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Student News

MCRI Student Life – Q&A with Masters student Cameron McKnight

Cameron McKnight is a Master of Biomedical Science student within the Mitochondrial Research group at MCRI, which is part of our Genetics theme. Tell us about your research and what you hope to achieve? I study genetic disorders that affect mitochondrial function. Mitochondrial disease is a rare disorder, but it affects more than 1 in 5000 children born each year. A diagnosis can be devastating for the children affected and their families. Over 270 genes are known to cause this disease, making diagnoses difficult and time consuming. However, with the decreased cost of genomic sequencing, diagnostic rates are improving. There are currently no known treatments, but that’s where I hope to come in. I have generated human embryonic stem cell lines to model specific genetic mutations commonly seen in children. Using these lines, I can differentiate the stem cells into the most affected tissues and study the effects of various...
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Research News

The effects of childhood stroke on motor skills

Stroke is one of the top 10 causes of death in children, yet there is very little research around childhood stroke. Researchers from the Murdoch Children’s Research institute (MCRI) have undertaken a first ever study to systematically evaluate motor function across a 12 month period, following the diagnosis of arterial ischaemic stroke (a stroke that is caused by a blood clot).
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