Research Advancements at the Robinson Institute
| Working together to solve the mysteries of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Professor Helen Teede of the Jean Hailes Foundation, and Professor Rob Norman, Director of the Robinson Institute have led an Australian initiative to form a national alliance on Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and successfully secured considerable government funding to support this initiative over the next three years. |
| Closing the Indigenous Health Gap Despite improvements in recent decades, Aboriginal women are still suffering serious problems when it comes to their reproductive health, according to South Australia's 2009 Young Tall Poppy of the Year, Dr Alice Rumbold. |
| Groundbreaking study investigating the causes of Cerebral Palsy Researchers have been conducting a number of linked and groundbreaking studies of ways to prevent cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a childhood disorder where the control of body movements is impaired. |
| Research named among nations best Research linking cognitive outcomes in children born pre-term with impaired motor development was named among the top 10 health and medical research projects in Australia in 2009 by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). |
 | Sex of baby drives response to pregnancy stress Research is showing that a baby's sex determines the way it responds to stressors during pregnancy and its ability to survive pregnancy complications. Male and female babies during pregnancy show different growth and development patterns following stressors such as disease, cigarette use or psychological stress during pregnancy. |
 | Genetic test for pregnancy risk closer to reality Researchers, led by Associate Professor Claire Roberts, are working on developing a world-first genetic test that can predict which pregnancies are at risk of complications long before symptoms arise. |
 | Immunce cell pregnancy link a winner at the Young Investigator Awards PhD student Alison Care was named the 2009 winner of the prestigious Young Investigator Award and a $10,000 prize for shedding new light on why some women are infertile and why some pregnancies end in miscarriage. |
 | Exploring novel solutions for treating diabetes Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a major health problem worldwide. New developments involving Dr Toby Coates and his research team have made transplantation of the insulin producing pancreatic islet cells a viable treatment option. |
 | New hope for stroke repair using adult stem cells A significant challenge is how to repair the brain after damage from stroke and improve its function. This research using adult stem cells from teeth provides hope for brain repair treatment for stroke-damaged brains. |
 | Driven to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis Cystic Fibrosis is the most common inherited genetic condition affecting young Australians, with a child being born with the disease every four days. Currently over 3000 children and young adults in Australia are living with the conidition. Following the diagnosis of his daughter Ella, Institute researcher Nigel Farrow has been driven to a career in medical science to work towards a cure for this debilitating disease. Read More |
 | Researcher recognised on Australia Day 2011 Professor Alastair MacLennan was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia for his 40 years' work in women's and children's health, in particular unravelling the causes of cerebral palsy.
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 | Brain Gene a Trigger for Determining Gender Researchers are a step closer to unravelling the mysteries of human sexual development; following genetic studies that show male mice can be created without a Y chromosome - through the activation of an ancient brain gene. |
 | Developing Maternal Fetal Medicine in Indonesia Robinson Institute researchers have helped establish a program that will see Indonesian maternal medicine trainees rotate through Adelaide in the final year of their internship. This rotation scheme will enable trainees to become more informed about international health practice and policy. |
 | Predicting Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes A diagnostic test is being developed by Institute researchers that will identify couples at high risk of pregnancy problems, helping to alleviate complications that occur in 20% of first pregnancies. |
 | Utilising fibre optics for new reproductive health technologies Two leading University of Adelaide scientists, Professor Robert Norman and Professor Tanya Monro are developing a specialised laboratory for sensing technologies for advanced reproductive research. |
 | Limiting the effect of obesity on pregnancy Research leaders have been conducting a study seeking to improve health outcomes in pregnancy by limiting weight gain in overweight and obese expectant mothers. |
 | Magnesium sulphate protects babies against Cerebral Palsy New National Clinical Practice Guidelines released by ARCH in 2010 have presented that giving pregnant mothers magnesium sulphate when they are at risk of very preterm birth (less than 30 weeks gestation) can help protect their babies from cerebral palsy. |
 | Enhancing Medical Research at the Lyell McEwin Hospital Specialised wet laboratories were opened at the Lyell McEwin Hospital in 2010 which host the Institute's Pregnancy and Development Group. The research will focus on the health of pregnant women and the growth of unborn babies, with ongoing work monitoring the health of the children throughout their lives. |
 | Justice Prize for Indigenous Health Research Dr Alice Rumbold, a perinatal epidemiologist, received the national Future Justice Medical in 2010 for demonstrating leadership and initiative in Australia's most disadvantages sector, particularly for her work helping Indigenous women to overcome life-threatening reproductive diseases. |
 | IVF Breakthrough to hit the world market Professor Sarah Robertson has achieved a major breakthrough in IVF technology that is expected to help millions of women around the world who have suffered previous miscarriages after IVF treatment. Professor Robertson partnered with Origio to develop EmbryoGen which contains a signalling molecule called GM-CSF found naturally in the moteri's tiessues which protects the embryo from stress, making it stronger and more robust in the early implantation period. |
 | Fertility preservation closer to reality for cancer survivors Major advances in medical research have led to improved cancer therapies and increased survival rates in patients, but the use of life-saving chemotherapy and radiation therapy often leads to infertility. |
 | Harnessing stem cells to repair bone Two leading stem cell researchers have been instrumental in developing a therapy that is likely to have a significant impact in the treatment of spinal fusion, osteoarthritis, congestive heart failure, heart attacks, eye diseases, diabetes and bone repair. |
 | Spice of life for transplant patients Transplant immunology researchers are trialing an extract from the spice tumeric to counter damage caused by organ rejection. |
