Epilepsy, aging and malaria research big winners in 2010 NHMRC grants

The National Health and Research Council (NHMRC) Program Grants have been announced, with the big winners being researchers in neurobiology and epilepsy, aging, malaria control and melanoma research.

Other grants, totalling more than $150 million combined, were also announced, with funding coming from the NHMRC, the Australian-European Union (NHMRC-EU) Collaborative Research Grants, the NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarships scheme and the NHMRC Training Fellowships.

The NHMRC-EU scheme supports Australian participation in leading international collaborative research under the EU Seventh Framework Programme. Seven Australian researchers have been invited to participate in research projects, totalling $4,774,091.

The NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarships scheme supports outstanding Australian graduates early in their careers so that they can be trained to conduct research that is internationally competitive and develop a capacity for original independent research.

This is achieved by the NHMRC funding its scholars to attain postgraduate qualifications through full-time research. A total of 136 graduates have been recommended, with grants totalling $10,400,000.

he NHMRC Training Fellowships allow developing health and medical researchers of outstanding ability to undertake further training either in Australia or overseas.

The Training Fellowships are available for full-time training in basic research within biomedical sciences, clinical research, public health research or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research fields. A total of 120 graduates have been recommended, totalling $35,069,635.

2010 NHMRC Program Grants

Professor Sam Berkovic Neurobiology of human epilepsy: Genes, cellular mechanisms, networks and whole brain. University of Melbourne - $16,450,000 Description: The team is comprised of neurologists, molecular geneticists, physiologists and brain imaging specialists and leads the world in the discovery of the genetic causes of epilepsy. They will continue to identify genes underlying epilepsy and study how genetic variations result in development of seizures. Advanced brain imaging will be used to understand the effects of genetic variation on brain structure and function. This study may lead to new diagnostic methods and treatments for epilepsy.

Professor Alan F Cowman Interaction of malaria parasites with the host: disease, pathogenesis and control. The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research - $12,735,000 Description: This program will investigate malaria, a parasitic disease that kills over 2 million people a year. The team will explore how the parasite identifies, invades and remodels the host cells in which it lives, scavenging nutrients and hiding from the immune system. They will characterize the proteins involved in these critical events, as they are potential targets for drugs and vaccines. The program also looks at how parasites cause disease and how the host responds to infection. The team will explore the consequences of the body’s attempts to fight off disease, and how the immune system achieves this.

Professor Paul Hodges Musculoskeletal pain, injury and health: improving outcomes through conservative management. University of Queensland - $7,570,000 Description: Musculoskeletal pain and injury is a major health issue facing our ageing society. The cost in terms of health care and lost productivity is second only to cardiovascular disease. This program will address the major musculoskeletal disorders such as spinal pain and osteoarthritis. The team will undertake research with the potential for real and enduring impact on these conditions - from the physiological basis for their occurrence, to trials of innovative drug-free conservative treatments.

Associate Professor Stuart B Hooper Improved respiratory support and outcomes for very preterm babies. Monash University - $8,560,000 Description: Premature babies are born with lungs that are not developed enough to sustain their breathing needs after birth. As a result, they need intensive care which is the most costly and challenging problem in newborn medicine as these infants can suffer life-long diseases because of their early birth. These studies will help to understand the causes of lung disease in premature babies and develop better ways of caring for them to improve their chances of survival without ongoing illness and disability.

Professor Les Irwig Screening and Test Evaluation Program: improving the evaluation and use of tests for screening, diagnosis and monitoring in healthcare. University of Sydney - $8,915,000 Description: Medical tests - for screening, diagnosis, and monitoring - are often poorly evaluated and poorly used. This program, run by an established team with skills in public health, clinical epidemiology, biostatistics, health economics and behavioural science, addresses the under-researched issues of whether, when and how to use medical tests. The elements of the program follow the sequence in which testing is often done: for screening (early detection), for diagnosis on which to base treatment decisions, and for monitoring the effects of treatment.

A common approach throughout is the identification of the benefits and harms of testing and assessing their trade-offs; how benefits weigh up against harms. This research is relevant to all partners in healthcare - consumers, clinicians and policymakers - who currently are being tested or implementing tests without being fully informed about the accuracy and effects of these tests.

Professor Richard F Kefford Molecular determinants of risk, progression and treatment response in melanoma. University of Sydney - $12,065,000 Description: Melanoma is a major Australian health problem. It is the third most common cancer in men and women and has a disproportionately heavy impact on productive years of life because it is the commonest cause of cancer death in younger adults. The investigators are all associated with the Melanoma Institute Australia, incorporating the Sydney Melanoma Unit (SMU).

MIA is the world’s largest clinical service dedicated to the treatment of melanoma, treating more than 1,500 new melanoma patients annually and maintains a repository of clinical data on melanoma and a large melanoma tissue bank. The program has also recruited large numbers of people from the community, including people with a strong family history of melanoma, in order to study its causes.

It aims to utilise these internationally-recognised resources to develop a scientific basis for improved management of individuals at high risk for development and progression of melanoma, and improved treatment of patients with early and disseminated melanoma, in an era of rapid change in the prospects of successfully treating this dangerous cancer. The program will do this by consolidating and extending its existing collaborative research, supported by NHMRC since 2006.

Professor Trevor Lithgow Fighting infection: exploiting host-pathogen interactions. Monash University - $8,900,000 Description: This program will investigate the strategies used by pathogenic bacteria to cause human diseases. The research will focus on how bacteria initiate infections, how they invade, cause cell and tissue damage and respond to their human host. It will also examine how the host’s innate immune system interacts with these bacteria. The results will provide new insights into host-pathogen interactions and reveal new targets for the development of novel antibacterial drugs and vaccines.

Professor Colin Masters Neurodegeneration in the aging brain: how the pathways leading to aggregated protein cause disease. University of Melbourne - $14,025,000 Description: The Neurodegeneration Program is discovering the basic pathways that cause Alzheimer’s disease and related diseases of the aging brain. From these discoveries they are finding new methods for early diagnosis and therapeutic interventions which will allow them to determine whether it is possible to delay the onset or improve the way in which the brain copes with these diseases.

Professor Kerin O’Dea Improving chronic disease outcomes for Indigenous Australians: Causes, Interventions, System Change. University of South Australia - $8,190,000 Description: Diabetes and cardiovascular diseases occur in epidemic proportions among Indigenous Australians, with very early age of onset and high rates of preventable complications. This program will bring together a multi-skilled team of researchers with Indigenous partners to better understand the development of these conditions, and to guide the development of diet, lifestyle, clinical and health system interventions in order to minimise their adverse impacts and improve health overall.

Professor Mark Onslow From Discovery to Innovation in Stuttering Treatment. University of Sydney - $4,775,000 Description: Stuttering starts in 2 to 3-year olds and if not controlled causes a lifetime of social anxiety and hinders educational and vocational achievement. Recent discoveries by the current team and colleagues have shown the disorder to be far more prevalent, and more of a public health problem, than previously thought.

The team has developed efficacious treatments for stuttering children and adults. However, no country can afford the health care needed for all who stutter. The present research is designed to solve this problem by developing stand-alone Internet based stuttering treatments. These will be evaluated in a stepped care treatment approach for people who stutter, in Australia and internationally.