A pioneering neonatal study has reported its two-year findings, confirming that a novel approach developed in Australia can improve the lung health of extremely premature infants born with breathing difficulties. The multi-centre OPTIMIST-A trial, in which Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) was a key collaborator, enrolled 486 premature babies from 33 neonatal intensive care units […]
Mini kidneys pave the way to better treatments: Approximately 1.7 million Australians have kidney disease. The potential toxicity of new drugs is a major problem in the search for better treatments. We need a safer way to test new therapies, especially in children, to avoid additional risk or harm. Researchers have used cutting edge technology […]
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Melbourne researchers have successfully engineered human immune cells to model an infection common among immunocompromised children in a breakthrough discovery, paving the way for new drug testing and treatments. The research, led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and published in Stem Cell Reports, used cutting-edge stem cell technology to better understand how the infection […]
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The immune boosting benefits of a tuberculosis vaccine can be seen in infants more than one year after vaccination, according to a new study. The research, led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and published in Science Advances, has shown how the BCG vaccine, developed to prevent the risk of tuberculosis, can produce a […]
A century-old BCG vaccine could help reduce the incidence of eczema in high-risk infants due to its beneficial off-target effects, according to a new MCRI-led allergy study. Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), a vaccine used in Australia until the 1980s to prevent tuberculosis, had been tested in a trial to see if it can reduce the rate […]
MCRI’s BCG vaccine trial joins global race to better understand COVID-19 variants • An Australian-led study will investigate whether it’s possible to predict who remains susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 variants despite previously having COVID-19 or a COVID-19-specific vaccine; • The study will explore the immune response to COVID-19-specific vaccines in Brazilian healthcare workers to find biomarkers […]
Immune system protects children from severe COVID-19: Children are protected from severe COVID-19 because their innate immune system is quick to attack the virus, a new study has found. • A new Peer-reviewed Melbourne-led study has found children are protected from severe COVID-19 because their innate immune system is quick to attack the virus • […]
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Caesarean-born babies are at increased risk during early childhood of being hospitalised due to an infection, according to a new study of over seven million births from four countries. The study, led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and Aarhus University and published in PLOS Medicine, found a small but consistent increase in the absolute risk of infection-related hospitalisation […]
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