Rob Clancy
As seen in:
MSN,
Sydney Morning Herald,
The Age,
The Sunday Age,
Medical Xpress,
Brisbane Times,
WAtoday,
Stock & Land
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Rob Clancy
Immune protein loss may drive rare stomach lymphoma in H pylori infections
Roughly half the world's population is infected with the stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which is responsible for about 90% of gastric cancers. However, until now, it has been unclear why some H. pylori infections lead to a rare form of lymphoma in the stomach while others don't. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest sci-tech news updates. H.
Immune protein loss may drive rare stomach lymphoma in H. pylori infections
Credit: The FASEB Journal (2026). DOI: 10.1096/fj.202504879r Roughly half the world's population is infected with the stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which is responsible for about 90% of gastric cancers. However, until now, it has been unclear why some H. pylori infections lead to a rare form of lymphoma in the stomach while others don't. H. pylori specialists at Hudson Institute of Medical Research have identified changes in immune responses that lead to the development of stomach lymphoma.
The key to successful treatment of primary aldosteronism: Get it early
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Evidence continues to mount regarding the effectiveness of treating primary aldosteronism (PA), with a major international study confirming that early intervention is the best way to beat this hidden cause of hypertension. A few stark statistics illustrate the scale of the problem: Around 1 in 10 people with high blood pressure may have PA. That's around 600,000 people in Australia alone, and 128 million worldwide.
Why aren't doctors diagnosing primary aldosteronism?
Clinical management of PA by specialty and inductive themes. Credit: Kidney Medicine (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.xkme.2026.101429 Primary aldosteronism (otherwise known as PA or Conn Syndrome) is the leading endocrine cause of hypertension (high blood pressure).
Cells' own abnormal RNA may trigger inflammation during viral infection, challenging 20 years of assumptions
New research led by the Hudson Institute of Medical Research has shown how a cell recognizes that it is infected with a virus to protect itself and surrounding cells or induce inflammation. The discovery, published in Nature Immunology and led by Dr. Natália Sampaio, turns our understanding of how inflammation begins at a cellular level on its head. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest sci-tech news updates.
Solving a mysterious inflammatory fever opens the book on a much bigger story
Three research teams working independently around the world have landed on the same discovery: A single molecular "handshake" inside our cells controls a family of inflammatory diseases, including one of the most common inherited fevers on Earth. The finding solved a decades-old puzzle for one family and led to a treatment that worked almost immediately. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest sci-tech news updates.
Solving a mysterious inflammatory fever opens the book on a much bigger story
The molecular "handshake" breaks: a shortened form of pyrin (in green) can no longer bind to CDC42 (in magenta). Credit: Hudson Institute of Medical Research Three research teams working independently around the world have landed on the same discovery: A single molecular "handshake" inside our cells controls a family of inflammatory diseases, including one of the most common inherited fevers on Earth.
Stem cell science unlocks more mysteries of the menstrual cycle
Rob Clancy Amid all the advances in modern medicine, much of the science behind a woman's menstrual cycle remains mysterious, so a team at Hudson Institute of Medical Research is aiming to change that. Professor Caroline Gargett is an expert in the human endometrium, the highly regenerative lining of the uterus, and is world-renowned for discovering the stem/progenitor cells it contains. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest sci-tech news updates.
Airway cells, not immune cells, trigger silicosis: New understanding of a deadly disease
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Silicosis—a devastating, incurable lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust—is surging worldwide, fueled by a new wave of aggressive cases in young tradespeople working with engineered stone. Despite its growing impact, the biological triggers that turn silica exposure into life-threatening lung inflammation and scarring have remained poorly understood.
Airway cells, not immune cells, trigger silicosis: new understanding of a deadly disease
Silicosis — a devastating and incurable lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust — is surging worldwide, fuelled by a new wave of aggressive cases in young tradespeople working with engineered stone. Despite its growing impact, the biological triggers that turn silica exposure into life‑threatening lung inflammation and scarring have remained poorly understood. Gross pathology comparison of a healthy human lung (right) and a lung with advanced silicosis (left).
Using ultrasound to attack oral cancer cells
Ultrasound mechanostimulation-mediated killing of oral cancer cells and compromised integrity of the capsule-like barrier. Credit: Rashmita Luha Oral cancer is a major health challenge in India, where tobacco and areca nut use contribute substantially to the disease burden. Despite advances in surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, treatment remains difficult because current approaches can damage healthy tissues along with cancer cells, often affecting patients' quality of life.
How H. pylori uses extracellular vesicles to drive stomach cancer
Credit: Journal of Extracellular Vesicles (2026). DOI: 10.1002/jev2.70286 Scientists at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research have discovered how Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium responsible for most stomach cancers and peptic ulcers, delivers a key disease-causing protein into human cells. This breakthrough provides new insight into how H. pylori modulates chronic inflammation and promotes cancer, potentially opening new diagnostic and therapeutic pathways.
Flu treatment shields lungs, cuts pneumonia risk
Credit: Mucosal Immunology (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.mucimm.2026.01.008 A new flu treatment could drastically reduce one of flu's deadliest complications—bacterial pneumonia—by helping the lungs defend themselves, rather than targeting the virus directly.
Tiny one- to three-base RNAs could help stop autoimmune inflammation, study suggests
Rob Clancy RNA-based medicine is about to take a huge leap forward thanks to the discovery of extremely short RNA fragments with important anti-inflammatory properties. Professor Michael Gantier's latest research, published in Nature Immunology , builds on the Nobel prize–winning discoveries of microRNA (2024) and siRNAs (2006), except where those molecules contain about 20 bases, these very short RNA fragments can be as small as 1–3 bases.
Tiny one- to three-base RNAs could help stop autoimmune inflammation, study suggests
Natural TLR7 antagonism. Credit: Nature Immunology (2026). DOI:10.1038/s41590-026-02429-2 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-026-02429-2 RNA-based medicine is about to take a huge leap forward thanks to the discovery of extremely short RNA fragments with important anti-inflammatory properties.
Australia's stillbirth prevention program saves lives, shows evaluation
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Fewer stillbirths and reduced perinatal mortality are the key findings of the first analysis of the Safer Baby Bundle, Australia's national stillbirth prevention program. The Safer Baby Bundle is a set of evidence-based clinical guidelines and educational resources developed by the Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth for clinicians and pregnant women to help prevent the tragedy of stillbirth.
Childhood cancer catalog opens door to pediatric immunotherapy
A unique facility in Melbourne containing hundreds of childhood cancer tissue samples has produced a first-of-its-kind catalog of pediatric cancers to help identify how the immune system can target each one. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest sci-tech news updates.
Disabling the 'self-destruct button' that causes lung damage in flu
Influenza (flu) can be fatal, but just how it causes severe damage to the lungs has been a mystery—until now. New research has identified a protein that acts as a "self-destruct button" in the lungs, opening the door to new treatments that fight the disease. The study is published in the journal Cell Death & Disease.
Fetal brain harm linked to pregnancy infection
A specific bacterial infection during pregnancy that can cause severe harm to the unborn brain has been identified for the first time, in a finding that could have huge implications for prenatal health. Previous studies have disagreed on whether fetal exposure to Ureaplasma parvum has a detrimental effect on brain development, so newborn health specialists from Hudson Institute of Medical Research set out to determine the answer, once and for all.
Unexpected COPD relief: Lung fibrosis drug outperforms steroids in pre-clinical model
Researchers have found a promising treatment breakthrough for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that avoids many of the drawbacks of current drugs, and it has come from an unexpected place. COPD is an umbrella term for a number of lung conditions, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. The disease makes breathing difficult, is often complicated by sudden severe attacks and usually worsens over time.
Researchers determine hormone-regulated tumor suppressor plays a role in gonorrhea infection
A discovery at Hudson Institute more than 20 years ago is still sparking new medical insights, with researchers at a major US University using it to uncover vital facts about sexually transmitted disease (STI). A team at UMass Chan Medical School used an Australian-developed mouse model to test their theory that Interferon Epsilon (IFNε) plays a crucial role in the presence of gonorrhea—opening the door to potential treatments and more. The work is published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.
Fetal lung damage requires more than inflammation exposure, study suggests
Fetal exposure to inflammation has long been identified as a risk factor for a range of harmful conditions, but new research suggests systemic inflammation alone is not enough to cause lung injury. A team from Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Monash University investigated whether progressive systemic inflammation could cause lung injury in preterm fetuses, and the results were surprising. The study is published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology.
Understanding the mechanics of perinatal brain inflammation
When something goes wrong before or during birth, doctors know the potential consequences are huge and often harmful; what they often don't know is the exact nature of the damage that is caused by inflammation of the perinatal brain. Researchers at Hudson Institute of Medical Research have now combined insights from the latest diagnostic technologies to identify the specific processes by which inflammation causes structural changes in the newborn brain.
Leader cells may be key to stopping ovarian cancer's double impact
A diagnosis of ovarian cancer carries a dual threat—the disease itself and the danger of the cancer spreading. Now new research has uncovered a crucial factor, leader cells, that is a key to both.
Creatine shows promise in safeguarding baby's brain health during pregnancy
There is growing evidence that creatine may be beneficial as a pregnancy supplement, and new research suggests it could have benefits in protecting the brain when a baby is starved of oxygen. Hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) can happen when not enough oxygen or blood goes to the baby's brain, causing the brain to be injured, but creatine appears to help it bounce back and restore proper function.
Next-generation degradable 3D meshes offer hope for pelvic organ prolapse repair
A debilitating condition affecting 1 in 4 women is desperately crying out for a solution, and the next generation of treatments to repair the damage of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) has just come a big step closer. POP develops when tissues, pelvic floor muscles and ligaments that support the pelvic organs (bladder, uterus and bowel) are damaged, usually in childbirth. This injury causes the organs to shift ("drop") into the vagina or even outside the body, often with debilitating results.
Cells use backup mechanism to recognize potential invaders when usual RNA editing process fails, study finds
Our cells need to be able to recognize potential invaders as a threat, the key function of the body's innate immune system. Sometimes this process fails, causing the body to react to its own cells, leading to autoinflammatory disease. New research has identified a critical fall-back mechanism used by the cells when the usual RNA editing process is switched off.
Early aldosterone levels linked to heart risk in youth
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Unprecedented access to a unique group of Australians is allowing researchers to study links between raised aldosterone levels and elevated cardiovascular risk in various age groups—with important findings for heart health.
Understanding the how and why of preterm brain injury
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Being born preterm is a known major risk factor for life-changing brain injury, but there is still a lot to understand about exactly what occurs inside these tiny babies that can do so much damage.
Extracellular vesicles show promise in perinatal lung and brain injury treatment
Hudson Institute researchers are lifting the lid on a treatment promising the benefits of stem cells but none of the drawbacks, offering potential to reduce the lifelong impacts of perinatal lung and brain injuries. The findings are published in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine. Their research aims to help children born preterm who are at increased risk of developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and cerebral palsy (CP).
Q&A: Differences of sex development 101-it's complicated
Boy or girl? It's not always as simple as that. Internationally renowned researcher into differences of sex development (DSDs), Professor Vincent Harley, introduces the topic and answers your questions—separating fact from fiction. Recent controversies in the sporting world have brought the issue of gender into the public eye, and there is a great deal of misinformation circulating on the topic.
How much creatine is needed for optimal baby growth?
The role of creatine in healthy pregnancies is well established, but how much is enough? A study at Hudson Institute of Medical Research has shown what's needed to ensure healthy growth of your baby. Creatine is a naturally occurring compound primarily found in meat and fish; it is recognized for its role in sports and fitness, but research has increasingly also highlighted its potential benefits in pregnancy, specifically fetal growth.
Researchers develop new technique for diagnosing disorders of sex development
Disorders/differences of sex development (DSD) are difficult to diagnose because of the multiple phenotypes and genes involved, but a new technique developed at Hudson Institute of Medical Research is set to change all that. About 1 in 5,000 babies is born with DSD or intersex, where their genetic, hormonal or physical sex characteristics (genitals, gonads and chromosome patterns) are not typically male or female.
Genetic changes identified as key to childhood lupus
Australian and Chinese researchers have jointly discovered a genetic key to the development of the devastating autoimmune condition childhood lupus. In people with lupus the body's immune system mistakenly attacks its own cells and tissues. Until now, its exact cause has been unknown, but it was thought to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
New Rainbow weather radar steps up the info stakes
Radar can tell you a lot about what rain is falling and where, but it's not a forecast. After years of campaigning the people of the Wimmera and southern Mallee were celebrating last week as work began on the Bureau of Meteorology's newest weather radar, just outside Rainbow. Australia has more than 60 radars, with more on the way. But what exactly is a radar and what role do they play in forecasting weather?
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Rob
Contact Rob, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack