Bellberry funds tropical health researchers

Five researchers from the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM) at James Cook University (JCU) have received a $400,000 donation from research ethics company Bellberry.

Bellberry is a national, not-for-profit organisation that provides streamlined scientific and ethical review of human research projects in the private sector and injects its profits back into research. The AITHM prioritises research into Australia’s health security and biosecurity; health in rural, remote, Indigenous and tropical Australia; and health in the tropics regionally and globally.

Bellberry’s support will help the following researchers advance their work:

• Professor Nick Smith, who is working on a vaccine against the common parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Professor Smith explained that the infection can be traced back to oocysts in cat faeces and that the vaccine would be given to cats.
• Professor Norelle Daly, who is exploring the potential of peptides, found in some plant species, for the treatment of cancer. Professor Daly is studying peptides from tropical plant species to see how they react with cancer cells.
• Professor Alex Loukas, who is investigating the potential of proteins from parasitic hookworms to treat inflammatory diseases such as asthma. He says he has identified proteins from hookworms that help dial back the body’s inflammatory response.
• Professor Jon Golledge, who aims to develop a new treatment for patients with aortic aneurysms. He is investigating a protein that may protect the aorta from weakening.
• Professor Alan Baxter, who is researching type 1 diabetes. His team is investigating the mechanisms by which defects in the gut - changes to bacteria, integrity and immunity - lead to the destruction of insulin-producing cells.

“All of these AITHM projects are at an important stage of their development, where an injection of funds can make a significant difference,” said Bellberry CEO Kylie Sproston.

“All have potential benefit not only in the Australasian region but for health and medicine outcomes around the world.”