MISCL achievement: Vice-Chancellor's Award 2009

Excellence in Research Innovation and Collaboration in Research with Industry

Awarded to: Professor Graham Jenkin and Dr Tony Goldschlager

From left to right: Dr Tony Goldschlager,  Silviu Itescu (Mesoblast) and Professor Graham Jenkin

Professor Graham Jenkin and Dr Tony Goldschlager received the Vice-Chancellor's award for Excellence in Innovation and Collaboration in Research with Industry and were featured in an article, "Around Monash" in Monash memo, 2 Sept 2009

• Vice-Chancellor's Awards
  
• Monash Memo Around Monash article
  

In 2007, Professor Graham Jenkin and neurosurgical registrar/PhD student, Dr Tony Goldschlager, from the Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories (MISCL) joined forces with Melbourne-based regenerative medicine company Mesoblast Limited to pioneer a new treatment for intervertebral disc disease using Mesoblast's proprietary adult stem cell technology.

Intervertebral disease costs the Australian economy over $8 billion annually due to lost work, medical costs and rehabilitation. Surgical fusion in the neck region of the spine accounts for up to 40 per cent of all spinal fusion procedures used to alleviate this condition. It is expected that the number of procedures will reach half a million in the United States alone within the next two years.

Preclinical trials conducted by Professor Jenkin and Dr Goldschlager, in collaboration with Mesoblast, demonstrated significantly increased success rate and shortened recovery times in neck spinal fusion surgery.

This successful research collaboration has led to the team conducting the world's first clinical trials of a new medical treatment that could bring hope to millions of people suffering spinal neck pain.

The research has also resulted in a further collaboration with Proteobioactives Pty Ltd to develop a stem cell/scaffold combination therapy that will produce a biomimetic disc to overcome the current shortfalls in spinal disc repair.

For more information on Professor Jenkin's research:

Clinical and Experimental Perinatal Research Group