Loneliness, the gap between desired and actual social connection, is being experienced by one in six Australians aged 65 and older. And this perceived deficit of meaningful relationships only worsens with age.

The social challenge of loneliness is a major health concern for older Australians, and it compounds with age-associated hearing loss, according to a study led by Associate Professor Dona Jayakody from the University of Western Australia.

“Hearing loss has been shown to significantly increase the odds of experiencing moderate and intense emotional loneliness,” says Jayakody.

“Our findings suggest that untreated hearing loss particularly undermines intimate, partner, or ‘inner circle’ relationships, where subtle verbal and emotional cues are crucial.”

In older adults aged 70 and above, approximately 70% have hearing loss. Unsurprisingly, the likelihood of experiencing moderate and intense emotional loneliness increases with age-related hearing loss.

The same study also found that an interaction between older age and poorer hearing was associated with reduced social interaction, suggesting that ageing and hearing loss together may impact social networks.

Social effects related to hearing loss

“Communication is foundational to social life. Hearing loss impairs meaningful communication, leading to misunderstandings and withdrawal from conversations,” Jayakody explains.

“It also strains relationships, as communication partners often have to repeat themselves, speak loudly, and speak slowly and articulately.”

Jayakody says as a result, people tend to limit their contact with those with a hearing loss, which can make them feel lonely and isolated.

Loneliness stemming from solo living

Study participants who lived alone had 55% higher odds of moving into a more severe emotional loneliness category compared with those living with others.

Hearing loss and a link to depression, anxiety and stress
The same authors have reported an association between hearing loss and depression, anxiety, and stress. These findings highlight a bidirectional relationship in which hearing loss, loneliness, and psychological distress can reinforce one another over time.

Clinical and public health implications: integrated approach to hearing care needed

Dr Jayakody is calling for an integrated approach to hearing care which incorporates the use of suitable hearing devices together with psychosocial assessment and support.

“Hearing loss not only impairs effective communication; it is a psychosocial risk factor. I would like to see healthcare professional consider loneliness, peoples’ living situation and mood as part of integrated treatment regimes.

“Addressing hearing loss in older Australians with suitable hearing devices, such as hearing aids, hearing implants, and hearables is the first step.
“Communication strategies, education, and support for families, caregivers and friends can also help hearing-impaired individuals communicate effectively.

“By integrating hearing care with psychosocial assessment and support, services may help reduce the burden of loneliness and improve overall wellbeing in older adults with hearing loss.”

Our exposure to plastic particles from microplastics to nanoplastics starts from the second we sip tap water in the morning. When water boils inside a plastic kettle. When food is prepared using plastic utensils, and when meals are reheated in plastic takeaway containers. At the end of the day, dishwashers and washing machines send millions of these particles into wastewater, which eventually makes its way back into the environment.

Measuring the impacts of these plastics on humans from microplastics to nanoplastics is extremely challenging, says Dr Elvis Okoffo, Research Fellow at the Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland.

Tiny particles present big challenges

“Microplastics are defined as plastic particles smaller than 5 mm in diameter, with many existing in the micrometre size range and often not visible to the naked eye. Nanoplastics are substantially smaller, typically below 1 µm (and often <100 nm), approaching the size of viruses, and require specialised analytical techniques for detection beyond conventional light microscopy.

The behaviour of these particles in biological systems including their potential to cross epithelial barriers, enter the bloodstream, and accumulate in tissues or organs remains incompletely understood. A growing body of research is therefore focused on characterising their transport pathways, bioavailability, and potential health risks associated with micro- and nanoplastic exposure’’.

Exposure in focus

Microplastics and nanoplastics are everywhere inside our homes, in the water we drink, and in the utensils and containers we use. Studying how we are exposed to these tiny particles, how they are released from food contact materials, move through the environment, and potentially affect human health is the focus of Dr Elvis Okoffo, Research Fellow at the Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland.

During his PhD, Dr Okoffo developed quantitative analytical methods to measure plastic residues in Australian wastewater treatment plants and biosolids. Tracking how these particles are released into the environment is central to his work.

Smaller than the eye can see

Detecting, characterising and quantifying micro- and nanoplastics across a large variety of sizes involves applying techniques such as pressurised liquid extraction, ultrafiltration, Vibrational microspectroscopy and pyrolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS).

“These techniques allow us to measure plastics from visible microplastics down to nanoplastics that are otherwise impossible to see,” says Dr Okoffo.

“By applying several methods to the same samples, we can cross-check results and gain confidence in our measurements, giving a clearer picture of how plastics move through wastewater, biosolids, and the environment, as well as how we are exposed in daily life.”

In practical terms, Dr Okoffo’s research helps to reveal the origins of plastic pollution, how it spreads, and what strategies can reduce exposure and environmental release, bridging environmental science, analytical chemistry, and public health.

The presence of plastic in drinking water

Dr Okoffo’s preliminary work on plastic particles in drinking water* has already confirmed that plastics are present in tap water.

This finding raises important questions about where these particles originate – for instance from source waters, treatment plants, distribution pipes, or even household taps and their rubber seals and how exposure can be reduced at the source.

To tackle these challenges, Dr Okoffo has been awarded an ARC DECRA Fellowship at the Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, where he is leading a project to trace micro- and nanoplastics through drinking water systems.

The research combines advanced analytical methods to detect and characterise plastics, pinpoint their sources, and evaluate practical solutions such as household and point-of-use filtration systems to reduce exposure before water reaches consumers.

“If we detect plastics in tap water, the next step is to test filtration systems to see how effectively they can remove these particles before they reach our homes,” says Dr Okoffo.

By identifying where these plastics come from, and how they travel through water networks, the project aims to close critical knowledge gaps and deliver actionable strategies that protect both human health and the environment.

Coming out in the wash

From dishwashers to washing machines, many everyday household appliances quietly release vast amounts of microplastics into our wastewater. Washing machines, in particular, shed millions of microscopic fibres and fragments from synthetic clothing during each cycle. These particles are often too small to be fully captured by conventional treatment systems, allowing some to pass through into rivers, bays, and coastal waters.

Much of what is captured during treatment ends up in biosolids a nutrient-rich by-product made from treated wastewater and organic matter. These biosolids are frequently applied to agricultural land as fertiliser or otherwise disposed of in the environment, meaning the plastics they contain can re-enter soils, waterways, and potentially even the food chain.

“This shows that plastic pollution doesn’t just disappear down the drain. Rather, it moves through our systems and often returns to the environment in different forms,” says Dr Okoffo.

“That’s why we need prevention at the source, including innovations such as built-in filtration systems in washing machines and dishwashers that can capture fibres and plastic particles before they ever reach wastewater.”

Environmental accumulation

Beyond the household, Dr Okoffo’s research traces where these plastics ultimately accumulate. Supported by the Max Day Environmental Science Fellowship, he has investigated microplastic contamination across Moreton Bay, uncovering historical build-up of plastics in sediments, elevated concentrations in mangroves near industrial areas, and ongoing contamination in water and seafood. The findings show how everyday emissions from homes and cities can accumulate over time in sensitive coastal ecosystems.

At the same time, Dr Okoffo has helped advance how scientists measure these particles. By developing and combining cutting-edge analytical techniques capable of detecting plastics from micro- to nanoscale, his work has improved the accuracy, reliability, and confidence of plastic measurements across complex environmental samples an essential step toward understanding real exposure risks.

“We still have a long way to go in understanding micro- and nanoplastics and what they mean for human health,” he says. “But it’s a rapidly emerging field, and I’m passionate about identifying practical steps people can take every day to lower their exposure and reduce how much plastic we return to the environment.”

It all starts at home

Dr Okoffo applies this philosophy in his own home. Inside his kitchen there are no plastic chopping boards, disposable takeaway cups, plastic kettles, plastic cups or single-use food containers.

Instead, he opts for glass, stainless steel, and reusable alternatives.

“These are small daily changes that, collectively, can make a meaningful difference.”

References

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389423022975

Hundreds of kilometres beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet lie vast and dynamic subglacial water systems comprised of large lakes, drainage networks and channelised flow paths that fill and drain over a wide range of timescales, from days to decades, and possibly longer.

Despite their surrounding below-freezing conditions, these waters remain in liquid form, due to the immense pressure of the overlying ice, combined with heat from the Earth below and friction generated as the ice flows.

Hidden waters and how behaviours could influence ice flow

In Antarctica alone, just 766 of these subglacial lakes are documented, and only 231 active lakes known. Scientists like Chen Zhao, Senior Research Fellow in Ice Sheet Modelling, together with ice sheet modelling team in University of Tasmania and colleagues from Finland and France have been exploring the hidden water beneath the ice and how their behaviours could influence the ice flow and Antarctica’s contribution to sea level rises.

We simulated subglacial water pressure across Antarctica, revealing vulnerable regions potentially influenced by subglacial water, and mapped both active (blue) and stable (yellow) subglacial lakes and subglacial water channels (black lines). Zhao, C., et al, 2025. Nature Communications.

“Satellite observations show that Antarctica lost about 2,700 billion tonnes of ice between 1992 and 2020, raising global sea levels by over 7mm. Annual ice loss is now more than double the rate of the 1990s,” Zhao explained.

As mass losses from Antarctica and Greenland continue to accelerate, sea levels are expected to rise even faster.

“To understand how quickly and how much Antarctica will contribute to future sea-level rise, my research uses advanced numerical models to simulate how Antarctic ice flows, how it interacts with the subglacial meltwater and ocean, and how these processes control the rate of ice loss.”

A global effort to convert science into future sea-level projections

Converting this science into future sea-level projections is a global effort led through the Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project for CMIP6 (ISMIP6). In this project, research teams worldwide run the same climate scenarios across different ice-sheet models to quantify Antarctica’s future contribution to sea-level rise — a collaboration that Zhao’s team is a part of. Results from ISMIP6 feed directly into the IPCC’s global climate assessments, shaping the sea-level rise projections used by governments worldwide.

Hidden hydrology and sea level rise

“As ice slides over the bedrock beneath Antarctica, meltwater trapped at the base of the ice is released and can eventually flow into the ocean. This hidden hydrology — the presence, pressure, movement of water beneath the ice sheet — strongly influences basal sliding and ice-sheet dynamics. If water pressure at the base is high, basal friction drops, and parts of the ice sheet can slide more readily. This makes subglacial water a critical control on ice discharge into the ocean.”

“In the past ISMIP6 and IPCC sea level rise projections, the ice sheet modelling community has largely not considered how evolving subglacial water systems affects basal sliding. The water released from beneath the ice into the ocean can enhance the basal melting beneath floating ice shelves, which in turn weakens the ice and allows even more ice to flow into the ocean.”

“Previous reports have not considered this at all.”

Subglacial waters ‘significant’ in their role in global sea-level rise 

Zhao describes Antarctica’s contribution to global sea-level rise as highly uncertain but potentially immense, with subglacial water acting as a previously underappreciated accelerator of ice loss.

“In our recent paper titled “Subglacial water amplifies Antarctic contributions to sea-level rise’, published in Nature, we revealed that incorporating the evolving subglacial water can amplify ice discharge across the Antarctic Ice Sheet by up to threefold above the standard approach without including subglacial water in the model, potentially contributing an additional 2.2 metres to sea-level rise by 2300.”

“If realised, this scale of rise would redraw coastlines worldwide, placing many of today’s major coastal cities and low-lying island nations at severe and potentially irreversible risk — particularly in Australia and the Pacific Islands, where sea level has already been rising faster than the global average.

“We demonstrate that water at the base of ice sheets influences sliding behaviour and that its exclusion from models can underestimate sea-level rise projections and delay the predicted onset of tipping points.”

A chart contrasting the different contributions to sea-level rise from the Antarctic Ice Sheet depending on how subglacial water pressure is included. Zhao, C., et al, 2025. Nature Communications.

Behind the modelling

Using state-of-the-art ice sheet modelling, the research explored how different assumptions about water pressure at the ice base affect sea-level rise projections from 2015 to 2300.

“Our results indicate that incorporating subglacial water can amplify ice discharge across the Antarctic Ice Sheet by up to threefold above the standard approach, potentially contributing an additional 2.2 metres to sea-level rise by 2300,” Zhao explains.

Notably, a smoothly decreasing basal drag near the grounding line more than doubles grounding line flux by 2300 relative to scenarios where effective pressure is simplified into a spatially constant coefficient. Basin-specific responses vary significantly, with some scenarios advancing tipping points by up to 40 years. These findings underscore the critical need to integrate evolving subglacial hydrology into ice sheet models.

The study shows that when friction beneath the ice near the coast is allowed to decrease realistically as water pressure builds up, more than twice as much ice can flow into the ocean by 2300 compared with models that assume constant conditions beneath the ice. Different parts of Antarctica respond in very different ways, with some regions reaching dangerous tipping points up to 40 years earlier. The results highlight that future sea-level rise cannot be reliably predicted without accounting for the hidden water systems beneath the ice sheet.

When Jasneek Chawla commenced her PhD evaluating the impact of sleep interventions on children with Down syndrome, she didn’t realise just how deeply many families of children with disability were struggling.

“Each time I did a clinic I could see families struggling. Struggling with all aspects of life. Time and time again these families were being told by health professionals to “just get on with it”.

“They didn’t feel they could ask for help.”

Studies show that children with Down syndrome are six times more likely to have sleep problems. And parents and siblings experience the ripple effects. According to Jasneek, significant inequity exists in the provision of sleep health care for these children, and little support for their families who experience the often debilitating effects of sleep deprivation alongside their child.

“While parents acknowledged that sleep disruption had adverse and pervasive impacts on their wellbeing and family dynamics, they accepted sleep difficulties as a regular part of raising any child, particularly one with a disability,” Jasneek explains.

When they did seek treatment, parents often reported receiving insensitive, and inadequate care.

“Healthcare professionals were often normalising children’s sleep difficulties. This was resulting in sub-optimal treatment. At times, they failed to refer families to sleep services.”

Some examples of insensitive guidance were extreme. “One family was told to talk to their child with dog commands.”

Five major themes quickly emerged from her research. “That childrens’ sleep issues are often very complex, made worse by things like pain, or seizures. That sleep disturbance affects the whole household, including siblings.”

The experiences of caregivers were brought to light. “Caregivers experience severe fatigue, too, which impacts their own health, thinking, and ability to work. We also know these parents and families are trying different strategies and treatments to improve sleep. And what’s missing is tailored information … better information and supportive resources.”

Jasneek said that stemming from this and other studies, an amazing community of supporters formed. “A community of people who were willing to help us to try and improve the lives of these children and families.”

A subsequent MMRFF grant study, ‘early sleep interventions to improve outcomes in children with neurodisability’ revealed that the challenges faced by families of children with Down syndrome were mirrored in the lives of families whose children were living with other types of disability. The aim of this large study of 300 caregivers of children with neurodisability was to understand how sleep problems affect families – beyond medical outcomes and into daily life, wellbeing and coping strategies – and improve outcomes for these children through sleep interventions.

Improving sleep diagnosis and treatment for children with neurodisability

In a second phase of her MRFF funded program, Jasneek focused on diagnostic testing for sleep disordered breathing. Children with conditions like Down syndrome, Prader Willi Syndrome and Cerebral palsy have a higher rate of sleep disordered breathing, or SDB, than typically developing children.

On average, this group of children will undergo 3-4 sleep studies across their childhood, sometimes even more. Recognising the difficulties of standard sleep study monitoring for children with neurodisability, Jasneek and her research team set out to evaluate alternatives.

“Standard in-lab polysomnography (PSG) testing equipment is often problematic. It includes a lot of wires and attachments to the child, which many children, particularly those with sensory sensitivities, won’t tolerate. Children also don’t sleep well when in the lab as a result and so you don’t get a good measure of what may be happening at home.”

Working with Professor Sullivan, the founder of CPAP, a new sleep-monitoring mat, the Sonomat contactless mat, better suited to the needs of children with neurodisability, was developed and tested with the goal of validating a more tolerable diagnostic method for sleep-disordered breathing in children with neurodisability.

“This new, non-invasive mat does away with wires and sensors, like nasal prongs and EEG leads, making it much more tolerable.”

The final phase of the research program involves a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of a range of tailored sleep interventions for children with neurodisability, focusing on behavioural sleep problems and trying to determine the best approach to management.

National guidelines

Today, there are no clinical guidelines to support the evaluation and management of sleep problems in children with disability in Australia, or elsewhere in the world. Jasneek hopes that this research will contribute towards the development of appropriate national guidelines to help health professionals such as GPs, general paediatricians and allied health professionals manage sleep issues for children living with neurodisability.

“If we can improve this for families, for caregivers, the difference it will make to their quality of life is significant.”

“We all need sleep. It’s an essential to our lives. When I see families in the clinics, parents tell me I’ve changed their lives by helping them get sleep. All I’ve really done is I’ve simply listened and helped them find ways to manage this themselves, with tailored support.”

Jasneek Chawla is a paediatric respiratory and sleep physician at the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane, Associate Professor at the University of Queensland and President of the Australasian Sleep Association.

Antarctica and its extraordinary icy landscapes may not be on our minds daily. Yet, this icy continent is changing rapidly, and these transformations are influencing everything from sea levels to ecosystems. 

On most maps, Antarctica is shown as a thin strip at the bottom of the world. For oceanographers, however, Antarctica lies at the centre of the global ocean. The Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean basins extend north from the continent, and their currents converge around Antarctica, transporting water, heat, salt and nutrients.

“Sea ice, the thin layer of frozen sea water that forms in winter and melts during summer, plays a key role in driving these global ocean currents,” says Edward Doddridge, physical oceanographer from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies in Tasmania.

Unprecedented sea ice loss: the bigger picture
“In recent years we have seen a collapse in Antarctic sea ice. Coverage in 2023 was the lowest ever recorded. And for the first time, sea ice loss was seen in Winter. The scale of ice loss was unprecedented.” 

Doddridge is part an international cohort of scientists working to understand why this sea ice decline is occurring. His research focuses on how heat moves through the oceans to Antarctica, how subsurface heat affects sea ice, and whether observed changes are temporary ‘blips’ or permanent shifts.

His work advances the scientific community’s understanding of the global climate system. In particular, how it is changing, and the impacts of those changes on our world. This work directly informs Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, used by governments to inform policy.
 

The science beneath the ice 

Doddridge and other ocean and climate scientists rely on computer modelling, satellite data, and more than 4,000 autonomous ocean floats to monitor ocean conditions and ice changes in near-real time.

A key part of Earth’s climate system is the ocean’s ‘overturning circulation’ — a global network of currents that move heat, carbon, and nutrients around the planet. 

Warm, salty water flows from the tropics toward the poles. Around Antarctica, it cools, becomes denser, and sinks deep into the ocean. This water slowly returns to the north, bringing nutrients to the surface and helping to regulate the climate. 

When sea ice melts, it releases fresh water, less dense than salty water. This stabilises the surface layer, making it less likely to sink, and slowing the deep circulation. 

Rising global temperatures warm the upper ocean even further, weaking the sinking motion that drives this circulation.

“If this circulation weakens significantly, it can disrupt how the ocean stores and moves heat, carbon, and nutrients, with far-reaching effects on global climate systems including weather patterns, sea levels, and marine ecosystems.” 

The loss of Antarctic sea ice not only threatens ecosystems. It also threatens wildlife.

“This ice loss heightens the extinction risk for Emperor Penguins. Their breeding colonies, that live on the frozen sea ice, are vulnerable. Their chicks rely on stable sea ice ahead of growing their waterproof feathers.”

“Antarctica and its changing ice and oceans are intrinsic to life on the planet. Antarctica Day is a day on which to pause and consider the importance of that thin strip at the bottom of the map and the alarming changes we have seen unfold in recent years.”
 

Read some of Doddridge’s work and recent contributions here: 

Antarctica and Climate Change Technical Report. A technical report for the National Climate Risk Assessment. 

 Emerging evidence of abrupt changes in the Antarctic environment, published in Nature.

A multidisciplinary paper examining the impacts of Antarctic summer sea ice loss.

Record low Antarctic sea ice coverage indicates a new sea ice state, published in Nature.

Nausea. Vomiting. Abdominal pain. Feeling full quickly after eating. These are some of the symptoms of gastroparesis, or ‘delayed gastric emptying’ – and there is no known cure. Gastroenterologist Dr Vincent Ho, clinical project director of Western Sydney University’s GI Motility Disorders Unit together with other gastroenterology motility specialists is developing new diagnostics and treatment options that address the root cause of this mysterious condition which commonly affects young women.

“With gastroparesis, the normal stomach contractions that move food through the digestive tract are weakened or impaired,” says Dr Ho.

“If left untreated, for some, drastic measures are required, such as feeding tubes. Symptoms can linger for a lifetime.”

Dr Ho is passionate about making a real difference for the lives of people suffering from this condition. In conducting research investigating the underlying cause, he is hoping that more specific treatments may one day help improve the quality of life of people with gastroparesis.

A patient meeting with a turning point

It was back in 2011 when a consultation with a young patient opened Dr Ho’s eyes to the unusual condition of gastroparesis. Investigations indicated that there was nothing wrong with the structure of the stomach. But there was something seriously wrong with its functioning.

“I was privileged to meet a young lady named Ashley, a law clerk in her twenties, who presented to my Campbelltown Hospital gastroenterology clinic with symptoms of nausea, vomiting and fullness. Multiple tests later, Dr Ho discovered that she had a condition called gastroparesis.

“I tried multiple medications, none of which had worked for her. It was a real eye opener. I thought to myself – how am I going to get her better? A large part of me just could not accept that this condition could strike down a young person and leave them so sick without a possibility of a cure.”

Gastrointestinal motility program well underway

Ashley was instrumental in Dr Ho developing a program focusing on gastrointestinal motility disorders including gastroparesis.

“A motility disorder occurs when muscles and nerves in the digestive tract don’t work properly,” explains Dr Ho. “This causes abnormal movement (or ‘motility’) of food, fluid, or waste through the digestive system. In the case of gastroparesis where the food moves very slowly out of the stomach, this means that it’s stuck in the stomach for a prolonged period. Food which is stuck leads to those symptoms of nausea, vomiting and feeling full.”

Ashley ended up having to be tube fed.

“This was a drastic solution. Imagine the impact on someone who is otherwise healthy, having to have a feeding tube inserted.”

“This all happened to her one day when she was recovering from the flu. Gastroparesis can often start after an infection, or gastro and tends to be a chronic problem,” Dr Ho explains.

“Today — as it was back then — not a lot is known about the condition, other than that it predominantly affects young women, and they continue to experience symptoms.”

Cellular research

As principal investigator with the Gastroparesis and Functional Dyspepsia Biobank project through Western Sydney University’s School of Medicine, Dr Ho together with Professor Nicholas Talley at Newcastle University is conducting cellular-level research into why stomach motility fails, and what treatments could help.

“We know that the stomach — like the heart — has a natural ‘pacemaker’ function. Unlike the heart, where in people it can vary between 60-100 beats per minute, the stomach has contractions of three cycles per minute or so. In the digestive system, slow-wave electrical activity — like pulses — keeps the digestive system working properly. In people with gastroparesis, these specialised cells, in the gastrointestinal tract, are dysfunctional.”

Dr Ho wants to understand why or how these rare and fragile cells, called ICC cells (interstitial cells of Cajal) become dysfunctional in gastroparesis.

Dr Ho and his research team at the School of Medicine, Western Sydney University were the first to conduct genomic sequencing of these ICC cells. From the genomic sequencing came interesting insights into the genetic makeup of these cells in healthy humans.

The cells were extracted from stomach samples donated by people who had completed gastric sleeve surgery. The technique used to identify and extract the cells was quite unique and difficult to undertake, requiring a significant effort from the research team to co-ordinate.

The research identified proteins that could shed more light on how these ICC cells become dysfunctional with gastroparesis.

“We know that people with gastroparesis have fewer ICCs, and they are dysfunctional. We are yet to uncover how the patients have developed the dysfunction. Knowing why ICC cells are lost or don’t work properly will enable the development of diagnostics and treatments based on this dysfunction.”

“This will hopefully give us more insights into drug targets,” Dr Ho explains.

Discovery of dietary fibre suited to people with gastroparesis

Dietary fibre is often touted as good for gut health. For people with gastroparesis, fibre is problematic. “This is because it slows digestion and may worsen symptoms such as bloating, nausea, fullness, and stomach pain,” Dr Ho says.

“We are exploring how different types of fibre affect people with gastroparesis. A pilot study that we conducted suggested that some low-viscosity soluble fibres such as partially hydrolysed guar gum and gum arabic, instead of standard fibre like psyllium husk, may be better tolerated without aggravating symptoms.”

Ways to obtain samples from the stomach, minus surgery

Previously, endoscopy could only sample the superficial layers of the stomach. Collecting deeper layers of stomach tissue, which included muscle, required surgery.

“In the past, getting any deep kind of tissue from deep within the stomach has been challenging … we are researching ways, using new technologies, to access deeper samples from the stomach via endoscopy. This could open up the possibility of getting deep stomach tissue samples from people with gastroparesis.”

A minimally invasive way to sample the deeper layers of the stomach would be a game-changer for gastroparesis research. This would enable many more samples to be collected from both healthy individuals and people with gastroparesis. This minimally invasive approach of collecting stomach samples combined with the cellular research Dr Ho is undertaking would provide a much better understanding of how the ICC cells in healthy people can change and become dysfunctional in gastroparesis.

Gastroparesis awareness and advocacy

Dr Ho, together with the gastroparesis community, are raising awareness of the condition through advocacy via a website and Facebook group.

• The GI Motility website, created by Western Sydney University
  This informs patients and referrers about clinical evaluation and care for motility disorders; highlights pioneering research into gut physiology, therapeutic innovation, and device technologies; and engages the broader community and amplifies the voices of patients through support networks and partnerships.
  https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/gimotility/home
• A Facebook community called The Inside Story is a safe, peer-led space where patients and carers connect and share information. Dr Ho was instrumental in helping establish this Facebook community a decade ago.
• The Gastroparesis Australia website
  This website is a source of support, advocacy, and information for people living with gastroparesis.
  Western Sydney University’s GI Motility Unit provides the digital infrastructure for the organisation.

https://www.gastroparesisaustralia.com/

Topics that Dr Vincent Ho is available to present on include:

• Gut health
• Gut science
• Any gut diseases such as IBS, IBD, coeliac disease, eosinophilic oesophagitis, gastroparesis, reflux, colon cancer
• Life as a clinician scientist

About Vincent Ho

Dr Vincent Ho is a 2024 New South Wales Young Tall Poppy Science Award recipient.

Dr Vincent Ho is a gastroenterologist at Campbelltown Hospital and an Associate Professor at the School of Medicine, Western Sydney University. Vincent leads a Translational Gastroenterology Research program at the School of Medicine focusing on basic science and clinical research in the gut. He has a strong passion in education of the science of the gut to health discipline audiences as well as the general public. He is more widely known to the public as the GutDr.

https://gutdr.com/articles/