New funding supports innovative ideas
From drugs to treat ice addiction to making scars disappear, new Australian health and medical
research is highlighted in $630 million worth of spending by the National Health and Medical
Research Council.
Highlights include projects which aim to:
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Regenerate human heart tissue
Develop neural implants to detect and treat epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease
Overcome chemotherapy resistance in pancreatic cancer cells
Test a new medication to treat ice addiction
Make scars disappear forever
Help people return to sport and exercise after serious injury
Meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians with cancer
Treat coeliac disease through the use of hookworms
Address over diagnosis and over treatment in healthcare
Understand the genes involved in dementia
Dr Enzo Porrello, University of Queensland
Career Development Fellowship - $419,180
The adult heart has a very limited ability to heal itself following a heart attack; however the
newborn heart can regenerate heart muscle for a short time after birth. Dr Porrello will
investigate the complex biological mechanisms that underlie this ability, and how they may be
targeted to develop new therapies for heart regeneration.
Dr David Garrett, University of Melbourne
Project Grant - $679,669
Neural implants that allow a degree of control over brain function are at the cutting edge of
medicine, but improvements to their long term stability are needed before their potential can be
fully realised. Dr Garrett and his team have already developed water soluble coatings for neural
electrodes but the final piece of the puzzle is to chemically modify the surface of the electrodes
to ensure the body’s immune system does not attack. If successful, the research will result in a
new state-of-the-art implantable electrode that will be able to detect and treat epileptic seizures,
tremors from Parkinson's and mood disorders and build interfaces to allow patients to control
prosthetic limbs.
Dr Tracy Putoczki, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Project Grant - $924,900
A major hurdle in the treatment of pancreatic cancer is the resistance of pancreatic cancer cells
to current therapies, with most patients dying within six months of diagnosis. Dr Putoczki and
her team have identified a molecule that both helps pancreatic cell growth and also causes
resistance to current chemotherapy. In this research they will investigate how this molecule
works and determine whether inhibiting it could make pancreatic cells responsive to
chemotherapy.
Professor Nicholas Lintzeris, University of Sydney
Project Grant - $1,303,735
Australia has one of the highest rates of methamphetamine use in the world, with emergency
department presentations and hospital admissions on the rise. Professor Lintzeris will examine
the safety and efficacy of a new medication (lisdexamfeamine) to help treat severe
methamphetamine (ice) addiction. The team will conduct clinical trials across Sydney,
Newcastle and Adelaide over four years, targeting severe methamphetamine dependent users.
Professor Fiona Wood, University of Western Australia
Development Grant - $873,305
After injury, humans cannot regenerate normal skin so repair leads to scars which, although
they may fade over time, will last a lifetime. This project will work to create the first drug ever to
remove scars. In normal skin, collagen fibres are loosely packed, but in scars, the collagen
layers are thick and dense. The researchers have found a compound that targets collagen and
prevents it becoming too densely packed and becomes more like normal skin. The project will
provide the data required for a commercial entity to license the technology and progress this
potential treatment to clinical trials.
Dr Clare Ardern, La Trobe University
Early Career Fellowship - $359,916
After tearing a knee ligament, two thirds of people avoid returning to sport, usually because they
are afraid of being injured again. Given the high cost of private sport psychologists, there are
currently no cost effective and easily accessible programs to help address the psychological
factors that affect people returning to sport after injury. Dr Ardern will conduct a clinical trial to
investigate whether an online toolkit can help people overcome their fears and return to
exercise.
Associate Professor Gail Garvey, Menzies School of Health Research
Early Career Fellowship - $314,644
Despite the high standard of health experienced in Australia in general, a disproportionate
burden of cancer adversely impacts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. This
research will identify the supportive care needs, quality of life, and patterns of care of
Indigenous cancer patients. Through engagement with Indigenous cancer survivors, community
organisations, government and non-government agencies, the findings will be disseminated and
translated into policy and practice.
Dr John Croese, James Cook University
Project Grant - $865,001
The most common treatment for people with coeliac disease is to adopt a gluten free diet,
however this can be expensive and inconvenient. In earlier research with Dr Paul Giacomin, Dr
Croese showed that people who had been deliberately infected with hookworms could eat a
bowl of pasta with no ill effects. In this project, Dr Croese will conduct larger trials to examine
the efficacy of hookworm treatment on gluten tolerance and examine the resulting changes in
gut. The ultimate goal of his research is to identify specific hookworm-derived proteins that
could be isolated and produced as “pill-based” coeliac disease medications.
Professor Alexandra Barratt, University of Sydney
Centre of Research Excellence - $2,497,658
Advances in imaging technologies, biomarkers and genomic tests to detect disease early are
emerging as major drivers of health care change. While providing advances and new benefits
for patients, new technologies can also have harmful, unintended consequences – overdiagnosis and over-treatment. This Centre will look at community projects, clinical interventions
and policy responses that will optimise the benefits of new technologies, while minimising their
harms and helping to create sustainable health care.
Professor Perminder Sachdev, University of New South Wales
EU Joint Programme for Neurodegenerative Disease - $2,638,484
These two major Australian studies will be part of one of the world’s biggest dementia research
programmes, the European Union Joint Programme for Neurodegenerative Disease (JPND).
The studies will focus on understanding the genetic basis of Alzheimer’s disease and other
dementias. We know that genes play a major role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease,
but we have only identified genes that account for less than half of the genetic risk of developing
this disease. Identifying the right genes involved in dementia could be the breakthrough
researchers are looking for.