The ability of our cells to send and receive signals is vital to the health of our bodies. When communication is disrupted, disease often follows. Many therapeutic drugs are used to treat a range of diseases by targeting specific cell receptors – the proteins on the cell surface that receive messages. Restored communication lines can reestablish function. Dr Christopher Draper-Joyce investigates approaches for safer, improved therapeutics.

Victoria was the first Australian state to explore how to bring genomics into mainstream medicine and led the world by demonstrating where genomics outperformed other diagnostic tests. Ten years ago, leading hospitals, research and academic institutions committed to working together to offer genomic healthcare to all Victorians who need it, forming the Melbourne Genomics Health Alliance and committing to a multi-year program of change.

Coming into summer, how can we look after people who can’t stay cool in their own home during a heatwave? Greater Melbourne’s Regional Climate Change Adaptation Strategy funded a project called ‘Creating a Network of Safe Spaces for Extreme Heat Events’ to examine the activation of community buildings for vulnerable people within the Greater Melbourne Region.

Australia’s recent decision to reschedule MDMA and psilocybin for therapeutic use represents a seismic shift in drug policy. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved the prescription of these substances for specific psychiatric conditions, acknowledging their potential therapeutic benefits and enabling their use in a controlled medical context.

By Tejaswini Divanji, Master of Science (Pharmaceutical Sciences) student at Monash University Everyone knows what pain feels like, even though our individual scales for it might be different. But what exactly is pain? Understanding and addressing pain is one of the oldest challenges of medicine. Broadly, pain is an unpleasant sensation; a warning signal that […]