What's On at UWA

Artemisinins – From Mechanism of Action to Development of New Oxidant and Redox Drug Combinations for Treatment of Malaria

2019 marks the 20th anniversary of this annual lecture, which is presented by the Lions Eye Institute and the UWA Institute of Advanced Studies and honours the work of Professor Ian Constable.

Professor Constable is recognised as one of the world’s leading ophthalmic surgeons. He was appointed the Lions Foundation Chair of Ophthalmology in 1975. In 1983 Professor Constable established the Lions Eye Institute (LEI) dedicated to the prevention and treatment of blindness and eye disease. Today the LEI is a not-for-profit centre of excellence that combines world class scientific research into the prevention of blindness with the highest level of eye care delivery, combining the expertise of researchers and ophthalmologists.

Sulfur Two Ways: The Chemical Biology of Cysteine Oxidation and New Frontiers in Polymers Made from Elemental Sulfur

Development of New Polymyxin Antibiotics Targeting Gram-negative 'Superbugs'

Jamie Hicks - Nucleophilic aluminium: Synthesis, structural and reaction chemistry of the aluminyl anion

The Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research is opening its doors to the WA community on Saturday 16 November from 10am - 3.30pm, as part of Open House Perth. The 2019 Perkins open day, entitled ‘Discover the Perkins’, is posing the question “What if...?” Throughout the day, listen to presentations by Perkins researchers in the McCusker Auditorium. Perkins Director, Professor Peter Leedman will give the first talk of the day at 10.50am, posing the question, “What if you could help shape our future?” Don a lab coat and become a scientist for the day, exploring the state-of-the art medical research laboratories. Hear from the leading experts on how they are tackling some of the hardest-to-treat diseases affecting our community, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and rare genetic diseases. You will see first-hand how your support can drive forward the groundbreaking work happening right here in WA at the Perkins. “Without medical research, there would be no lifesaving discoveries. And without the incredible support and generosity of the people of WA, there would be no medical research”, Professor Leedman said. As well as touring the labs, you will have the chance to ‘speed date a researcher’, giving you the opportunity to ask the experts about their work and how it will impact our future health. Take a virtual reality tour of the life of cell travelling through the body. Then sit down at the lab bench and take part in interactive activities and workshops in the Lotterywest BioDiscovery Centre. Many of the activities have limited spaces, so be sure to book early at https://community.perkins.org.au/discover-the-perkins All funds raised on the day will go directly towards providing the Perkins with a Shaker Incubator; a vital piece of equipment which looks like a small oven and can ‘shake n’ bake’ buckets of bacteria for use in experiments, potentially cooking up a future breakthrough treatment for cancer or diabetes.

Bayliss Seminar Series

Bringing together what belongs together – Metabolomics of model organisms and the WormJam international research community for C. elegans systems biology and metabolic modelling.

Bayliss Seminar Series - Professor Gretchen Benedix - Decoding the surface age of Mars

Presentation Summary:Chronic heat exposure, in the form of saunas, hot water baths, and sweat lodges have been utilized in many cultures for thousands of years. While repetitive bouts of heat exposure is generally believed to be healthy, it is only recently that we are beginning to understand the full benefits of ‘heat therapy’ across the spectrum of human health. Passive heating results in a rise in body temperature and changes in cardiovascular hemodynamics, including altered shear patterns of blood flow. There is growing evidence that these responses to acute heat stress combine over repetitive sessions to provide a stress-resistant profile to counter inflammation and oxidative stress, as occurs with aging and chronic disease, as well as from acute damaging events such as ischemia-reperfusion injury. There is also growing evidence heat therapy can be used to target metabolic dysfunction in obesity and diabetes through improvements in insulin signaling in fat and muscle cells. This ancient therapy needs broader application to treat modern diseases, particularly in those not able to obtain the full benefits of exercise. Speaker Biography:Dr. Christopher Minson is the Kenneth and Kenda Singer Professor of Human Physiology. His research focuses on topics related to integrative cardiovascular physiology in humans. His lab investigates how we can use exposures to extreme environments to gain a healthy and resilient physiology. He is also involved in projects related to endocrine function in women, biomarkers of aging and the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and finding novel ways to improve thermal comfort and safely in work environments. He also works with elite athletes in the use of environmental stressors to improve performance.

Seminar

Structure based targeting of the relaxin-3 neuropeptide receptor RXFKP3

Bayliss Seminar Series

Alternative Crops for Australian Climates

Road from UWA to targenomix: the target identification company

Keith C. Gordon Department of Chemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, NEW ZEALAND.

Title: From ultrafast processes in solar cells to prediction of meat quality:using spectroscopy and computational methods to understand complex systems.