{"id":71365,"date":"2026-05-18T10:01:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T00:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hudson.org.au\/?post_type=hdsn_news_post&p=71365"},"modified":"2026-05-18T10:01:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T00:01:58","slug":"a-world-inside-each-one-of-us","status":"publish","type":"hdsn_news_post","link":"https:\/\/hudson.org.au\/news\/a-world-inside-each-one-of-us\/","title":{"rendered":"A world inside each one of us"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are only a few good reasons why a child might be seen in a Hudson Institute lab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Work experience might explain it, or perhaps a researcher briefly juggling parenting duties during school holidays, but the most likely explanation is a much more sobering one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usually, the child paying a visit has a life-altering, possibly fatal disease, and he or she has come to meet the people working to change that situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charlotte and Noah fit into the latter category; they both have Ulcerative Colitis, a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)<\/a> that is incurable, painful and disruptive, often requiring hospitalisation and surgery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In rare cases, it can be life threatening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Noah,<\/a>
Noah with his Nana Debbie and IBD researchers at Hudson<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Charlotte<\/a>
Charlotte with her parents and IBD researchers at Hudson<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

13-year-old Charlotte and 11-year-old Noah already know more about IBD than most people, but few people anywhere on in the world know as much about it as Professor Sam Forster<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Professor<\/a>
Professor Sam Forster<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

His research combines expertise in microbiology, immunology and computational biology to understand the function of the microbiome \u2013 the microbial communities that exist inside every human gut \u2013 and its role in IBD, among other diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn every one of us, the gut is home to a unique assortment of microbes,\u201d he says. \u201cLike a rainforest or coral reef, these microbes form complex ecosystems that perform critical functions, including ensuring our health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks to modern practices like over-use of antibiotics, both in humans and agriculture, many of these microbes are disappearing before we even know what they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is an urgent need to understand this amazing system because, it\u2019s a rapidly closing window that could hold the clue to any number of health conditions,\u201d Prof Forster says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With his team at Hudson Institute, the focus is on understanding the forgotten friendly microbes: what they are, what they do, and how their absence can weaken communities and invite disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For people living with IBD, like Charlotte and Noah, the ultimate aim is to prevent inflammation from happening at all rather than pursing treatments that try to control it after it already exists.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Dr<\/a>
Dr Ed Giles<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

As well as his lab-based work, Prof Forster has the advantage of colleagues like Dr Ed Giles<\/a>, a Paediatric Gastroenterologist at Monash Health, who coincidentally, is Charlotte\u2019s doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They work together to develop and test new techniques and theories for fighting IBD, without ever losing sight of the people \u2013 even very young ones \u2013 who will benefit from their efforts.

Their aim is to build off previous discoveries to develop new therapeutic approaches for IBD that will target particular species of bacteria and could one day transform treatment for IBD patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it is work that needs funding<\/a>, not just for Noah and Charlotte\u2019s sakes, but to keep Australia at the forefront of this vital, time-sensitive area of medical research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Noah<\/a>It\u2019s only been two years since Noah was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (a form of IBD), but when you\u2019re just 11, that\u2019s a very long time.<\/p>\n

At the moment, with few effective treatments available, Noah is staring down the barrel of many more years of debilitating symptoms \u2013 extreme pain, bleeding from the bowel, and worse.<\/p>\n

Noah knows that medical research is his best chance of living a healthy, normal life.<\/p>\n

What he really wants is a cure, and that is exactly what Hudson Institute researchers are working hard to develop, and funding is the key to making it happen, for kids like Noah and people living with IBD everywhere.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIf I had that pain again, I don\u2019t think I\u2019d be able to bear it. It was 10 times worse than a bone breaking. It was IBD.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/em> – Noah, aged 11, IBD patient<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n\n

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\"\"<\/a>Charlotte was just 9 years old when she began experiencing unusual gastro-like symptoms that wouldn\u2019t go away.<\/p>\n

As doctors looked for the cause the symptoms worsened; she experienced pain and discomfort, weight loss and too many visits to the toilet.<\/p>\n

Everyday activities became precarious – she was terrified to go to school, not knowing if her condition would strike at the worst possible moment.<\/p>\n

When a colonoscopy established that she had IBD it was only the start, with hospital stays, frequent infusions, special diets and more turning her carefree young life into something regimented yet unpredictable.<\/p>\n

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“I hope one day we find a cure so people like me can finally live without the struggles of IBD. Research is the only way things are going to get better for people like me.”<\/strong> <\/em>– Charlotte, aged 13, IBD patient<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n\n

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What is IBD?<\/h2>\n

IBD is an overarching term for a group of chronic intestinal conditions that cause inflammation in the digestive tract including the mouth, oesophagus, stomach and the small and large intestine.<\/p>\n

The exact cause of IBD is unknown and there is no cure. Current treatments include drugs that suppress the immune system, but these become less effective over time and can have significant side effects including leaving patients with an increased risk of cancers, particularly lymphoma.<\/p>\n

IBD not only impacts health, but also social and emotional wellbeing. Having IBD can cause severe disruption to a patient\u2019s life and the isolation and stress experienced can result in anxiety and depression.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n

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In this issue of Hudson News Winter 2026<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n
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Hudson News Winter 2026: Director\u2019s message<\/h3>\n \n \n \n <\/g>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n \n \n
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Tiny RNA fragments offer a giant opportunity for autoimmune diseases<\/h3>\n \n \n \n <\/g>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n \n \n
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