Why Australia

Why International Patients Choose Sydney, Australia:

Facts for overseas Patients as Australia head the world in many areas of medical research with proud milestones in medical research

The role of the Thymus Gland. In 1961 the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research discovered the role of the Thymus Gland in producing T-Cells, a vital component of the immune system.

Folate and Neural Tube Defects. A team of paediatric researchers in Perth discovered a cause between low levels of folate (a B-group vitamin) in a pregnant woman’s diet and increased risk of her baby developing SPINA BIFIDA.

Sleeping Position and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Researchers discovered that babies who sleep on their stomachs have at least 3 times the risk of SIDS.

Lithium and Bipolar Disease. As early as 1948, Dr John Cade discovered that Lithium compounds could relieve the symptoms of bipolar disease or manic depression.

The Bionic Ear. The world’s leading implant for treating severe hearing loss was developed in Sydney by Professor Graeme Clark who pioneered the development of the Bionic ear for deaf children and adults. It was commercially launched in 1985.

Bacteria and Stomach Ulcers. Dr Barry Marshall infected himself with Helicobacter Pylori to prove that a bacterium was responsible for stomach ulcers.

In 1981 the University of Sydney research team came up with the first non-invasive treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea. The nasal continuous positive airway pressure system blows air into the nose via a mask, keeping the airway open. It is on sale in 60 countries.

Australia and the Nobel Prize for Medicine

Seven Australians have received the NOBEL PRIZE in Physiology or Medicine. They are:

Barry James Marshall and Robin Warren in 2005 'for their discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease'.

Peter Charles Doherty in 1996 for his discovery of how the immune system recognises cells infected with a virus.

Bernard Katz shared with Ulf von Euler and Julius Axelrod in 1970 'for their discoveries concerning the humoral transmitters in the nerve terminals and the mechanism for their storage, release and inactivation'.

John Carew Eccles shared with Alan Lloyd Hodgkin and Andrew Fielding Huxley in 1963 'for their discoveries concerning the ionic mechanisms involved in excitation and inhibition in the peripheral and central portions of the nerve cell membrane'.

Frank Macfarlane Burnet shared with Peter Brian Medawar in 1960 'for discovery of acquired immunological tolerance'.

Sir Howard Florey in 1945 for work on penicillin.

Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet for work relating to the immune response to a tissue transplant.