The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers have been awarded 12 grants in the latest round of funding from the WA Child Research Fund (formerly the Telethon-Perth Children’s Hospital Research Fund).
Health Minister Roger Cook today announced a total of $2 million in funding for WA research projects of direct significance to the health of children and adolescents.
The Kids Research Institute Australia projects to receive support include an examination of childhood mental health, finding new drugs to strengthen the lungs of premature babies, innovative new treatments with fewer side effects for cancer, and better treatment for skin infections in remote Western Australian communities.
The Department of Health awarded the following project grants to The Kids researchers:
- Associate Professor Anthony Kicic - A novel antiviral strategy to tackle common respiratory viruses in young children
- Associate Professor Anthony Kicic - Identification and validation of a novel therapeutic to mitigate lung inflammation in preterm survivors
- Professor Aleksandra Filipovska - Improved diagnosis of paediatric mitochondrial diseases using multiomic technologies
- Dr Amy Finlay-Jones - Implementation Feasibility of an Evidence-Based Early Screening and Support System for Preventing Childhood Mental Health Problems in Western Australia
- Dr Bree Foley - Using superior natural killer (NK) cells to design the optimal NK cell therapy to treat leukaemia
- Professor Britta von Ungern-Sternberg - Flexible bronchoscopy insufflated and high-flow nasal oxygen: BUFFALO, a pilot randomised controlled trial
- Dr Christopher O’Dea – The Cardio-Pulmonary Response to Exercise in Survivors of Preterm Birth
- Dr Jason Waithman – A novel adoptive cell therapy strategy for the treatment of sarcoma
- Dr James Gibbons – Kids Infections aNd Day care’s Effects on the lungs in those born Early (KINDEE Study)
- Dr Jonatan Leffler – Providing an unparalleled immunological assessment of transgender adolescents receiving cross-sex hormone therapy
- Dr Kevin Looi – Preclinical assessment of Diferulylmethane-2, an Anti-RSV Therapeutic (PreDART)
- Associate Professor Shannon Simpson – PELICAN (Prematurity’s Effect on the Lungs in Children and Adults Network): Understanding the impact of preterm birth on lung health throughout life by establishing a harmonised global data repository
- Dr Timothy Barnett – Rapid point-of-care diagnosis of antibiotic skin infections in remote communities
The Kids Research Institute Australia Director Professor Jonathan Carapetis congratulated those who were awarded grants and thanked the fund for its continued support for innovative research in WA.
“WACRF is a great example of how the generosity of our community, through Telethon, can partner with the State Government to fund essential science for the kids of WA,” Professor Carapetis said.
“We are extremely grateful for this support and the Institute is very proud to house such outstanding researchers.
“Whether it’s in the lab developing what could be the next big breakthrough in childhood cancer, tackling the common respiratory viruses that lead to hundreds of hospital admissions each year, or examining ways to better assess the mental health of our kids – this funding helps our researchers to continue their work to improve the health and development of children and their families across the country.”
The WA Child Research Fund was established by the Department of Health and the Channel 7 Telethon Trust to provide financial support to research projects that focus on the health of children and adolescents in WA.