Clinical medicine

The COMBAT-AD group is investigating affordable less invasive biomarkers that will allow for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and/or detection of risk before the development of the disease and to design preventative strategies for the disease.

Early detection is critical for the adoption of strategies to prevent or delay the onset of the disease.

Group lead: Professor Ralph Martins

The complexity of communication in healthcare, medicine and surgery is a rich area of qualitative and quantitative research informed by:

• conversation analysis
• linguistics
• psychology
• translation.

Spoken and unspoken language, graphics, imaging and body language are all important examples as are patient safety, teamwork and cooperation. Telemedicine, telehealth and the dynamics of the multidisciplinary team are all included.

The concept is extended to the ‘touch’ between the surgeon, their instruments and the tissue when paired with biomechanics, engineering, human factors and ergonomics.

Group lead: Professor John Cartmill

Endocrine disease encompasses multiorgan pathology. This includes cardiometabolic research with active clinical trials at Macquarie under Associate Professor Veronica Preda. We are currently researching oncology aspects of tumour biology in:

• neuroendocrine disease (eg thyroid/pitNETs/adrenal/post cancer survivorship)
• ageing (eg bone health and metabolism)

Group lead: Associate Professor Veronica Preda

MQ Health Respiratory and Sleep and the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research are international leaders in many areas of clinical respiratory research. This includes world-first clinical trials in interventional pulmonology in both the diagnostics and therapy of lung nodules, lung cancer, severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and severe asthma.

In addition, we lead innovative research into bronchiectasis and interstitial lung disease. The ongoing research includes:

• respiratory epidemiology in the Australian Centre for Airways disease Monitoring (ACAM), including development and validation of outcome measures and tools
• clinical respiratory research, including surveys, qualitative research, observational studies and cluster randomised controlled trials to reduce the burden of asthma and COPD in Australia and internationally
• development of breathomics for use in diagnosis and targeted treatment for patients with respiratory symptoms.

Group leads:

• Professor Helen Reddel
• Professor Alvin Ing

Minimally invasive surgery including robotic and other innovation process/technology aiming to improve patient outcomes.

Group lead: Professor Vincent Lam