Women’s & Children’s Health Research Institute Inc (SA)

OUR VISION

To be a centre of excellence in research, improving the health of women and children.

WHO WE ARE

The Women’s and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI) is an independent medical research institute. Established in 1989 as the Child Health Research Institute, WCHRI now has over 70 staff and students conducting research spanning child nutrition, cancer, genetic disorders, viral infection, diseases of the blood, immune and digestive system, craniofacial abnormalities and wound healing.

WCHRI integrates early stage, fundamental research with later stage, strategic research and applies that knowledge to the development of new preventative health strategies and treatments.

The Institute is based in Adelaide in the Women’s and Children’s Hospital and also has laboratories at Flinders Medical Centre.

RESEARCH PROGRAMS AT WCHRI

Professor Maria Makrides – Applied Nutrition Group

The Applied Nutrition Group conducts research to improve the nutritional status, growth and development of children, as well as the health and well-being of pregnant and breastfeeding women. This includes studies to optimise the way we feed premature babies in order to improve their development and growth, to determine the best dose of iron to treat anaemia in pregnancy without side-effects and to investigate the effect of increasing levels of omega-3 fats in pregnancy as a way to prevent postnatal depression in mothers and improve developmental outcomes of children.

Professor Robert Gibson – Basic Nutrition Laboratory

This laboratory is organised into two themes: 1) to investigate the regulatory steps in fatty acid synthesis and incorporation to further understanding of the role of fatty acids in the mother, neonate and infant in health and disease and 2) to investigate and characterise nutritive and non-nutritive factors that influence the development of the infant immune system.

Dr Imme Penttila – Nutrition and Mucosal Immunology Laboratory

The laboratory’s goals are to understand the early mechanisms underlying the development of food allergy in infancy, as well as the development of therapeutic interventions. Allergic diseases represent a major cause of morbidity and disability world wide. The development of the mucosal immune response to dietary antigens and the role of maternal milk in regulating this immune development are a specific focus.

Professor Heddy Zola – Leucocyte Biology Laboratory

The Leucocyte Biology Laboratory’s goals are to improve our understanding of white blood cell (leucocyte) function through studies of cell surface molecules and to exploit immunological molecules as diagnostic and therapeutic targets. We are leading participants in a Cooperative Research Centre which aims to identify novel leucocyte targets for diagnostic and therapeutic antibodies, and in a multinational collaboration to identify and classify leucocyte molecules (www.hcdm.org). We also provide expertise in collaborative partnerships with several groups within and outside WCHRI.

Professor Allison Cowin

Wound Healing Laboratory aims to understand the mechanisms involved in wound healing, scar formation and fragile skin disorders. Burn injuries, particularly in children can lead to lifelong disabilities and disfigurement and our studies focus on the involvement of growth factors and the cytoskeleton in these processes. Using in vitro and in vivo models we hope to develop new therapeutic approaches to improve healing, reduce fibrosis and eliminate scar formation.

Professor Barry Powell – Craniofacial Research Group

This group studies craniofacial development and premature skull fusion in children afflicted with craniosynostosis, premature closure of the sutures in the skull. We have a program of gene discovery to uncover the molecular basis of this condition. In collaboration with clinicians we aim to use knowledge gained from our research to develop new treatments for craniosynostosis and other disorders of bone growth.

Professor Simon Barry – Molecular Immunology Laboratory

The laboratory is identifying the genes required for the function and formation of human regulatory T cells. These T cells act as the policemen of the immune system and prevent inappropriate attack by the immune system, as occurs in autoimmune disease. We aim to discover novel genes that can be manipulated to restore function to these cells. We are also developing stem cell based therapies that make regulatory T cells in the lab. These may be able to prevent transplant rejection and eliminate the need for immunosuppressive drugs.

Professor Eric Gowans – Virology Laboratory

The Virology Laboratory was established following the appointment of Professor Eric Gowans as Executive Director in 2009. The work will focus on methods to increase the efficacy of the proteins of hepatitis C virus (HCV) to generate a protective immune response, using novel vaccine delivery vectors and strategies to generate helper T cells responses. A collaboration with the Burnet Institute in Melbourne will investigate the potential of these strategies to influence the course of the infection in patients with persistent HCV infection. These projects are underpinned by our expertise in molecular biology and immunology, that will also contribute to a project to examine the efficacy of novel antiviral compounds against HCV provided by our collaborator, Avexa Ltd, Melbourne.

WCHRI SCHOLARSHIPS

WCHRI Scholarship Top-Up for Postgraduate Research
WCHRI awards a top-up scholarship of $5,000 per annum to outstanding students who have been awarded a full PhD scholarship. Submission details and selection criteria for the scholarships are available on request.

SUPPORTING MEDICAL RESEARCH at WCHRI

The Institute has earned an international reputation for the high quality of its research into child and maternal health. It is an established centre for training in medical research, providing post-graduate education and on the job training in specialised laboratory techniques.

The Institute relies on non-government sources, including donations from members of the public, to support crucial core facilities and pioneering, blue sky research that cannot be funded from traditional research grants.

DONATIONS

All donations are used to support the Institute’s medical research and donations over $2 are tax deductible.

Specific purpose donations: The Institute will be pleased to honour a request that your donation is applied to a particular area of research, a specialist piece of equipment or used for a specific purpose consistent with our objectives as a research and teaching institute.

72 King William Road
North Adelaide SA 5006
08 8161 7443
lisa.crowder@adelaide.edu.au
www.wchri.com.au

Director: Professor Eric Gowans
Deputy Director: Prof Maria Makrides
Business Manager: Ms Kathy Kingston