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Alarming statistics laying bare the social emotional wellbeing and mental health challenges facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ youth are driving a multi-partner program to provide them with greater support.

Within the Institute, we have a commitment to the highest standards of research with pro-active staff ensuring the lab environment is safe and secure.

Research

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a lifelong condition characterised by severe neurodevelopmental impairment due to prenatal exposure to alcohol.

Research

Down syndrome, also known as Trisomy 21, is one of the most common chromosome abnormalities in humans. It occurs when a child's cells end up with 47 chromosomes instead of the usual 46. Down syndrome causes intellectual disability and other physical and learning challenges.

Research

Anaphylaxis is rapid onset severe allergic reaction to an allergen. These allergens are most commonly food, insects, or medication. Anaphylactic reactions are serious and can be life-threatening.

Research

Young people who have had contact with the criminal justice system are at increased risk of early death, especially from injuries. However, deaths due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in this population remain poorly described. We aimed to estimate mortality due to NCDs in people with a history of involvement with the youth justice system, compare NCD mortality rates in this population with those in the general population, and characterise demographic and justice-related factors associated with deaths caused by NCDs in people with a history of contact with the youth justice system.

Research

Lung function testing and lung imaging are commonly used techniques to monitor respiratory diseases, such as cystic fibrosis (CF). The nitrogen (N2) multiple-breath washout technique (MBW) has been shown to detect ventilation inhomogeneity in CF, but the underlying pathophysiological processes that are altered are often unclear.

Research

Pulmonary bacterial infections present a significant health risk to those with chronic respiratory diseases including cystic fibrosis and chronic-obstructive pulmonary disease. With the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, novel therapeutics are desperately needed to combat the emergence of resistant superbugs.

Research

Adverse pregnancy outcomes including maternal mortality, stillbirth, preterm birth, intrauterine growth restriction cause millions of deaths each year. More effective interventions are urgently needed. Maternal immunization could be one such intervention protecting the mother and newborn from infection through its pathogen-specific effects.

Research

This review paper explores the role of human taste panels and artificial neural networks (ANNs) in taste-masking paediatric drug formulations. Given the ethical, practical, and regulatory challenges of employing children, young adults (18-40) can serve as suitable substitutes due to the similarity in their taste sensitivity. Taste panellists need not be experts in sensory evaluation so long as a reference product is used during evaluation; however, they should be screened for bitterness taste detection thresholds.