Precision in the Aches
Prof Peter Wong and A/Prof Grant Logan have dedicated years of work and research into improving patient care and the way that their patients can experience the world. Peter has spent his medical career taking care of people with arthritis. He loves to call himself the “aches and pains doctor”.
Rheumatology is the study of immune diseases affecting joints, bones and muscles and Peter is an excellent example of looking at the whole person – “it’s all about treating the whole person from mind, body, and emotion”. Dr Wong spent over 10 years of his medical career in Coffs Harbour but found the ability to conduct research was far stronger in Sydney.
When examining the whole person Peter looks at many factors that affects disease, from the cellular level, genetic traits for treatment and lifestyle factors. That is where Dr Grant Logan comes in. Dr Logan has been studying molecular and cell-based immunotherapies for over 20 years. He got his start from a $100,000 grant from the Rebecca Cooper Foundation. In science and research which is very expensive, that amount of money sometimes doesn’t go very far.
However, for Grant that $100,000 carried him and his research team to where they are now. With that money Grant was able to hire one of his, now, closest colleagues with whom he still collaborates. The power of that $100,000 has led to tens of thousands of lives being changed for the better. It has served as a stepping stone to the development of diagnostic and translational programs to support emerging gene therapies. Most importantly, that $100,000 has led Dr Logan to work on genetic research here at Westmead Hospital.
Today, Dr Wong is working on targeting pharmaceutical therapies to treat patients. Currently, in Rheumatology, there are around many different targeted treatments, but not every person will respond the same. It can sometimes be a “best guess”, ie try for a while, then if it doesn’t work, try a different drug. The idea is to create a “test” to help work out which is the correct targeted treatment the first time.
Dr Logan is working on exciting gene therapy to insert DNA into the liver which will cause the liver to provide a molecule that will turn off inflammation in the rest of the body. This will have enormous implications for treatment of a range of inflammatory conditions.
Their work is being conducted in clinical trials at Westmead Hospital, and their research is being conducted in conjunction with the University of Sydney and the Westmead Institute of Medical Research. Most recently, the Westmead Hospital Foundation has purchased a handheld ultrasound that can fit in your pocket to assist in visualization of bone and joint structures. This will help the Westmead Rheumatology Department to better care for patients. To follow their work, feel free to reach out to info@westmeadhf.org.au.
