Monash appoints new synchro chair

Monash University has appointed Australia's first Professor of X-ray and Synchrotron Physics to build a research base for the National Synchrotron Project.

Prof Rob Lewis, who started in the new role two weeks ago, said that while his own research interest was in the use of x-rays in the diagnosis of breast cancer, he would also be involved in the selection of appropriate beamlines for the new facility.

"In order to take full advantage of this new facility, Monash decided to create a chair in synchrotron physics," Lewis said. "My expertise is in the x-ray region, so the idea of a chair covering both seemed very appealing.

"My job now is to build up the research base at Monash University to take advantage of this national facility on its doorstep."

Lewis, who previously led the x-ray imaging detector group at the Daresbury synchrotron radiation source in the United Kingdom, said he was attracted to Australia because of its can-do attitude and the growing interest in science here.

"The politics in the UK are not particularly pro-science and Australian seems to be far more positive in that sense," he said. "I think Australia is a forward-looking, growing country rather than having plateaued, which is true of Europe... and I wanted to be a part of that."

Lewis said he planned to continue his research work into x-ray techniques to improve early diagnosis of breast cancer.

Currently, one in nine women will develop breast cancer as some point in their lives, with existing screening programs going some way in early identification of the disease.

But Lewis said mammograms were far from perfect because they simply alerted doctors to an abnormality that then required further inspection via biopsy.

Four in five women undergoing the invasive test were found to be disease-free, creating unnecessary stress and anxiety.

A further problem was that regular mammograms were typically recommended for women aged over 55 - despite the fact that the largest cause of death among women aged 35 to 55 was breast cancer - because tumours were more difficult to detect in young tissue.

Lewis said synchrotrons offered a more flexible form of x-ray because they enabled scientists to see more than they otherwise could, and even gave rise to the possibility of x-rays that could show the difference between benign and malignant tumours in women of all ages.

"Clearly, being able to tell if tissue is malignant simply from a CT image would be enormously useful," he said.

Lewis' team in the UK two years ago showed promising results in a study of samples from 50 women.

He said he now hoped to expand the sample to about 1000 women in order to validate the results, but conceded clinical use would still be 10 years away.

As well as breast cancer, Lewis research interests include early detection of osteoporosis and being able to visualise cartilage damage.

Monash deputy vice-chancellor (research and development) Prof Peter Darvall said Lewis was an internationally recognised expert whose research into the use of synchrotron radiation as a 'gold standard' for medical imaging would boost the university's profile in the field.

"Prof Lewis brings a wealth of experience to Monash and his commitment to establishing strong research links with scientists in Australia and overseas will consolidate the university's position as a hub of scientific excellence," Darvall said.

As an adjunct to his research work, Lewis also sits on the National Synchrotron Project Scientific Advisory Committee, which today met with the facility's designers, the International Machine Advisory Committee.

Lewis said the meeting was intended to finalise the synchrotron's design to ensure the needs of the scientific user community would be met.

He said the two designs put forward so far were both acceptable to the advising scientists, with the final selection still to be determined pending budgetary issues.