Explainer: What Are Migraines?
Originally written for The Conversation by Distinguished Professor Lyn Griffiths If you, or someone close to you suffers from migraine, you’ll know it is much more than your average headache – migraine is a debilitating disorder that can even affect your sight and speech. Migraine without aura is the most common type of migraine…
New study finds more effective way to detect genetic factors in chronic kidney disease
A new genetic study on the causes of chronic kidney disease that combined multiple health measurements has led to a more comprehensive view of kidney function and potential for targeted therapies, QUT and UQ researchers have found. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is complex with diverse causes yet genetic studies often rely on only…
Genetics and concussion – why a minor knock can be devastating for some people
Article originally published in The Conversation By Distinguished Professor Lyn Griffiths, QUT & Assistant Professor Annette Greenhow, Bond University Concussion and head trauma is a real and serious risk for many Australians. While most people suffer acute and relatively short-lived effects, such as dizziness and headache, in some…
Geneticist uncovers the history of us
Distinguished Professor Lyn Griffiths is a ‘DNA detective’, tracking down genetic links to human ailments to lead to personalised treatment. She also uses next-generation genome sequencing to identify the remains of missing Australian soldiers. Full story at QUT REAL FOCUS…
Alzheimer’s disease may begin when brain no longer creates mature brain cells
A call to rethink the possible early cause of Alzheimer’s disease that challenges the accepted view of a build-up of amyloid proteins in the brain, has come from QUT scientists in an article in Open Biology. New approach questions cause of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) – toxic amyloid and tau proteins in brain Impaired production of…
Chronic migraine research finds genetic mechanism to lower migraine frequency
First published 18 December 2023 DNA detectives from QUT have found a biological mechanism behind the reduction of migraine frequency in chronic migraine sufferers after their gradual withdrawal from migraine medications. Two genes with epigenetic changes associated with a reduction in headaches and migraine Overuse of acute…
Got a splitting headache? It could be all in your genes
QUT and Dutch scientists have identified two new genes involved in hemiplegic migraine, a rare, debilitating subtype of migraine that causes weakness along one side of the body during the aura phase. First published 3 March 2023 Two new genes implicated in severe migraine subtype Hemiplegic migraine causes weakness or paralysis on…
Study seeks genetic links to kidney disease on Norfolk Island
A large new study to identify specific genes and genetic variants related to kidney disease on Norfolk Island will begin on the island next month, building on the 20-year Norfolk Island Health Study led by QUT’s Professor Lyn Griffiths. New study builds on 20 years of research on the island by Professor Lyn Griffiths Study aims to…
Cutting edge DNA technology to identify Australian fallen soldiers’ remains
Families of targeted missing Australian service members will be invited to help establish a DNA Biobank to aid in identifying recovered remains, funded by a new $2.2 million Department of Defence Innovation Hub contract undertaken by QUT in collaboration with Defence. 500 families who are descendants of historic missing casualties…
QUT research puts concussion under the genetic microscope
The world’s first study on whether genetic variations are involved in the post-traumatic headache experienced by some people following concussion is underway at QUT, funded by a $250,000 US Department of Defence grant. The study at the Genomics Research Centre at the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI) is headed by…
New DNA test to help identify soldiers still missing from WWII
A new targeted DNA test developed by researchers at QUT could help identify casualties from World War II more accurately and reliably than current DNA testing methods. the new test has been shown to successfully predict ancestry in 79 per cent more cases than currently used methods using mitochondrial DNA the new test targets…