When academia met industry: working toward a needle-free vaccination future in the sunshine state.

Located in Brisbane's Northshore riverfront precinct, just meters from the iconic Brisbane River, is the new Vaxxas Biomedical Facility. Dr Imogen Bermingham is a Principal Scientist in the Formulation and Analytical Team at Vaxxas, an Australian biotech company focused on developing a needle-free vaccination technology. Here, we discuss her work at Vaxxas, highlighting the opportunities for translational research within the growing biotech industry landscape in Queensland, Australia.

A Multiplexed Approach to Assess Small Cell Lung Cancer Subtype Heterogeneity in Primary and Patient-Derived Tumor Samples.

Unlocking the heterogeneity of cancers is crucial for developing therapeutic approaches that effectively eradicate disease. As our understanding of markers specific to cancer subclones or subtypes expands, there is a growing demand for advanced technologies that enable the simultaneous investigation of multiple targets within an individual tumor sample. Indeed, multiplex approaches offer distinct benefits, particularly when tumor specimens are small and scarce.

Simulation-Based Course Improves Resident Comfort, Knowledge, and Ability to Manage Surgical Intensive Care Unit Patients.

Background: Simulation-based education can augment residents' skills and knowledge. We assessed the effectiveness of a simulation-based course for surgery interns designed to improve their comfort, knowledge, and ability to manage common surgical critical care (SCC) conditions.

Materials And Methods: For 2 y, all first year residents (n = 31) in general surgery, urology, interventional radiology, and the integrated plastics, vascular, and cardiothoracic surgery training programs at our institution participated in a simulation-based course emphasizing evidence-based management of SCC conditions.

A real-world, long-term experience on effectiveness and safety of vedolizumab in adult patients with inflammatory bowel disease: The Cross Pennine study.

Background: Real-life data on vedolizumab effectiveness in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are still emerging. Data on the comparative safety of the gut selective profile are of particular interest.

Aims: To assess clinical outcome and safety in IBD patients treated with vedolizumab.

Gastrostomies Preserve But Do Not Increase Quality of Life for Patients and Caregivers.

Background & Aims: Gastrostomies are widely used to provide long-term enteral nutrition to patients with neurologic conditions that affect swallowing (eg, following a cerebrovascular accident or for patients with motor neuron disease) or with oropharyngeal malignancies. The benefits derived from this intervention are uncertain for patients and caregivers. We conducted a prospective, multicenter cohort study to determine how gastrostomies affect health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in recipients and caregivers.

Ca(2+) signaling in the myocardium by (redox) regulation of PKA/CaMKII.

Homeostatic cardiac function is maintained by a complex network of interdependent signaling pathways which become compromised during disease progression. Excitation-contraction-coupling, the translation of an electrical signal to a contractile response is critically dependent on a tightly controlled sequence of events culminating in a rise in intracellular Ca(2+) and subsequent contraction of the myocardium. Dysregulation of this Ca(2+) handling system as well as increases in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are two major contributing factors to myocardial disease progression.

Strategies for drug delivery to the human inner ear by multifunctional nanoparticles.

Unlabelled: Hearing loss is a very significant health problem. The methods currently available for inner ear drug delivery are limited and a noninvasive cell-specific drug delivery strategy needs to be found.

Aim: In this study we investigated the ability of polymersomes, lipid core nanocapsules and hyperbranched poly-L-lysine to cross the round window membrane.

Using Drosophila models of neurodegenerative diseases for drug discovery.

Introduction: Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease are increasing in prevalence as our aging population increases in size. Despite this, currently there are no disease-modifying drugs available for the treatment of these conditions. Drosophila melanogaster is a highly tractable model organism that has been successfully used to emulate various aspects of these diseases in vivo.

Cell-specific targeting in the mouse inner ear using nanoparticles conjugated with a neurotrophin-derived peptide ligand: potential tool for drug delivery.

Cell specific targeting is an emerging field in nanomedicine. Homing of the multifunctional nanoparticles (MFNPs) is achieved by the conjugation of targeting moieties on the nanoparticle surface. The inner ear is an attractive target for new drug delivery strategies as it is hard to access and hearing loss is a significant worldwide problem.

Role of the flocculus in mediating vestibular nucleus neuron plasticity during vestibular compensation in the rat.

We investigated the role of the cerebellar flocculus in mediating the adaptive changes that occur in the intrinsic properties of brainstem medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) neurons during vestibular compensation. Ipsi-lesional, but not contra-lesional, flocculectomy prevented the compensatory increase in intrinsic excitability (CIE) that normally occurs in the de-afferented MVN neurons within 4 h after unilateral labyrinthectomy (UL). Flocculectomy did not, however, prevent the down-regulation of efficacy of GABA receptors that also occurs in these neurons after UL, indicating that these responses of the MVN neurons to deafferentation are discrete, parallel processes.