$42 million for tropical health and medicine research

The federal government has announced $42 million for tropical health and medicine research to be conducted at the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM), based at James Cook University (JCU). The investment, to be made available through the Australian Research Council (ARC) over four years, matches the funding commitment of the Queensland Government.

The contribution will help support research in virology and disease control, as well as the development of new treatments and vaccines for tropical diseases. As noted by Minister for Education Christopher Pyne, “Tropical diseases such as dengue fever and other emerging infectious diseases are on the rise and pose a considerable threat to Australians living in the north.

“The investment we make will help boost Australian research and help protect more Australians against these and other diseases,” he continued.

“This funding will also help Australia to be an even better neighbour in our region, with research that could benefit people in countries including PNG and Indonesia.”

The Commonwealth funds will enable the expansion and consolidation of planned activities in Cairns, Townsville, Mackay and the Torres Strait to establish:

• Tropical Health Research and Training facilities, JCU Townsville, Cairns and Torres Strait - $25.5m
• Translational Research Centre, JCU Townsville - $10m
• Occupational Health Research Centre, Mackay - $1.5m
• Network and general operating activities - $5m

JCU’s Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Division of Tropical Health and Medicine, Professor Ian Wronski, said the university is “ideally placed to tackle issues including the prevalence of tuberculosis in neighbouring Papua New Guinea, as well as dengue fever, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis and soil-transmitted parasites”.

JCU’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Sandra Harding, added, “The research AITHM undertakes will improve health in the tropics both within Australia and worldwide.”