11 - BCH
UQ possesses a broad and strong Biomedical and Clinical Health Sciences research
profile, deeply embedded within the 2 largest Faculties (Health, Science), the UQ
Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR), Queensland Brain Institute (QBI), Institute
for Molecular Bioscience (IMB), Australian Institute for Bioengineering and
Nanotechnology (AIBN) and Diamantina Institute. This has also led to a significant
number of publications in top-ranking A* journals coded in other clusters.
Researchers include: 2 Fellows of the Royal Society (Srinivasan, Pettigrew), 4
Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science (Bartlett, Mattick, Pettigrew,
Srinivasan); 4 NHMRC Australia Fellows (Cooper & Hoy 2008, Parton & Hall 2009);
3 ARC Federation Fellows (Bartlett, Fairlie, Mattick); 2 Smart State Premiers
Fellowships (Frazer, Srinivasan); 25 NHMRC Research Fellows and 6 NHMRC
Practitioner Fellows; 9 ARC Australian Professorial, QE11 and Australian Research
Fellowships; 2 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science winners (Srinivasan, Frazer); and 1
ISI Highly-Cited Researcher (Hall). Research funding includes: 3 NHMRC Centres
for Clinical Research Excellence (Cardiovascular disease & metabolic disorders,
Spinal pain, Aphasia rehabilitation); NHMRC Programs (Bartlett, Lewis, Frazer,
Lakhani, Toth, Thomas) and NIH grants (Khromykh, Frazer, Martin).
A strong training philosophy is evidenced by numerous nationally competitive CDA
and traineeships (NHMRC and others), with >620 RHD students (FTE) currently
enrolled and >900 completions over the ERA period.
This area has been supported by major infrastructure co-investments by UQ, the Qld
State and philanthropy: UQCCR, $66M; QBI, $63.5M; IMB, $110M. UQ’s
Diamantina Institute will be central to the new multi-institutional Translational
Research Institute (TRI), a $354M flagship facility that will house 650 scientists
working on translating science into better patient outcomes in cancer, infectious
diseases, diabetes and inflammatory disease. UQ has attracted NCRIS investment
(e.g. imaging >$7.8M) and ARC LIEF grants (>$4 M, ARC funding).
Success in application is exemplified by GardasilR: ~50 million vaccinations
worldwide to March 2010 and numerous accolades including Australian of the Year,
Florey Medal, Ramaciotti and AMA gold medals, Honda Prize (Japan) and the
William Coley Medal (USA).
Spin-off companies from health research (9 Uniquest supported since 2003) are
further indications of commercialisation and translational success, e.g. QRxPharma a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company developed around IP from UQ,
with a new pharmaceutical in Phase III international trials. QPharm Pty Ltd - a highly
successful contract research organisation specialising in Phase 1&2 clinical trials.
1101 Medical Biochemistry and Metabolomics.
Strength from basic endocrinology (Waters, Muscat (Editorial Board, Endocrinology
and Mol Endocrinology), Thomas) to medicinal and biomolecular chemistry
(Crawford, Craik, Toth, Alewood).
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NCRIS Metabolomics funding ($1.75 million total) awarded
Asia Oceania medal of the Society for Endocrinology (Waters, 2003).
1102 Cardiovascular Medicine and Haematology
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QH Senior Medical Research Fellowship (Marwick)
Outputs with several hundred citations (e.g. Lancet, >700 cites (Beller);
NEnglJMed, 2 papers >600 cites each (West, Walker); numerous papers have
outputs have >200 cites)
Centenary Medal, Order of Australia, Queensland Greats Award (Campbell)
Significant National Heart Foundation Fellowships and grants.
1103 Clinical Sciences
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Numerous highly cited publications in very prestigious A* journals (e.g Lancet,
Nature, Science, NewEngJMed)
The Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium research was identified in
“Editor’s favourites” for a 2007 Nature paper already cited 1801 times (Brown)
Strong profession-specific leading publications, with significant outputs
addressing professional issues in discipline specific B & C ranked journals
Investigator led clinical trials, e.g. A Randomised Trial of Robotic and Open
Prostatectomy (Gardiner); major clinical trials in nephrology
6 NHMRC practitioner fellowships, plus most of the Qld Health fellowships
awarded to date, including all 3 Senior Fellowships ($850K per annum)
The TRI will be the largest clinically integrated medical research institute in
the southern hemisphere
This field includes Allied Health (therapies), professions in which many outputs
optimal for knowledge translation in the professions are ranked B or C (e.g.
European Spine Journal, Headache, Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine). The
strength in allied health is reflected in other achievements (international KleinVogelbach Prize (Hodges); top NHMRC CDA (Copland, 2009); NHMRC program
grant in musculoskeletal pain ($7.6M, Hodges, 2010), 2 NHMRC CCREs).
1105 Dentistry
The recent $104M Commonwealth investment for UQ Oral Health Centre
demonstrates UQ’s capacity. UQ provides an unusually large public dentistry service
under contract for Qld Health and has had a focus on professional leadership and
knowledge translation.
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International Academy of Dental-Facial Esthetics Fellow (Walsh, 2005)
1107 Immunology
Significant capacity within UQ’s Diamantina Institute which focuses on understanding
autoimmune diseases and the development of immunotherapeutics for cancer and
chronic viral infection. GardasilR saw the combination of immunology and medical
virology translate into a clinical product with numerous awards to Frazer.
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Two recipients of the Parr Prize (outstanding achievement in rheumatologic
research) – Brown (2010), Thomas (1998)
NHMRC program grant ($10.1M, 2009) for work on vaccines for cancer,
chronic infections and autoimmune diseases (Thomas).
1108 Medical Microbiology researchers based throughout UQ.
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A* journal editorial board roles (e.g. Journal of Virology; Khromykh)
Statutory committees (e.g. SARS international research advisor committee,
MacKenzie).
1109 Neurosciences
An unprecedented period of achievement in Neuroscience at UQ has coincided with
the establishment of QBI in 2003 and the links across to clinical and basic research
afforded by this initiative. This has allowed UQ to attract a number of eminent
national and overseas researchers with remarkable cross-disciplinary expertise. This
cohort includes
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Fellows of the Royal Society (Srinvasan, Pettigrew)
Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science (Bartlett, Pettigrew, Srinivasan)
Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia (Mattingley, Hall)
Prime Minister’s Prize for Science (Srinivasan, 06)
Rank Prize for Optoelectronics (Srinivasan, 08)
Recipients of the prestigious ARC Federation Fellowship (Bartlett) and Smart
State Premier's Fellowship ($1.25 million; Srinivasan)
High quality output during the reporting period - 8 Nature and 3 Science
papers, as well as a further 17 papers in Nature stable journals
The impact of these achievements has resulted in substantial Federal and State
Government funding for capital, infrastructure and operational costs, which together
provide the foundations for an ongoing program of major discovery in Neuroscience
across many UQ Faculties and Institutes making it a true institutional strength.
1112 Oncology and carcinogenesis
This area at UQ spans molecular characterization of oncogenes to clinical pathology:
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Editorial board roles on A* journals (e.g. Journal of Pathology) and senior
editor role of the 4th Edition of WHO Tumours of the Breast (Lakhani)
NHMRC program grant and Susan G. Komen Foundation (USA) grant (e.g.
Lakhani).
Major infrastructure for cancer research through Australia Cancer Research
funding (ACRF) e.g. ACRF Cancer Biology Imaging Facility ($2.5 M), ACRF
Cancer Genomics Facility ($3.2M)
1114 Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine
Strong trajectory in this area underlined by recent appointments including Fisk
(editorial board PLoS Medicine; formerly Prof. Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine,
Imperial College London) and Mitchell (international leader in pre-term labour) and
Rice (placental biologist).
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Queensland Health Senior Clinical Research Fellowship ($4.5 M) (Sly)
International expertise in paediatric respiratory research, neonatal infection
and nutrition and investigator led randomized trials
8 Cochrane Systematic reviews
1115 Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
A large area of expertise at UQ, demonstrated by:
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A* publication in other FoRs (e.g. Cancer Res, Nature Reviews Cancer, J
Immunol)
NHMRC program grants (Lewis; Toth).
ARC Federation Fellowship (Fairlie)
Centre for Integrated Preclinical Drug Development (CIPDD) (Smith, Toth,
Minchin, Dickinson), $8.1M State funding
TetraQ is a significant provider of preclinical research for pharmaceutical
industry
Government collaborations (e.g. www.QUMmap.net.au)
QRX Pharma (Market Capitalisation of approximately $118M)
Pharmacy Australia Centre for Excellence ($100M stage 1) will create a
pharmaceutical research and development precinct
Leadership reflected in statutory committees; Australian Government
Medicine's Evaluation Committee (Roberts), Pharmaceutical Benefits
Advisory Committee (Martin), Pharmaceuticals Committee of Industry
Research & Development Board (Tett)
Pharmacy practice research on national issues is evident, with significant work
produced in practitioner focused journals and reports to government to influence
policy and assist the transition of evidence into practice.
1116 Medical Physiology
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Broad collaboration with A* outputs and income are shared with other fields
(e.g. 1103 1101) and 0606 (physiology)
Publication in top journals (e.g. Nature Med, NewEngJMed)