Medicine and Maths combined in Centre

Dr Simon Mallal (left) and Professor Ian James

Royal Perth Hospital medical researchers and Murdoch University mathematicians/statisticians will collaborate in a new centre focussing on immunological and HIV research.

The Centre for Clinical Immunology and Biomedical Statistics will provide statistical and other quantitative advice and services in the broad area of biomedical research.

It has been formed after ten years' collaboration between clinical immunologist Dr Simon Mallal, at RPH, and Professor Ian James, head of Mathematics and Statistics at Murdoch.

Dr Mallal said that despite the advances in understanding and treatment of HIV infection, there remain important therapeutic challenges — particularly in the area of chronic toxicities of anti-viral therapy which are emerging.

"Over the past few years, treatment advances have turned HIV into a chronic, manageable disease, but the drug treatments have long-term side effects such as fat redistribution," says Dr Mallal.

The collaborative research team is looking at clinical information from HIV positive patients in Western Australia to identify the cause of the side effects, with a view to refining and optimising the use of drug treatments.

"High quality clinical observational research, combined with sophisticated statistical approaches, have resulted in important observations that have altered clinical practice," Dr Mallal says. "This combination also has generated ideas to be tested using the powerful molecular biology and cellular biology tools available at RPH."

Professor James, who has co-supervised honours and doctoral students with Dr Mallal since 1994, said the Centre will provide a vehicle for clinical immunology and biomedical statistics training for postgraduate students — as well as practical training in statistics, applied modelling and data analysis, for undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers and clinical staff.

The two researchers agree that the Centre will enhance Murdoch and RPH's reputation in leading HIV research; attract outstanding candidates for its postgraduate programmes and attract large-scale project funding from commercial and government sources.

The Centre, with major funding already available from pharmaceutical companies, such as GlaxoWellcome, and government funding bodies, will have a staff of 12, including a medical scientist, two postdoctoral research fellows and two PhD scholars. It will be administered by a joint Board of Management.