Menzies Institute for Medical Research

30/11/2025

Thank you to everyone who reached out to us offering to take part in our community conversation to help shape a better future for osteoarthritis in Tasmania. Places for the event have now been filled, and we look forward to the discussion on 6 December.

We want to sit down with you in a community conversation and hear your story. What you share will help us understand osteoarthritis in Tasmania better. It will shape our research and push for changes in the health system, so people can get the support they need to live well.

26/11/2025

👏 Huge congratulations to Menzies PhD student Jasmine Bacon, who has been awarded a $10,000 Tour de Cure Australia Grant. This funding will help Jasmine, who works in cancer research, share her research on the international stage.

Jasmine's project focuses on identifying drivers of metastatic prostate cancer. Metastasis occurs when the cancer spreads beyond the initial site and is the leading cause of cancer-related death. Prostate cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australian men, often spreads to the bone causing chronic pain and severely impacting quality of life.

"By uncovering the mechanisms that drive cancer spread, we hope to identify new biomarkers and treatment targets that could improve early detection of aggressive prostate cancer and guide future treatment development," Jasmine explains.

Ultimately her work seeks to improve outcomes and quality of life for men with advanced prostate cancer.

Learn more about Jasmine's research here 👇

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

24/11/2025

❤ Did you know CPR can save lives—and even has its own beat?

Back in 2016, the Tasmanian Branch of the Australian Resuscitation Council teamed up with the University of Tasmania to create Shock Verdict, a short film designed to promote modern CPR practices and boost survival rates after cardiac arrest.

This courtroom drama, featuring familiar faces from the TV series RAKE, uses the iconic Bee Gees track Stayin’ Alive to show the perfect CPR rhythm.

Now, we’re thrilled to bring Shock Verdict back to the stage in Tasmania! 🎭
This relaunch is part of a bigger project proudly funded by the Australian Heart Foundation to improve cardiac arrest survival outcomes.

📅 Event Details
Date: Monday, 1 December 2025
Time: 10.00 - 11.00am
Location: Medical Science Precinct, 17 Liverpool Street, Hobart
Light refreshments to follow

📧 Email to register: CVFlagship.menzeis@utas.edu.au

👉 Join us and be part of the movement to save lives!

20/11/2025

Have you heard about our new $8.9M project which will keep Australians safer from pollen storms and thunderstorm asthma?

Climate change is making pollen seasons longer, more intense, and unpredictable—putting millions of Australians with asthma or allergies at risk.

On this day, nine years ago, when tragically 10 people died, and around 8500 patients admitted to hospital in one night and dozens put in intensive care, during a thunderstorm event in Victoria.

This initiative will see new pollen monitors rolled out around the country to help Australians get earlier, more accurate alerts on high-risk days—saving lives and reducing pressure on hospitals.

✅ Why it matters:
Pollen storms can trigger sudden, life-threatening breathing difficulties.

✅ What this project will do:
➡Add new real-time pollen monitors in areas without coverage
➡Upgrade existing sites for multi-species detection
➡Improve AI tools for accurate allergen identification
➡Link forecasts to public health alert systems for early warnings

📱 Want to stay informed?
➡Check pollen levels and download the https://airrater.org/ to manage your risk.
➡Read more www.utas.edu.au/about/news-and-stories/articles/2025/$9.9m-project-to-combat-rising-threat-of-pollen-storms-and-thunderstorm-asthma

The project has been funded by the third round of the Australian Government’s Disaster Ready Fund, and we are excited to bring together the University of Tasmania, AirHealth, state governments, researchers, public health agencies, and environmental monitoring partners across Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia.

20/11/2025

🌏 It’s fantastic to see our researchers sharing their expertise on an international stage.

Representatives from our MS Research Flagship recently had this opportunity at the 17th Pan-Asian Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (PACTRIMS) Congress in Osaka 🇯🇵

➡️Professor Bruce Taylor presented results from TA**US 2, a phase II clinical trial exploring magnetic brain stimulation (rTMS) as a potential treatment for MS. This study, which was run out of Menzies, recruited more than 100 participants across six Australian sites to test its safety and efficacy.
➡️Dr Yi Chao Foong shared his important work that uses real-world MSBase registry data to inform treatment for older people living with multiple sclerosis. Over half of people with MS are aged over 50, so this research is vital.

👏 Thank you both for helping to shine the spotlight on the impactful research coming out of Tasmania

19/11/2025

Osteoarthritis affects people in different ways—and we want to hear your story.
With co-design at the heart of our research, we’re excited to host a community conversation with Tasmanians living with osteoarthritis and their supporters.
This is your chance to share your experiences, tell us what matters most, and help shape better care for people across Tasmania.
📅 When: 6 December
👥 Places available: 20 community members
💬 What: A discussion with our osteoarthritis research team about improving support and management in Tasmania

Your insights will help us:
✅ Understand osteoarthritis in Tasmania
✅ Shape future research
✅ Advocate for changes in the health system
Interested? Follow this link to learn more and register:

We want to sit down with you in a community conversation and hear your story. What you share will help us understand osteoarthritis in Tasmania better. It will shape our research and push for changes in the health system, so people can get the support they need to live well.

17/11/2025

Our Point to Pinnacle walkers and runners together raised a whopping $42,196 for Tasmanian medical research! Our target was smashed, and these funds will help us pave the way for better prevention, treatment, and hope for many diseases that affect Tasmanians, including cancers.
We are so grateful for each donation and to all who got behind this special event that does so much for our community. A huge shout-out to Tasmanian cartoonist Jon Kudelka, captain of P2P crew “Even Looser Quolls”! Not only did he champion his own team -and go all out to raise funds and awareness for our research- but he also designed our custom t-shirts with his much-loved devil cartoon that ensured our team stood out even next to his team of purple quolls!
It's not too late to support our team and make a real impact on medical research right here in Tasmania 👉 https://pointtopinnacle2025.grassrootz.com/menzies-institute-for-medical-research/donate

13/11/2025

We hosted our annual Thank You Day event this morning - an opportunity we look forward to each year to show our gratitude to our Menzies donors and key supporters for their generosity.

Not only do their contributions help to make our research possible, but importantly their support allows talented Tasmanian researchers to stay and pursue their careers right here, within our state.

This year our Director, Professor Tracey Dickson, hosted a Thank You Day discussion panel which explored our cancer research; including achievements made so far, what makes our work at Menzies unique, and how we are working to improve the outcomes for Tasmanian cancer patients and their families.

We appreciate everyone who was able join us and contribute to a meaningful celebration of what we are achieving together.

12/11/2025

🌟 Small sample, big impact 🌟
Our researchers need your help to advance our understanding of multiple sclerosis (MS) in an Australia-wide study.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 We urgently need:
• People diagnosed with MS
• People without MS (YOU can still contribute!)
Complete our screening survey to find out if you're eligible 👇
https://redcap.utas.edu.au/surveys/?s=94EW7377K3M8483X

🧬 Why participate?
We’re investigating the connection between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and MS, and your contribution could lead to improved diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of MS. This study is recruiting a broad group of people with and without MS from across Australia to donate saliva samples. Your participation is critical to understanding how EBV impact the immune systems in MS development.

✅ Participation is easy!
• Complete a brief questionnaire
• Provide three saliva samples (postal submissions are welcome!)
• Optionally, give a blood sample

🔍 Ready to make a difference?
Complete our screening survey 👇
https://redcap.utas.edu.au/surveys/?s=94EW7377K3M8483X

This study is approved by the University of Tasmania Human Research Ethics Committee, H0027273 (H-85821) and funded by the Australian Government, Medical Research Future Fund and National Health and Medical Research Council

10/11/2025

Good luck to our Point to Pinnacle team, and all our supporters who are taking part in the grueling event this weekend!
We'd like to extend our thanks to all who are raising funds and donating - none more than Tasmanian artist Jon Kudelka! He is 'Captain Quoll' of his team of 'Even Looser Quolls' - and not only is he raising funds for our research- he has allowed our team to wear one of his most-loved cartoons on these fantastic t-shirts on Sunday!
➡️Donate to our team here: https://pointtopinnacle2025.grassrootz.com/menzies-institute-for-medical-research
➡️And catch up on Kudelka's journey and donate to the Quolls here: https://pointtopinnacle2025.grassrootz.com/menzies-institute-for-medical-research/jon-kudelka-captain-quoll

05/11/2025

🎓 Congratulations to our 2025 Honours Students! 🎉
On Friday 31 October, Honours students from Menzies, the School of Medicine, and the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre delivered their final research seminars, marking the completion of their Honours year.

Each student presented the exciting research they’ve undertaken over the past year, showcasing their hard work, curiosity, and commitment to advancing medical research and science.

We extend our warmest congratulations to all the students, along with their dedicated supervisors, on this fantastic achievement.

03/11/2025

The Australian Multiple Sclerosis Longitudinal Study (AMSLS) is a collaborative research initiative between Menzies and MS Australia, collecting real-world data from Australians living with MS. The study has been running for over 20 years and its valuable data helps inform policy decisions and guides MS-related medical and support services—driving positive change and improving lives.

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗦? 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝗠𝗦 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
👉 If you're living with MS in Australia and aged 18 or over, you can register at:
🔗 https://www.msaustralia.org.au/amsls

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲?
🔬 Researchers interested in collaborating or using the AMSLS platform can contact:
Professor Ingrid van der Mei
📞 03 6226 7710
📧 ingrid.vandermei@utas.edu.au