The rare diseases community is joining forces today (Rare Disease Day) to call upon medical professionals for earlier and more accurate diagnoses of rare diseases to help improve, prolong and save Aussie lives. According to Genetics Alliance Australia (GAA) and Gaucher Association Australia & New Zealand (GAANZ), nearly two million Australians are living with a…

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New research has revealed chaotic swings of protein concentrations keep the immune system functional and thus allow it to stave off chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Modern research has attributed the development of cancer cells to faulty mechanisms at play in the immune system, or breakdowns in what medical experts call “signalling pathways”.…

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New research has emerged suggesting genetic factors may affect the body’s immune system. Environmental factors have historically been regarded more important than genes in a healthy immune system, according to Associate Professor John Miles of the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine at James Cook University, Cairns. “[Scientists thought] it didn’t matter so much…

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Researchers are now a step closer to potentially identifying a link between molecular mechanisms and neuropsychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. In a study performed by the scientific collaboration, The PsychENCODE project, researchers assessed DNA, RNA and protein data to obtain more information about the brain’s architecture. The study, which kicked off in…

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Today, November 20, 2018, VIVA! had the pleasure of partnering with QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute to launch the Australian Genetics of Bipolar Disorder Study. The study comprises the Australian arm of the world’s largest of its kind to date. The ground-breaking study hopes to identify the genes that predispose people to bipolar disorder, a…

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