New respiratory medicine exchange program

A million-dollar grant from GlaxoSmithKline has allowed the Institute of Respiratory Medicine to set up a scientist exchange program to allow Australian scientists to travel and work overseas and to bring international scientists to work at the institute.

The institute hopes that the GlaxoSmithKline Ann Woolcock Endowment program will allow scientists to learn new techniques, share data and form long term working relationships.

Ann Woolcock was a leading respiratory physician and the founder of the institute.

Prof Norbert Berend, director of the institute, said he believed the program was extremely valuable, allowing scientists to transmit ideas and set up collaborations, as well as providing opportunities for younger scientists to work with internationally recognised researchers.

"By bringing scientists together and exposing them to different experiences, working environments and research methods it is hoped that one day we will find cures and treatments for diseases that constitute a huge burden in the community," said Berend.

He explained that some of the exchanges would be short term, allowing researchers to learn techniques in another laboratory, while others would be for longer periods.

An internationally renowned Swedish sleep scientist, Dr Jan Hedner, a professor at Sweden's University of Gothenburg, is already a recipient of the program.

He is spending 12 months on sabbatical at the institute, working on cardiovascular responses to sleep apnoea with the institute's sleep group.

Hedner said that the opportunity to work in Australia allowed him to bring new techniques and Scandinavian data to the Australian research programs.

Berend said that Hedner and institute scientists were already talking about long-term collaborations.

Daniel Tass, managing director of GlaxoSmithKline Australia's pharmaceuticals division, said that GSK's success as a pharmaceutical company hinged on good science.

"As a leading investor in R&D in this country, GSK's funding of this program through the IRM is intended to encourage Australian talent to remain at the forefront of medical research," he said.

GSK also provides funding to support the institute's research and clinical trials.