The Conversation

South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute

The South Australian Government commissioned the Review of Health and Medical Research in South Australia, conducted by Professor John Shine and Mr Alan Young AM, which recommended the establishment of a dedicated, flagship research institute for South Australia.

In response to this recommendation, the South Australian Government committed to establish SAHMRI in 2008, and the Federal Government allocated $200 million to build our research facility. In December 2009, SAHMRI was incorporated as the state’s first independent flagship health and medical research institute.

As a new entity, SAHMRI will significantly increase the nation’s capacity for leading scientific research by:

  • Building a team of more than 600 outstanding researchers, who will work together in the search for better treatments and cures for some of the world’s most challenging diseases
  • Creating a world-class precinct of medical research and clinical application, with state of the art laboratories and equipment in a purpose-built, iconic, 25,000 square-metre facility, adjacent to the site of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital (new RAH)
  • Actively fostering and nurturing a new generation of the top research minds, and undertaking extensive and interactive community engagement and education programs.

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Like so many Indigenous people in the NT, Dr G. Yunupingu had chronic hepatitis B since he was a child. DAN HIMBRECHTS/AAP

Dr G. Yunupingu’s legacy: it’s time to get rid of chronic hepatitis B in Indigenous Australia

Benjamin Cowie, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity; James Ward, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute, and Steven Tong, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity

Hepatitis B rates in Indigenous communities are ten times higher than the rest of Australia. Eliminating the infection from Indigenous Australia can make a significant contribution to closing the gap.
Each person’s unique gut microbiota composition is in continuous communication with the immune system. from shutterstock.com

How our gut bacteria affect cancer risk and response to treatment

Hannah Rose Wardill, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute and Rachel Jane Gibson, University of South Australia

The composition of bacteria in our gut regulates our immune system. Modifying it - through poo transplants for example - can control cancer risk, as well as response to treatment.
The fatty acid DHA is crucial for fetal brain development in the last trimester of pregnancy. from www.shutterstock.com

You can’t rely on fish oil supplements in pregnancy to make your children smarter

Jacqueline Gould, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute and Maria Makrides, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute

Fish oil capsules are marketed as prenatal supplements to improve brain development in children. But now top quality evidence suggests they won't make any difference in women eating a balanced diet.
Treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder requires conditions better than refugees in Germany are experiencing. Reuterspics

Refugees’ suffering can’t be eased in their current conditions

Enrico Ullman, Dresden University of Technology and Julio Licinio, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute

The experience and situation of many of the refugees precludes successful treatment of PTSD due to the nature of the disorder and what it requires to ease.
Syphilis outbreaks tend to occur in marginalised populations where there is a lack of affordable, appropriate and culturally acceptable health care. yaruman5/Flickr

Northern Australia syphilis outbreak is about government neglect, not child abuse

James Ward, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute; Donna B Mak, University of Notre Dame Australia; Johanna Dups, Australian National University, and Nathan Ryder, University of Newcastle

The syphilis outbreak in Central Australia is not about child abuse. But it highlights the urgent need for investment in sexual health services for Aboriginal Australians living in remote areas.
Studies based on Mediterranean diet, combined with exercise, have proved groundbreaking in managing type 2 diabetes. from shutterstock.com

How the right diet can control diabetes and reduce its massive economic costs

Chris Proud, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute; Grant Brinkworth, CSIRO, and Manny Noakes, CSIRO

For decades, a low fat and sugar free diet were key to controlling type 2 diabetes. Now, new data shows a diet high in protein and healthy fats has better outcomes for the disease.
People overdose from illicit substances, such as heroin, or prescription medications, such as valium or opioid painkillers. Thomas Marthinsen/Flickr

Three things you need to know about drug overdoses

David Penington, University of Melbourne and Steve Wesselingh, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute

In 2012, 103,000 people around the world lost their lives to drug poisoning or overdose. As terrible as this waste of life seems, it’s important to remember that drug overdoses are not inevitably fatal…
When cells are deprived of energy and nutrients from their external environment, they package up and consume their own components to survive. Kevin McShane/Flickr

How cancer eats itself to survive our therapies

Deb White, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute and Lisa Schafranek, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute

Can you imagine being so desperate for food that you would eat yourself to survive? Most people can’t but our cells do exactly this. When cells are deprived of energy and nutrients from their external…

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