When Les Bokey arrived in Australia as a refugee in the 1960s, few could have predicted the indelible impression he would leave on medicine and cancer surgery. Now, at the end of his career, he reflects on a fulfilling life.
From the get-go, the patient-led lobby for a radical new in-vitro fertilisation technique had an unlikely champion: a sitting prime minister.
Should a doctor tell you if your relative has a genetic mutation that leads to cancer? New advice on privacy says yes, despite doctors’ fears about patient confidentiality. But the government has still not ensured insurance protection.
One of the world’s leading melanoma experts, Georgina Long is a warrior. All she thinks about is ‘how to cure the incurable’. Her aim is zero deaths from the cancer by 2030. It’s not the only battle she’s staring down.
‘Don’t move me,’ were Bill Bowtell’s first words when he fell. In that moment, a man at the forefront of health policy for decades became the patient, and discovered how Medicare really works.
Repair, rejuvenation, replacement and regeneration are the four Rs of regenerative medicine. Here’s what you need to know.
Peter Moulding joined a clinical trial for the drug AMP945 not really knowing whether it would help him with deadly stage four pancreatic cancer. Now he is in complete remission – one of only two known cases in the world.
‘The love you take is equal to the love you make,’ The Beatles’ epigram reads. They were onto something: researchers have found people who frequently express love for others feel more loved.
Some cancer patients respond better to immunotherapy, radiation or chemotherapy but doctors don’t know why. A new study may offer some answers.
We all like to keep our mouths shut about gum disease. But unless it’s addressed, the consequences can be deadly.
Adam Taor was conceived in the hospital where he was born (his parents were doctors), he qualified as a doctor and he has made medical writing his profession. So his highly entertaining stories on the human body are also highly accurate.
Using MDMA, or ecstasy, to treat post-traumatic stress disorder is contested territory and costly. Now Medibank has stepped in to fund treatment.
A parasite behind a disease that has claimed two human lives is infecting an increasing number of dogs in eastern Australia, and researchers say the rise could be driven by heavy rainfall.
Australian researchers have taken a major step towards an HIV cure by devising a method to deliver an mRNA-based therapy direct to cells to expose the dormant virus where it hides.
While expensive, a new Alzheimer’s treatment marks the first new hope for early stage patients in 25 years.
Coeliac disease cases defying scientific explanation or treatment have been demystified using an adapted form of cancer science, changing the prospects for patients.
It should be easier to commercialise Australian medical research, a key industry figure says.
Almost half of all Australians at risk of heart valve disease have never heard of it. A pioneer in its treatment is calling for vigilance.
In February 2024, dairy farmers in Texas began noticing their cows were producing less milk and that the milk was discoloured, yellow and thicker than it should be. First reported by news outlets as a ‘mystery illness’, what was happening to these cows was unheard of – and worrying.
A range of GPs and medical leaders have questioned how many doctors will take up Labor’s plan to encourage full bulk-billing. We ask seven doctors for their views.
Labor’s flagship $8.5bn election policy promising Australians won’t need a credit card to see a doctor has sparked a growing backlash from doctors, who insist many GPs won’t make the switch and not all patients will be bulk-billed.
Faked scientific findings can send other researchers off on dead-end trails, pursuing world-changing, lifesaving results that can’t exist. Universities must stop it before it’s too late.
Almost all hospital emergency department staff have experienced violence at the hands of alcohol-affected patients, a survey by Monash University finds.
Australians can now do at-home tests for everything from menopause to sexually transmitted diseases. But which DIY kits can you rely on?
Flood-ravaged communities cleaning up after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred need to be aware of the serious risks of bacteria lurking in the mud. One bug has already killed 16 people this year and it’s moving south.
Perverse incentives for education funding in the United States are a much stronger explanation than exposure to ‘toxins’.
We will have no excuse not to be prepared for the next global health emergency. And yet, five years after it was declared a pandemic, there is no surety that we have learned the lessons of Covid-19.
Part of the difficulty with diagnosing this genetic mutation is the nature of the disease’s symptoms, which can vary significantly from patient to patient.
Health Minister Mark Butler says the investment will be a ‘game-changer in cancer care’, targeting pioneering research in genetic testing of tumour samples for rare cancers.
Australia will have expanded onshore manufacturing of IV saline fluids after the federal government struck a $40m deal to expand onshore manufacturing of the critical medicine.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/topics/research