Paediatric surgery projects

Description:

• Fetal cord ligation.
• Laparoscopic splenectomy in children.
• Long term follow-up of neonatal inguinal herniotomy.
• Fetal lung lesions, long term follow-up.
• Antenatal hydronephrosis, does early diagnosis influence outcome.
• Obesity surgery in children.

Paediatric Surgery Research:

Focus on congenital abnormalities, especially the molecular genetics of the hindgut development:

1. Role of p63 gene in bladder exstrophy
2. Gli2 mutation in ano-rectal malformation
3. VATER syndrome

Leaky bladders in babies: lessons from mice

Project Leader: Professor Wei Cheng
Telephone: 9594 5500
Email: wei.cheng@monash.edu

Project Description:

Bladder exstrophy is a congenital disease whereby baby is born with its bladder exposed to the exterior. The affected babies leak urine constantly. Untreated, the exposed bladder develops cancer. This condition requires multiple operations, consultations and life-long follow-up, which is a challenging physically, psychologically and financially to both the patients, the parents and the society at large.
From the inheritance pattern, we speculate that there is a high possibility of genetic abnormality. We are sequencing the DNA of the patients, searching for a specific gene mutation, based on our previous mouse knock-out model. We hope our translational work will help patients in genetic counselling and pave the way for future therapies.

Saving children's lives with opium

Project Leader: Professor Wei Cheng
Telephone: 9594 5500
Email: wei.cheng@monash.edu

Project Description:

Necrotizing enterocolitis is a severe condition affecting premature babies all across the world. Due a temporary lack of oxygen at birth, the baby's gut to suffer from ischaemia/reperfusion injury. The current treatment consists mainly of antibiotics and surgery, after the gut damage has occurred.
To prevent such injuries, we have been inspired by polar bears which are capable of surviving ischaemia/reperfusion like condition in winter by hibernation. The agent responsible for lowering the metabolic rate is an endogenous opium. We are testing to use opiods to prevent necrotizing enterocolitis in susceptible babies, with cellular and murine models.