OUTCOMES OF CORNEAL ALLERGENIC INTRASTROMAL RING SEGMENT (CAIRS) SURGERY
Dr David Gunn, Ophthalmologist
Cornea, Cataract and Refractive Surgeon, Queensland Eye Institute
& Focus Vision Clinic in Brisbane, Queensland
RESEARCHER PROFILE (Filmed in Brisbane, Queensland, Australian | June 2024)
Dr David Gunn is an ophthalmologist specialising in cornea, cataract, and refractive surgery at the Queensland Eye Institute and Focus Vision in Brisbane, Queensland. His journey into ophthalmology began during medical school, inspired by a mentor. He initially engaged in research on mouse glaucoma, exploring amacrine cells and their responses.
After completing his residency and gaining experience in eye casualty at the Royal Brisbane Hospital, David underwent four years of surgical training in the Queensland network. This was followed by a stint at the Bristol Eye Hospital in the UK, focusing on the cornea and anterior segment. Since returning to Queensland, he has concentrated on keratoconus research.
One of the pivotal moments in his career was the decision to specialise in cornea surgery, which included performing Australia’s first CAIRS procedure in May 2021. His current research examines outcomes for patients undergoing Corneal Allergenic Intrastromal Ring Segment (CAIRS) surgery.
Dr Gunn finds immense satisfaction in the immediate post-operative results he sees in patients, as visual acuity provides a tangible measure of success. He is passionate about introducing less invasive surgical techniques that lead to improvements in patients’ lives.
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Leukaemia microenvironment & high risk childhood leukaemia
Associate Professor Laurence Cheung is now an Associate Professor at the Curtin Medical School as well as Curtin Medical Research Institute, and a Co-head of the Leukaemia Translational Research Laboratory at The Kids.
He has attracted over $8.7 million in research funding, including 16 awards as CIA (over $6.1 million). Assoc Prof Cheung was named the 2019 Cancer Council of WA Early Career Cancer Researcher of the Year and received the STEM Early Career Research Award at Curtin University in 2019.
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Impact of NextSense Institute Research in the field of sensory disabilities
NextSense has a 165 year history of providing services and education for individuals with sensory impairments. With the support of donations, NextSense provides vital support for children and adults, more cochlear implants than any other service in Australia, and is a world leader for research, technology and professional education in the fields of visions and hearing loss.
NextSense clinicians are actively involved in a number of leading research projects—both independently and in collaboration with local and international organisations. The NextSense Institute, part of NextSense is Australia’s leading centre for research and professional education in the field of sensory disabilities.
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Targeting chemotherapy resistance in ovarian cancer patients
Dr Alex Cole, from the Centenary Institute’s Centre for Biomedical AI, is now leading the research focused on developing a new treatment to counteract a protein called follistatin (FST), known for making ovarian cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy.
By employing cutting-edge molecular biology and directed evolution techniques, the project aims to create nanobodies—small, precise molecules—that can block FST. If successful, these nanobodies could enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy and improve ovarian cancer treatment rates.
