Dr Kerryn Phelps, Health Editor, with Steve Leibmann, Channel Nine, 'Today'
LEIBMANN: Australian scientists have taken the first step in finding a cure for hereditary brain diseases, by isolating the gene that causes them. Last night, Nine News reported on Peter and Lynne Cox, who had put off starting a family because of Peter's genetic disease. But now, thanks to the new test, they have a healthy five-month old daughter, here is a look at that story.
That potentially life saving gene research comes from the new ANZAC Institute at Sydney's Concord Hospital, and to tell us more, we are joined from there now, by our Health Editor, Dr Kerryn Phelps. Kerryn, good morning to you.
PHELPS: Good morning, Steve.
LEIBMANN: Well, what does all this mean?
PHELPS: Well, I think it is very exciting the ANZAC Research Institute, here at Concord Hospital, is looking specifically at areas around ageing and their theme here is to prevent the preventable, and to delay the inevitable. And clearly, that is aimed at when people are ageing what diseases are creating disabilities and problems for them, and how we can go about preventing or delaying the onset of those diseases.
LEIBMANN: Alright. So, explain what they are doing.
PHELPS: Well, the announcement yesterday, which was very exciting, is that they have discovered the gene for hereditary, sensory neuropathy. Now, neuropathy means a nerve disease, and sensory means the sensations of touch, pain, heat and so forth. Now, people with this particular problem, it's inherited, as the name suggests, and they loose all the sensation in their body's, starting from the long nerves of the hands and feet, and obviously, this is a very great concern for people who are wanting, or planning to have children. So, they'll actually, in being able to come up with this gene they've been able to screen families for it. But, they are working on a range of other projects, and the interesting thing about this sensory neuropathy research is that it may have implications down the track for other degenerative nerve diseases, like Alzihimers, Parkinson's disease, Motor Neuron's disease, so that is very exciting for the future.
LEIBMANN: Kerryn, just on the prenatal diagnostic test, what sort of success rate are they having with that?
PHELPS: Well, because it is so very new, they have only screened two families, and we saw with the Cox family that they have had a successful delivery of a baby who doesn't carry that gene, which is very exciting for that family, who may otherwise have decided not to have children. So, they now have more choice, and they'll be expanding that in the future to perhaps involve IVF programs where they can have a diagnosis very, very early in the life of the embryo, and the parents can make a choice about what they want to do.
LEIBMANN: But in terms of the ageing process, and hopefully coming up with a procedure that will slow it down, I mean, this is a big step isn't it?
PHELPS: It is a big step. If you identify the gene, you see with this kind of condition you don't actually get symptoms until people are quite often into their twenties or even beyond. So, if you can perhaps find some way of working out the disease process of altering that gene early in life, then perhaps those people wont have to suffer the disability of this disease.
LEIBMANN: Have they found the way, or they're on the way to finding it, if you like?
PHELPS: That's what this research is all about, and I think it's very important that we realise that medical research is not just about miracle discoveries, and you know, here, we have the answer. It's all about little pieces of a jigsaw puzzle all coming together so we that you will eventually find a cure, but it's a long and laborious process. For example, the lab that I am standing in here, now, is the andrology lab, and that's looking at ageing in men, and they're particularly going to be looking at ways of preventing prostate cancer, they're looking at hormone replacement therapy for frail ageing men, and they're also looking at developing a male contraceptive. So, we're looking also at different aspects of ageing, and also at this particular lab we're looking at andrology, which is the science of the hormones of men.
LEIBMANN: Yeah. And just quickly, and finally, I guess the really satisfying thing is that this research is taking place, here.
PHELPS: I think it is so important that we support our researchers and our research institutes here in Australia, because there has been a brain drain overseas, and if we don't support medical research here in Australia then we will get left behind. The important thing is that Australia contributes so significantly to the research community globally, that support for our researchers here is absolutely essential.
LEIBMANN: Great news. Good talking with you Kerryn.
PHELPS: Thank you, Steve.
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