WTF: Treating neurodevelopmental diseases differently – why NTI164 offers new hope
In this interview, Professor Michael Fahey, a leading Paediatric Neurologist and Clinical Geneticist at Monash Medical Centre, joins host Tylah Tully to answer all these questions and more, delving into his experience with Neurotech's (ASX:NTI) NTI164 drug in treating ASD and Rett syndrome.
As the first clinician to prescribe NTI164 during its clinical program, Professor Fahey shares powerful patient outcomes and his hope for a treatment that "enables people to be their best" without the side effects of conventional therapies.
He explains how NTI164 is showing early promise, with families reporting transformative changes.
"People were more alert, more able to participate... Families would tell us that they went out to dinner as a family for the first time," he said.
Professor Fahey believe the early clinical success really underscores the real-world impact of the drug could have, beyond clinical metrics.
Watch the video to learn more about the NTI164 drug candidate and Professor Fahey's key takeaways from the clinical program.
This video was developed in collaboration with Neurotech, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.
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SBS Australia
14 hours ago
- SBS Australia
One in seven Australians are on this medication and some have 'strange' symptoms coming off
Antidepressants are some of the most commonly prescribed medications globally and in Australia, but knowledge of how they work and how hard it is to come off them remains highly contested. Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows nearly four million Australians — roughly one in seven — take antidepressants. A large systematic review of research into the process of withdrawing from the drugs was published this week, but it quickly faced backlash from some psychiatrists and experts. The authors found coming off antidepressants after short-term use was not associated with a "clinically significant" risk of withdrawal symptoms. However, long-term antidepressant use — that is longer than 12 months — is increasingly common and comes with a greater risk of harm. The review found withdrawal symptoms — such as dizziness, nausea, vertigo — occur in a minority of cases, but they are on average manageable and not severe, especially with proper clinical support. The authors suggest that depression after stopping antidepressants is probably a relapse of the original mental health condition, as the results were similar among placebo groups. The meta-analysis examined the findings of 50 randomised controlled trials, involving 17,828 participants. The review published in JAMA Psychiatry included 38 studies with an observation period longer than two weeks, the critical time frame during which withdrawal symptoms are expected to occur. The average age of the participants was 44, and 70 per cent were female. In Australia, women are prescribed antidepressants at 1.5 times the rate of men — a trend that's seen in other parts of the world. Some health professionals say the review provides useful insights, despite its limitations, while others have been highly critical. UK antidepressant researchers Mark Horowitz and Julie Moncrieff said the review "risks underestimating the potential harms to long-term antidepressant users by focusing on short-term, industry-funded studies." Several of the JAMA Psychiatry article's senior authors declared receiving payments from drug companies. Horowitz and Moncrieff argue that the article's "main analysis" is based on eleven trials, six of which looked at people who had taken antidepressants for eight weeks and four for 12 weeks. "There is growing recognition that stopping antidepressants — especially after long-term use — can cause severe and sometimes debilitating withdrawal symptoms, and it is now acknowledged by the UK government as a public health issue," they wrote in The Conversation. New resources have been developed to support people safely stopping the use of antidepressants over time usually months, through what's called a tapering plan. The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines, published last year and co-authored by Horowitz, has been accepted by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners as an Accepted Clinical Resource. On again, off again antidepressant prescriptions Allied health professional Kizzy said she never wanted to be reliant on anti-depressants and has stopped taking them twice in the past. "I was initially quite resistant to any kind of medication, but I got to a point a couple of years ago ... where I was really struggling with suicidal thoughts and just being able to function and do things because of my mood, and all of these horrible feelings and thoughts I was having, and finally got convinced to try sertraline". She said she noticed the drug — a commonly prescribed antidepressant sometimes sold under the name Zoloft — was making her feel "numb". "My hope is that I can one day be not require antidepressants and still maintain this level of functioning and mental health," she said adding that her current medication "potentially affects" her liver. The United States National Library of Medicine says liver abnormalities reportedly occur in around 1 per cent of people who take sertraline, "but elevations are usually modest and infrequently require dose modification or discontinuation". Professor Paul Fitzgerald is the director of the School of Medicine and Psychology at Australian National University and a member of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. He was not involved in the review. He said it's important to be aware of the more severe cases of side effects. "There are some unusual symptoms that patients experience. The most dramatic one the patients find quite disturbing is the phenomena that patients often talk about as brain zaps." "They get this very strange sensation of electrical zaps in their head or down their spinal cord, and if they haven't been warned about it, it can be quite distressing. It just seems strange." He said it's unclear from this latest review whether the symptoms recorded by researchers are a relapse of a previous mental health condition or withdrawal effects from discontinuing antidepressants. "What happens when somebody's stopping a medication and their underlying symptoms of their condition get worse? "In other words, start to experience more depression or more anxiety, and it can be really difficult to know under those circumstances. "Are those symptoms that they're experiencing some sort of discontinuation or is it really just the symptoms of the illness coming back because the treatment's been withdrawn?" Sonya Morrissey is the national GP adviser at Headspace, a platform supporting the mental health and wellbeing of younger people. She said that, in the past, patients weren't sufficiently warned about discontinuation symptoms of antidepressants. "It is something that we are, I think, recognising more and there's lots more research being done now, which is great, although there's not a significant amount of research yet in the cohort that we see, which is the 12 to 25 year olds," she said. She said antidepressants are not their first line of treatment at Headspace, but will be used occasionally if needed. LISTEN TO SBS News 11/07/2025 08:17 English The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners' Western Australia vice-president, Dr Ramya Raman, said the recently published meta-analysis still provides useful insight for GPs but said more research on withdrawing from long-term anti-depressant use was needed. She also highlighted the importance of a good doctor-patient relationship when withdrawing from psychiatric medication. "When weaning off of the medication and there is a trusted relationship with the GP, and a regular follow-up with that doctor, the risk of having the discontinuation symptoms are less of a concern compared to when patients actually abruptly stop it. Kizzy also said finding a GP with an interest in mental health can make a big difference when navigating the use of antidepressants and the withdrawal process. "I think it's important to find a GP who has a genuine interest in that area rather than just going to your generic GP, finding a regular one who you know can rely on, who can really support you and speak to you in a way that you're going to feel respected and really understood. "And I think that's a really important kind of foundation support to have because once you have that, then you will feel safe enough to be checking in with them, sharing all your concerns, talking about coming off or going on or switching medications and still be okay through all of that." Readers seeking crisis support can ring Lifeline on 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged up to 25). More information and support with mental health is available at and on 1300 22 4636.
ABC News
17 hours ago
- ABC News
Algal bloom fears grow as video shows dead fish in 'neon green' waters near Ardrossan
New vision of South Australia's toxic algal bloom shows scores of dead fish lying in "dark neon green" waters, highlighting the extent of the ecological disaster unfolding underwater. Warning: Readers are advised this article includes content some may find confronting. Marine scientist and filmmaker Stefan Andrews, who captured the footage near the Ardrossan jetty on SA's Yorke Peninsula, said he saw "hundreds, if not thousands" of fish — mostly garfish — strewn across the seabed. Mr Andrews filmed the vision on Wednesday after marine life began washing up on the Yorke Peninsula coast around two weeks earlier. He said among the dead were wobbegong sharks and stingrays. "As soon as I put my head in the water and got a couple of metres from the bottom, I could see dead fish everywhere," Mr Andrews said. "We've seen so many stingrays washing up on the shore, but we just don't really have any idea how many of these stingrays are just laying on the bottom decomposing away. "So within relatively short distance there were hundreds of marine mortalities down there, which is pretty disturbing." Mr Andrews said the waters around Ardrossan had turned "deep dark neon green" despite being "relatively clear" up until recently. He said that while there was a large concentration of marine mortalities clustered around the Ardrossan jetty, fishers have reported garfish deaths 10 kilometres up the coast. The underwater footage shows fish gasping for oxygen, a brittle star with a hole pierced through its body, dead stingrays, dying abalone and garfish in pieces. Regarding the cuts observed on some fish, Mr Andrews said the leading theory locally is that birds were feeding on the dying garfish. 'What this may be is fish that were dying and birds were smashing them and maybe that's what led to them being bit in half," he said. "I'm just speculating here, but we've seen so many bizarre, strange things in our oceans at the moment." A spokesperson for SA's Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) said it tested the waters around Ardrossan following reports of the garfish deaths. That testing, PIRSA said, confirmed the presence of Karenia mikimotoi, the species responsible for the toxic algal bloom that has been choking the state's coastlines since March. "Based on the available information it is currently determined that [Thursday's] fish kill event is likely the result of the harmful algal bloom," the spokesperson said in a statement. The scenes of ravaged marine life off the Yorke Peninsula are the latest in what Mr Andrews described as a "catastrophic event that's occurring over such a huge part of the state's coastal waters". Mr Andrews, founder of an education and research not-for-profit called Great Southern Reef Foundation, wanted the algal bloom to be declared a "national emergency". The toxic bloom was first detected in March off the Fleurieu Peninsula and has since grown to a size comparable with Kangaroo Island. Authorities estimate it has caused tens of thousands of individual animals to wash up dead on the state's beaches. The bloom has been detected along the Spencer Gulf, Kangaroo Island, the Coorong's North Lagoon and along the coastline from Victor Harbor to Robe. It's also been picked up at Troubridge Point on Yorke Peninsula, more than 80km south of the Ardrossan jetty. Earlier this month, the bloom was detected in metropolitan Adelaide at West Lakes and the Port River. The bloom is considered non-toxic to humans, but can cause skin, eye and lung irritation. The Ardrossan footage was published online amid growing concerns about the impact of the bloom on SA's fishing industry. Calamari stocks along the Yorke Peninsula have been decimated ahead of breeding season, according to Michael Pennington, a commercial fisher based in Ardrossan. Mr Pennington said he has not been able to fish for a month while other commercial fishers have been out of action for up to three months. "It's pretty hard sitting at home on flat calm days where you should be at work and catching a few fish to put food on the table," he said. Citing catch records filed with authorities, Mr Pennington said only 7 kilograms of calamari has been fished from Gulf St Vincent over the last four weeks. In a normal year, this four-week period would typically yield between 9 and 12 tonnes, he said. "So, next season, that's just a complete write off. "I honestly do not know how many years this could take to get a calamari fishery back in Gulf St Vincent — it's pretty well non-existent now." Mr Pennington said he wants the bloom to be declared a national disaster "before it's too late". "Tourism and fishing go hand in hand over here … that's why people come to the Yorke Peninsula. "We've got no help … and it's getting to the point where we will see businesses shutting doors very shortly." The state government on Tuesday announced a $500,000 initial relief package for fishers affected by the algal bloom, allowing them to have certain licence and audit fees waived. Acting SA Premier Susan Close has left the door open to increasing the state government's relief package. "This is an unfolding challenge, so we've stepped in and offered immediate relief," she said on Saturday. "But we recognise that depending on how this bloom goes, we may well have to look at further assistance."
ABC News
19 hours ago
- ABC News
Cairns skin clinic imports machine using lasers and AI to spare patients from needles, scars
A skin cancer clinic is trialling emerging technology that helps identify skin cancers without the need for patients to go under the knife. Vin Rajeswaran decided to import the new machine, knowing the apprehension many of his patients felt at the thought of walking into his clinic. "People don't understand how much of a scary situation it is unless you're a needle-phobe like me," Dr Rajeswaran said. Conventional skin pathology usually involves cutting a lesion for a biopsy that can lead to scarring, even when a suspicious mark proves not to be cancerous. Developments in medical imaging instead use low-powered lasers to scan skin lesions, allowing doctors a 3D view of potential tumours before they decide whether they need to be cut. Dr Rajeswaran said the technology would significantly reduce the need for needles, bleeding and scarring, and "change the way we practice skin cancer medicine in a big way". "You can see the cells in real time," he said. "We're not waiting for seven days or 10 days for [a biopsy sample] to be sent to a pathology lab [and] for the results to come back. "If you're a young woman or man and the biopsy is supposed to be done on the tip of your nose, we can stop the scarring from happening because it could be a benign lesion." Australia has one of the world's highest rates of skin cancer, with Cancer Council figures showing 99 per cent of cases are either basal cell or squamous cell carcinomas. In addition to allowing doctors to view a 3D image of a potential cancer, the diagnostic machine, called Deep Live, can also identify basal cell carcinomas using artificial intelligence. Dr Rajeswaran said the machine could "accurately map where the carcinoma stops", so when it was removed, doctors were "not cutting too much or too little". However, Medicare does not subsidise its use, meaning patients who prefer a scan to a biopsy will not be eligible for a government rebate. The Melanoma Institute of Australia is contributing to international research into non-invasive diagnostic tools, including AI. It is also developing a national screening road map, which will be critical in building a case for the federal government to subsidise these options under Medicare and recommending when non-invasive options should be used. Professor Pascale Guitera, a world-leading dermatologist and Melanoma Institute director, said that process, which included randomised trials and cost-benefit analyses, would likely take about five years. "One of the things we want is not only to find the nasty [cancers] quicker, but we also want to reduce the amount of unnecessary biopsies," she said. Professor Guitera said AI was being trained to distinguish melanomas from moles, with the technology "getting there in terms of accuracy" although not quite ready to be used at an expert level. "At the moment, we think AI will be very useful in particular for primary practice, the nurses, who are triaging patients," she said. "[AI] can be quite lost when [melanoma] are very early stage and very small, or completely pink." Professor Guitera said the technology would also help ease pressure on a stretched workforce by equipping more medical staff "to be able to triage lesions, find lesions of concern and refer appropriately". "The whole planet is looking at what we're doing, in particular with this road map, because depending on the decision taken there, I think we'll have a lot of governments looking and maybe copying what we put in place," she said. As Dr Rajeswaran's Cairns clinic gets used to the new technology, the few other machines available in Australia are all for research, not walk-in patients. Adam Jacobson, a medical imaging technologist who works for Deep Live's manufacturer Damae Medical, said the technology had become commercially available in the past three years, after almost a decade in development. "There's one going into Perth to look at the skin of premature babies and there's one going into the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane," Mr Jacobson said. Dr Rajeswaran said he was investigating ways of taking the machine to his patients in isolated towns, such as Weipa, more than 800 kilometres north of Cairns. "Normally these machines come to Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane first and then it gets spread out to the rest of the place, and my passion is to bring it to regional towns," he said. With no rebate available, he is looking at charging patients between $50 and $100 for scans, depending on lesion size. However, Dr Rajeswaran said it was "unlikely" many clinics would adopt the technology "purely for commercial purposes" without Medicare subsidies. "There has to be more focus on patient benefit and outcome, rather than how much we can make out of this machine," he said.
