Lumen Autumn 2024 - Flipbook - Page 31
News in brief
The University of Adelaide
receives widespread media
attention locally, nationally and
internationally.
This coverage can be for topics
as diverse as a weight loss pill
and endangered bats in Fiji.
These are some of those
stories. More can be found at the
University’s Newsroom website.
Radar focus of new centre
A new Centre at the University of Adelaide
for research into high-frequency (HF) radar
technology will play a critical role in the
nation’s safety and prosperity.
The Centre for Advanced Research in
HF Technologies’ primary purpose is to
develop the highly specialised workforce
that is needed to underpin the nation’s
world-leading capability in HF systems
and Over-The-Horizon-Radar (OTHR),
Australia’s Jindalee Operational Radar
Network (JORN).
JORN provides wide area surveillance
of the country’s northern approaches and
plays a vital role in supporting the
Australian Defence Force’s air and maritime
operations, border protection, disaster
relief and search and rescue operations.
It is a world-leading OTHR network and
operates using HF technologies developed
in Australia.
The new centre is a three-way
partnership between the University, BAE
Systems Australia and the Department
of Defence.
Childhood ear
infection research
Work has begun on developing a new
vaccine that could help ward off painful
ear infections in children.
The potential vaccine is in the initial
stages of development in the lab and will
target one of the main types of bacteria
that cause middle ear infections, a common
illness among infants and young children.
“Ear infections are commonly caused
by bacteria known as non-typeable
Haemophilus influenzae and these
infections can have devastating outcomes,
such as hearing loss in children,” said
Dr Erin Brazel from the University of
Adelaide’s Research Centre for
Infectious Diseases. More than 80 per cent
of children will experience a middle ear
infection by the time they are three
years old.
Alternative weight loss pill
A new pill that appears to mimic the effects
of gastric bypass surgery is providing fresh
hope for people living with type 2 diabetes
and obesity.
University of Adelaide researchers were
selected by US biotechnology company
Glyscend Therapeutics to carry out the first
phase of testing the medication in healthy
volunteers.
“The short (five day) study indicates
that the pill works in healthy volunteers.
It substantially reduced the rise in blood
glucose after a meal, and also resulted in a
small amount of weight loss. Importantly, it
was well tolerated by the volunteers,” said
LUMEN
Professor Michael Horowitz AO from
the University's Centre of Research
Excellence in Translating Nutritional
Science to Good Health.
“This is an exciting development. For
most people with type 2 diabetes, weight
loss and improvements in blood glucose
control are extremely important, but often
difficult to achieve. We have a potential
treatment that’s non-invasive and appears
to mimic the positive effects of metabolic
surgery without the risks, high cost or
adverse effects.”
Almost 1.3 million Australians are living
with type 2 diabetes and this number is
increasing each year.
