Boost for life-changing medical research

Eight projects have secured a share of $9.2 million in funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) Ideas Grants, which support innovative research.

Helping young cancer patients conceive following treatment is the focus of a new project by Dr Kylie Dunning and her team of researchers, who have been awarded more than $1.38 million over four years through the NHMRC’s Ideas Grants to investigate a new method of growing reproductive tissue.

“Advancements in therapies have dramatically improved the chances of surviving cancer but they can leave patients infertile. For young cancer survivors, safeguarding fertility is considered a top unmet need,” said Dr Dunning who leads the Reproductive Success team within the University’s Robinson Research Institute.

“This project will use a new and exciting method to grow frozen and revived ovary tissue, which has been harvested before cancer treatment begins, to produce healthy eggs that can undergo IVF and restore fertility.”

Professor Paul Thomas and his team were also successful in securing more than $900,000 over four years through the NHMRC’s Ideas Grants for innovative research into treating inherited eye diseases that rob people of their sight.

“Inherited eye diseases are incurable and often result in complete blindness. Our project aims to develop new therapies involving gene editing technology which we hope will correct the mistake in the DNA that causes eye diseases, giving sufferers a chance to see clearly again,” said Professor Thomas, who is a genetic disease expert at the University’s School of Biomedicine.

“I’d like to congratulate all of the University’s successful recipients in this latest round of funding. Their innovative ideas and cutting-edge research will lead to better health outcomes globally, improving the lives of millions of people.” Professor Middelberg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research

Other University of Adelaide recipients of NHMRC’s Ideas Grants are:

• Dr Kate Vandyke ($1,494,105) – Investigate specific metabolic pathways essential for the growth of multiple myeloma cancer cells and develop new treatments to target these pathways.
• Dr Vashe Chandrakanthan ($1,330,585) – New method to generate blood stem cells outside the body for regenerative medicine solutions.
• Associate Professor Christina Bursill ($1,184,728) – Create a new nanoparticle to inhibit a sugar-like protein which plays a role in forming the fatty blockages that cause heart attacks.
• Dr Lachlan Jolly ($1,134,812) – Use of genome editing and cell reprogramming to achieve genetic diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders.
• Associate Professor Daniel Thomas ($959,509) – Develop tailored antibody therapies for myelofibrosis, a severe inflammatory blood cancer which affects both young and older adults.
• Professor Michael Beard ($874,646) – Understanding how cells control virus replication from within, to identify strategies for the development of new antiviral treatment options.

The latest round of NHMRC’s Investigator Grants were also announced today. These grants provide researchers with the flexibility to undertake innovative research that will lead to health and medical advances for all Australians.

Two University of Adelaide projects successfully secured a combined total of $2.2 million through this scheme:

• Dr Christopher Wong ($1,586,190) – Discover new targets for treatment, trial new therapies and establish novel management approaches for patients with, or at risk of, heart rhythm conditions.
• Dr Yue Hui ($662,040) – This project aims to develop a cardiac patch device that can promote the regeneration of damaged heart tissues and provide on-demand electrical stimulation to regulate heart rate and rhythm.

University of Adelaide Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, Professor Anton Middelberg says these grants will enable researchers to carry out groundbreaking medical research with real life impact.

“I’d like to congratulate all of the University’s successful recipients in this latest round of funding. Their innovative ideas and cutting-edge research will lead to better health outcomes globally, improving the lives of millions of people,” said Professor Middelberg.