Mater's dedication to research excellence has again been demonstrated with the announcement of the 2024 Mater Publication of the Year Winners.
Each of the eight nominated Author teams that drove the impactful research outputs will receive $3,000 to offset the associated publication and/or research dissemination costs.
This year’s winners comprised four biomedical and four clinical or health services publications.
Mater Research Executive Director Professor Maher Gandhi said that the range of research topics exemplified the breadth of Mater Research’s programs.
“This year’s winners covered all stages of the lifecycle, from pregnancy and birth, to genetics, autism, stroke and gut health,” Prof Gandhi said.
“Seeing the work of Mater Researchers published in some of the world’s most highly regarded journals, including The Lancet and Nature Genetics, gives me great pride. Congratulations to all the winners.”
The 2024 Mater Publication of the Year Scheme Winners are:
Biomedical
Nominated by Dr Haressh Sajiir as first author of “Pancreatic beta-cell IL-22 receptor deficiency induces age-dependent dysregulation of insulin biosynthesis and systemic glucose homeostasis”, which was published in Nature Communications in May 2024. The reported research uncovered a critical role for a receptor called IL-22RA1, primarily found in the pancreas, in maintaining healthy insulin production. The research team discovered that without IL-22RA1, the pancreas develops a diabetes-like condition, triggering an immune response that destroys insulin-producing cells. Understanding the role of IL-22RA1, will enable researchers to identify new ways to protect and restore these cells, potentially leading to groundbreaking treatments for diabetes. Other Mater/Mater Research affiliated contributing authors were Dr Kuan Yau Wong, Ms Alexandra Müller, Dr Sahar Keshvari, Associate Professor Lucy Burr and Associate Professor Sumaira Hasnain.
Nominated by Associate Professor Sumaira Hasnain as corresponding Author for “Interleukin-22 suppresses major histocompatibility complex II in mucosal epithelial cells” which was published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine in September 2023. The paper reports that expression of the antigen presentation molecule MHC II in the lungs and gut, is influenced by another protein, IL-22. Importantly they showed that IL-22 acts as a brake to keep MHC II from becoming overactive—a balance that is crucial, as overactivation of MHC II can lead to autoimmune diseases. This research opens up new avenues for developing targeted therapies to fine tune the immune response with both under- and over-activation of the immune system contributing to many diseases and aging. Other Mater/Mater Research affiliated contributing authors were Dr Kuan Yau Wong, Ms Alexandra Müller, Mr Thishan Illankoon, Dr Haressh Sajiir and Associate Professor Lucy Burr.
Nominated by Dr Charles Bell as first and corresponding author of “Comparative cofactor screens show the influence of transactivation domains and core promoters on the mechanisms of transcription” which was published in Nature Genetics in May 2024. Dr Bell’s research focused on how different sets of genes need to be activated at specific times, but the way this process is regulated is still not fully understood. This research provided important new insights into how transcription factors activate their target genes, revealing unforeseen complexity, and providing a pathway towards predictive understanding understanding of this fundamental aspect of biology. Other Mater/Mater Research affiliated contributing authors were Professor Geoff Faulkner.
Dr Haressh Sajiir and co-authors were the recipient of a second award for the paper “Liver and pancreatic-targeted interleukin-22 as a therapeutic for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis”, which was published in Nature Communications in May 2024. This paper focused on a common and serious liver disease called Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which lacks effective treatments. The research team found that a protein called IL-22, which is released by white blood cells, can improve blood sugar levels and liver health, and used this knowledge to develop new, targeted IL-22 therapeutics, that specifically focus on the liver and pancreas. Other Mater/Mater Research affiliated contributing authors were Dr Sahar Keshvari, Dr Kuan Yau Wong, Dr Danielle Borg, Ms Alexandra Müller, Dr Amelia Fotheringham, Mr Jake Lockett and Associate Professor Lucy Burr.
Clinical
Nominated by Dr Jesrine Hong as first and corresponding author of “Prediction of preterm birth in growth-restricted and appropriate-for-gestational-age infants using maternal PlGF and the sFlt-1/ PlGF ratio — A prospective study”” in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in March 2024. This paper was a prospective cohort study that assess the utility of placental biomarkers–placental growth factor (PlGF) and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase/PlGF ratio to predict preterm birth (PTB) in pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction (FGR). The study confirmed that these placental biomarkers were strongly associated with PTB, supporting their incorporation into prenatal management algorithms. Other Mater/Mater Research affiliated contributing authors were Dr Kylie Crawford, Ms Erika Cavanagh and Professor Sailesh Kumar.
Also nominated by Dr Jesrine Hong as first and corresponding author of “Five-minute Apgar score and risk of neonatal mortality, severe neurological morbidity and severe non-neurological morbidity in term infants – an Australian population-based cohort study” that was published in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific in March 2024. This research aimed to ascertain risks of neonatal mortality, severe neurological and severe non-neurological morbidity related to the 5-min Apgar score in early term, full term, late term and post term infants. The study showed that the 5-minute Apgar score is useful from a prognostic perspective in predicting severe outcomes and can help guide management. Dr Kylie Crawford, Ms Kate Jarrett, Dr Tegan Triggs and Professor Sailesh Kumar.
Nominated by Dr Katie Brooker’s as first and corresponding author of “My Autism is Linked with Everything”: at the Crossroads of Autism and Diabetes was published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders in July 2023. The paper the first to explore the impact of the autistic experience on the management of a specific health condition, diabetes. By interviewing autistic adults with diabetes and their support people, the research team identified three key themes to focus on to better meet the needs of Autistic adults with diabetes. It also adds new knowledge about the impact of autistic burnout, a recently explored phenomenon in research. Other Mater/Mater Research affiliated contributing authors were Ritwika Vinayagam and Christopher Tanner.
Nominated by Ms Aleysha Martin as first and corresponding author of “Does an allied health transdisciplinary stroke assessment save time, improve quality of care, and save costs? Results of a pre-/post- clinical study” was in European Stroke Journal in June 2024. With the demand for stroke services increasing, to save time and costs, stroke care could be reorganised using a transdisciplinary assessment model embracing overlapping allied health professional skills. Ms Martin’s study compared transdisciplinary assessment to discipline-specific allied health assessment on an acute stroke unit, by evaluating assessment time, quality of care, and cost implications. The results demonstrate that reorganising allied health stroke assessment improves staff time-efficiency (mean 35 minutes saved/patient) and saves costs ($379.45/patient or $76,268.82/annum), which is imperative for sustainable stroke services. Other Mater/Mater Research affiliated contributing authors were Associate Professor Liisa Laakso.
