Researchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia have been awarded $4.6 million in national funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to help support child health research.
Critical research into tuberculosis, cancer immunotherapy, chronic lung and rheumatic heart disease are set to benefit from the funding.
Associate Professor Laurens Manning secured over $1.28million from the MMRF to investigate new ways of using penicillin to prevent Strep A throat infections and rheumatic heart disease in marginalised populations.
The MMRF additionally awarded Honorary Research Fellow and Paediatric respiratory physician Dr Andre Schultz $1.13million to evaluate new approaches to working with rural, remote and metropolitan primary health care services to tackle the high burden of chronic lung disease among Aboriginal people.
Recipients of NHMRC investigator grant included Dr Joost Lesterhuis, Head of the Sarcoma Translational Research Team at the The Kids Cancer Centre, who received $1.56million to investigate new drug combinations to improve response rates to cancer immunotherapy.
Dr Kefyalew Alene was also awarded a NMHRC Investigator Grant worth $645,205 to design a research program to help control and ultimately eliminate tuberculosis in high-burden countries such as Ethiopia and China.
The Kids Director Professor Jonathan Carapetis AM, said these highly competitive grants allow our researchers to continue to do the critical work they do in tackling some of the significant health issues affecting kids.
“To continuously receive these prestigious grants is a testament to the quality and hard work of our The Kids researchers and collaborators,” Professor Carapetis said.
“At The Kids we are driven to ask the questions, find the answers and ultimately improve outcomes for kids – and these grants help to make that possible.”
Full details of the funding awarded are as follows:
NHMRC Investigator Grant through UWA
Dr Joost Lesterhuis
Tipping the balance - improving response rates to cancer immunotherapy - $1,562,250.00
NHMRC Investigator Grant through Curtin
Dr Kefyalew Alene
Spatially targeted intervention for eliminating tuberculosis in high-burden countries - $645,205.00.
MRFF Investigator Grants through UWA
Andre Schultz
Preventing Bronchiectasis in Indigenous People $1,131,125
Laurens Manning
Improving clinical management of Streptococcal infections in marginalised populations $1,281,125