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PhD student Amy Sobbe presents at Liver Down Under: Liver Development, Disease and Regeneration.

GMRF PhD student Amy Sobble was recently 2nd Runner up in the BD Biosciences Best Young Investigator Oral Presentation Award at the international conference Liver Down Under: Liver Development, Disease and Regeneration.

In her study Mdr2-/- mice were used as a model of a particular category of liver injury known as cholestatic liver disease. The study indicates that Mdr2-/- mice have low liver iron levels because of reduced iron uptake and storage. Low liver iron stores would place the patient at risk of iron anaemia as they cannot replace red blood cells after excessive blood loss.

Iron is important for many biological processes including the production of red blood cells which carry oxygen around the body. Body iron levels are tightly regulated as too much (iron overload) or too little iron (anaemia) can both have severe consequences. The liver is the major iron storage organ in the body, and this iron is used to generate new red blood cells after blood loss.

This award follows on from Amy being selected as a finalist in the gastroenterological Society of Australia’s prestigious June Halliday Young Investigator Award (Basic Science Category). The Team from GMRF would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Amy on her amazing achievement.