Latest News

Telethon Institute research provides new insights into the cause of asthma attacks

tammyg — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 15:28:03 +0800

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Telethon Institute for Child Health Research scientist Dr Anthony Bosco has been recognised for his cutting edge research investigating asthma attacks in children.

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Telethon Institute for Child Health Research scientist Dr Anthony Bosco has been recognised for his cutting edge research investigating asthma attacks in children.

Dr Bosco, in collaboration with Professor Fernando Martinez from the University of Arizona, have discovered a network of inflammatory genes that cause asthma attacks in children. The results could pave the way for the development of new drugs to combat this chronic lung disease which affects more than 2 million Australians.

The research has seen Dr Bosco honoured with an ‘Early Career Award’ from the University of Western Australia for the most outstanding published work accepted in 2010-11.

The study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, took a different approach to investigating the cause of asthma. In contrast to previous studies which have looked for one gene at a time, this study considered how multiple genes working in combination can bring about asthma attacks.

“We took a big picture approach to determine how hundreds of genes work together in networks to cause asthma. Our unique approach demonstrated for the first time that a gene called IRF7 plays a major role in switching on a large gene network that triggers asthma attacks.”

Dr Bosco says more research is now needed into the role of IRF7 in asthma with the hope that further studies could eventually lead to the development of new treatments to combat this debilitating disease.

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Bosco A, Ehteshami S, Panyala S, Martinez FD. Interferon regulatory factor 7 is a major hub connecting interferon-mediated responses in virus-induced asthma exacerbations in vivo. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012 Jan;129(1):88-94.

Media contact:
Elizabeth Chester
Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
+61 9 489 7965
elizabeth@ichr.uwa.edu.au

New research links poor language to lack of Vitamin D in womb

efrost — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:19:40 +0800

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New research from Perth’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research has found that children of mums who had low levels of Vitamin D during pregnancy are twice as likely to have language difficulties.

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The research, published in the latest edition of the international journal Pediatrics, is the largest study of its kind into the link between a mother’s vitamin D levels and the effect on her child’s speech and behavioural development.

The study looked at Vitamin D concentrations during the pregnancies of more than 740 women, with follow up investigations of their child’s development and behaviour at regular periods up to 17 years of age.

Lead author, Associate Professor Andrew Whitehouse, said the finding was significant, given that Vitamin D levels among women are known to have decreased steadily over the past 20 years.

“The developing baby is completely reliant on the mother for its Vitamin D levels and what we have shown is that this might have an impact on the child’s brain development,” Dr Whitehouse said.

“While these findings are tremendously exciting, they will need to be replicated by other research groups. More research is needed for us to fully understand the impact of Vitamin D levels on the developing brain.”

Dr Whitehouse said the findings had significant implications in that it could provide an early intervention to prevent some language difficulties.

“We would now like to explore whether Vitamin D supplements in pregnancy could reduce the risk of language problems for children.”

The study found no association between Vitamin D levels and childhood behaviour and emotional problems.

Citation:
Whitehouse, A.J.O., Holt, B.J., Serralha, M., Holt, P.G., Kusel, M.M.H., Hart P.H. (in press). Maternal serum vitamin D levels during pregnancy and offspring neurocognitive development. Pediatrics.

Media contact to arrange an interview with Dr Whitehouse:
Elizabeth Chester
Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
+61 9 489 7965
elizabeth@ichr.uwa.edu.au

Telethon Institute Research project in nation's top 10

efrost — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:27:30 +0800

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A program of research at Perth’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research to uncover the key drivers to improve child health and wellbeing has been today recognised as one of the Ten of the Best Research Projects of 2011 by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

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The $8 million grant over five years funded research teams led by the State’s most experienced and respected health researchers including Professors Fiona Stanley, Steve Zubrick, Carol Bower, Nick De Klerk, Sven Silburn, Associate Professor Deborah Lehmann and Dr Helen Leonard.

Some of the group’s achievements include:

evidence to support the fortification of bread with folate to reduce serious birth defects like spina bifida
evidence to underpin the new national guidelines for consuming alcohol in pregnancy
initiatives to reduce serious infections like pneumonia and gastroenteritis in Aboriginal children
research to support the introduction of a vaccine to cut the incidence of Hib meningitis
establishing a cerebral palsy register that has now been adopted nationally to better understand the causes, most effective treatments and services
better understanding trends and causes of autism spectrum disorders
documenting a rise in common form of birth defect – hypospadias
development of an index of early child development for Australia that has now been rolled out nationally.

The Institute’s Acting Director, Professor Moira Clay, said the honour recognised WA’s leadership in many aspects of child health research.

“This body of work has contributed to a range of initiatives to improve child health that is felt by every family in Australia,” Professor Clay said.

“If you’re eating folate in your bread to prevent birth defects, vaccinating your children against meningitis or understanding the dangers of alcohol in pregnancy, then this powerhouse team has made a difference.”

Research funded by the NHMRC program grant has generated more than 360 journal articles, nine books and 30 book chapters. The program grant team has also made significant contributions to the understanding and diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome, otitis media and other ear diseases in Aboriginal children, metabolic syndrome, adolescent fatty liver disease and psychological problems. It has established the value of first trimester screening for chromosomal disorders in WA and the risk of birth defects in children born following assisted conception. The research has demonstrated the benefits of swimming pools in remote communities and documented critical antenatal factors in mental health problems.

The Ten of the Best publication can be found at www.nhmrc.gov.au You can find out more about research from the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research at www.childhealthresearch.org.au.

New study links testosterone levels in the womb and language problems

tammyg — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:11:24 +0800

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New research from Perth’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research has found that boys who are exposed to high levels of testosterone before birth are twice as likely to experience delays in language development.

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The research has been published in the latest edition of the international Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

The study, led by Associate Professor Andrew Whitehouse, used umbilical cord blood to explore the presence of testosterone when the language-related regions of a fetus’ brain are undergoing a critical period of growth.

Dr Whitehouse said the finding is significant in that it gives a biological explanation for why boys language development differs to that in girls.

“An estimated 12% of toddlers experience significant delays in their language development,” Dr Whitehouse said.

“While language development varies between individuals, boys tend to develop later and at a slower rate than girls.”

Dr Whitehouse said the research team wanted to test whether this could be due to prenatal exposure to sex-steroids such as testosterone.

Male fetuses are known to have 10 times the circulating levels of testosterone compared to females. The team proposed that higher levels of exposure to prenatal testosterone may increase the likelihood of language development delays.

Dr Whitehouse’s team measured levels of testosterone in the umbilical cord blood of 767 newborns before examining their language ability at 1, 2 and 3-years of age.

The results showed boys with high levels of testosterone in cord blood were between two-and-three times more likely to experience language delay. However, the opposite effect was found in girls, where high-levels of testosterone in cord blood were associated with a decreased risk of language delay.

Previous smaller studies have explored the link between testosterone levels in amniotic fluid and language development. However, this is the first large population-based study to explore the relationship between umbilical cord blood and language delay in the first three years of life.

“Language delay is one of the most common reasons children are taken to a Paediatrician,” Dr Whitehouse said.“Potentially, this could help us to identify children at higher risk for language delay at an earlier age, increasing the opportunity for effective therapies.”

Dr Whitehouse heads the Autism Research Team at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research and is also investigating whether testosterone levels in the womb could be a risk factor for autism.

Full Citation: Whitehouse. A, Mattes. E, Maybery. M, Sawyer. M, Jacoby. P, Keelan. J, Hickey. M, “Sex-specific associations between umbilical cord blood testosterone levels and language delay in early childhood,” Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Wiley-Blackwell, January 2012, DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02523.x

About the Journal:
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, internationally recognised to be the leading journal covering both child and adolescent psychology and psychiatry. JCPP publishes the highest quality clinically relevant research in psychology, psychiatry and related disciplines. With a large and expanding global readership, its coverage includes studies on epidemiology, diagnosis, psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological treatments, behaviour, cognition, neuroscience, neurobiology and genetic aspects of childhood disorders.

Journal URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1469-7610

Contact the Author:
Associate Professor Andrew Whitehouse can be contacted via:
Elizabeth Chester, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
Phone: +61 8 9489 7965
Email: elizabeth@ichr.uwa.edu.au

About the Author:
Associate Professor Andrew Whitehouse leads the Autism and Related Disorders Research Team at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research (University of Western Australia). Dr Whitehouse originally trained as a Speech Pathologist, before completing a PhD in Psychology. He undertook postdoctoral studies as the Junior Research Fellow for Studies in Autism at the University of Oxford (University College) from 2005 to 2009, and in 2009 he returned to Perth to take up his current position.

About Wiley-Blackwell:
Wiley-Blackwell is the international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons, with strengths in every major academic and professional field and partnerships with many of the world’s leading societies. Wiley-Blackwell publishes nearly 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols. For more information, please visit www.wileyblackwell.com or our new online platform, Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), one of the world’s most extensive multidisciplinary collections of online resources, covering life, health, social and physical sciences, and humanities.

Fiona Stanley appointed to Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council

elizabeth — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:15:42 +0800

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Telethon Institute for Child Health Research Patron Professor Fiona Stanley has been reappointed to Australia’s peak science advisory body, the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC).

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Prime Minister Julia Gillard made the announcement in Canberra today.

Professor Stanley is one of six individual standing members, chosen for their contributions to science and research. Professor Stanley said she was honoured to be reappointed to PMSEIC.

“As our nation, like many others, faces increasingly complex challenges, it’s important that good science and evidence underpins the policy development to tackle these,” Professor Stanley said.

“I welcome the commitment to in depth, interdisciplinary research on longer term issues facing Australia.”

The appointment was welcomed by Institute Acting Director, Professor Moira Clay.

“Fiona’s appointment gives Western Australia a voice on PMSEIC and ensures that Australia’s scientific community will continue to benefit from her extraordinary experience and wisdom,” Professor Clay said.

Professor Stanley retired as Institute Director in December, but has an ongoing program of research with colleagues at the Institute.

For more information about PMSEIC, visit http://www.innovation.gov.au/Science/PMSEIC/Pages/default.aspx

Too many sugary drinks for Aussie kids

tammyg — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:46:30 +0800

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New research from Perth’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research shows that consumption of sugary drinks is high amongst Australian children and adolescents with the majority consumed in the home.

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The research has been published online in the international journal BMC Public Health.

Lead author Kate Hafekost said around 80 per cent of Australian children drank sugary drinks which include carbonated soft drinks (including energy drinks), juices with added sugar, cordial, sports drinks, milkshakes/smoothies and flavoured milk.

“Not only was consumption of sugary drinks high in Australian children, we also saw that the majority (77 per cent) were purchased in supermarkets and 60 per cent were consumed in the home environment,” said Ms Hafekost.

“Less than 17 per cent of sugary drinks were sourced from the school canteen or a fast food outlet, despite these sources being the focus of many public health recommendations.

“These findings suggest that health messages should target supermarkets as the key source of the sugary drinks.”

The data was drawn from the 2007 Australian National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, a representative random sample of 4,834 Australian children aged 2 to 16 years.

The study team also saw differences in patterns of consumption across different age groups and parental education levels.

“Older children tended to drink more carbonated and sports drinks, while younger children drank more juice with added sugar and cordial. While children whose parents had higher levels of education consumed less carbonated drinks, these children still consumed high quantities of sweetened juice and flavoured milk which are still high in sugar,” said Ms Hafekost.

The study team said parents and children need to be educated about the consequences of high consumption of both carbonated and non-carbonated sugary drinks as they contribute to obesity as well as nutrition-related chronic disease.

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Citation – Hafekost K, Mitrou F, Lawrence D, Zubrick SR. Sugar sweetened beverage consumption by Australian children: Implications for public health strategy. BMC Public Health 2011;11(1):950.

Media contact:
Tammy Gibbs
08 9489 7963 or 0408 946 698
tammyg@ichr.uwa.edu.au

Pregnant women sought for autism study

tammyg — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:44:42 +0800

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Pregnant women who already have an autistic child are being sought for a study by the Autism Research Team at WA’s Telethon Institute of Child Health Research.

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Pregnant women who already have an autistic child are being sought for a study by the Autism Research Team at WA’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research.

The Institute’s Associate Professor Andrew Whitehouse and his group have found that autism may be associated with enlarged head circumference and exposure to increased levels of testosterone during prenatal life.

With one in every 100 people around the world affected by autism and the incidence increasing, researchers are working towards in utero detection and intervention that starts at birth.

“Autism is not usually picked up until a child is between two and three years of age, often when a child is not meeting language milestones,” Associate Professor Whitehouse said.

“If we could detect autism much earlier, we could start intervention when the course of the brain development is much easier to alter. We’re also hoping to provide extra training to child health nurses to help them identify warning-signs for autism at check-ups during the first year of life.”

Associate Professor Whitehouse said autism occurred on a spectrum, with some children having severe social and communication impairment, often combined with an intellectual disability, and other children having milder difficulties that do not prevent them holding down a job or getting married. About 10 per cent of people with autism were “savants”, with outstanding abilities in a particular area, most commonly maths.

Associate Professor Whitehouse’s group is collaborating with scientists around the nation and internationally to try to find the cause and better treatments for the condition.

“While we can’t rule out the fact that there might be something in the environment that causes autism, we also know that the increased prevalence is partly because it’s diagnosed more readily and because we know that it’s a condition that varies in severity. We’re diagnosing milder cases now.”

MEDIA CONTACT:

Tammy Gibbs

9489 7963 or 0408 946 698

tammyg@ichr.uwa.edu.au