Child health research has been given a major boost, with the
announcement of over $29 million funding to Murdoch Childrens
Research Institute from the Federal Government's National Health
and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
Murdoch Childrens was awarded the most project, fellowships and
infrastructure grant funding of any independent medical institute
in Australia. The funding includes over $16 million in project
grants, which will support 27 research projects.
Key projects awarded this year include $692,056 to prevent
academic difficulties in premature children and $1,033,092 to
investigate the effect of probotics on the brain development of
premature children. Murdoch Childrens will also receive $583,000 to
examine peanut allergy which could potentially lead to cures. Click
here to see full list of grants awarded.
Prof Sheena Reilly, from the Hearing, Language and Literacy
research group, was awarded a prestigious $2.48 million Centre for
Research Excellence in Childhood Language. Prof John Carlin from
The Victorian Centre for Applied Biostatistics was also awarded a
$2.49 million Centre for Research Excellence for building core
methodological capacity for population health.
In addition, three researchers received NHMRC Early Career
Fellowships, two received NHMRC Career Development Fellowships and
four received NHMRC Established Career Fellowships.
Applications to NHMRC undergo a rigorous selection process based
on scientific quality and significance and applicant track record.
Only 20 per cent of applications for project grants nationally are
successful.
NHMRC project Grants for
2012
- A/Prof Sarath Ranganathan - Long term
outcomes of infant lung function in cystic fibrosis -
$484,241
- Prof David Thorburn - Understanding the
pathogenesis of mitochondrial disease using iPS cells -
$618,675
- Prof David Thorburn - Transforming the
diagnosis of mitochondrial disorders using high-throughput
sequencing, functional prediction and experimental validation
- $648,675
- A/Prof Harriet Hiscock - Improving school
transition by improving child sleep: a translational randomised
trial - $707,960
- Dr Alicia Spittle - Neurobehaviour between
birth and 40 weeks in infants born <30 weeks? Gestation:
predictors of brain development and later neurodevelopmental
outcome
- Dr Shireen Lamade - The calcium channel
TRPV4 in skeletal development and arthritis - $659,925
- Dr Bridget Southwell - Transcutaneous
electrical stimulation to treat constipation due to anorectal
retention in children - $613,759
- A/Prof Andrew Davidson - A randomised
controlled trial of a fluid containing 140 mmol/L of sodium
compared to a fluid containing 77 mmol/L of sodium for maintenance
intravenous fluid therapy in hospitalised children -
$180,192
- Dr Justine Ellis - The role of Vitamin D
in determining risk of developing juvenile idiopathic
arthritis - $567,314
- Prof Martin Delatycki - Venesection or
expectant management for moderate iron overload in HFE related
hereditary haemochromatosis - $824,258
- Dr Salvatore Pepe - ND11 for NADH -
Ubiqunone Oxidoreductase Deficiency - $556,134
- Dr Susan Jacobs - The effect of probiotics
on the neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants -
$1,033,092.50
- A/Prof Peter Anderson - Preventing
academic difficulties in preterm children: An adaptive working
memory training intervention - $692,056
- Dr Jeanie Cheong - The burden of late
preterm birth on brain development and 2 year outcomes: a
prospective, longitudinal cohort study - $804,218
- A/Prof Mimi Tang - Understanding the
immune mechanisms leading to resolution of peanut allergy -
$583,938
- Dr Peter Vuillermin - A population-based
longitudinal assessment of early life vitamin D and risk of food
allergy - $451,792
- Dr Ralf Heine - Effect of a four-food
elimination diet in children with eosinophilic oesophagitis: a
multi-centre randomised controlled trial and investigation of
disease mechanisms - $520,488
- Dr Damien Hudson - Understanding the
structure and function of the chromosome condensin complex -
$599,700
- A/Prof David Burgner - A population-based
birth cohort study of the development of atherosclerosis in early
life - $737,375
- Prof Andy Choo - The role of centromere
defects in cancer formation and progression - $581,010
- Dr Thomas Ohnesorg - Analysis of gene
regulation in disorders of sex development - $505,960
- Dr Carl Kirkwood - Characterisation of
rotavirus vaccine escape - potential for significant impact on
vaccination program - $513,675
- Dr Lee Wong - Function of ATRX, H3.3 and
PML nuclear bodies in regulation of telomere chromatin
integrity - $419,925
- Dr Lee Wong - Epigenetic regulation of
core centromere CENP-A chromatin integrity - $307,500
- Dr Andrew Steer - The efficacy of mass
drug administration strategies to control scabies in a highly
endemic population - $683,675
- Dr Jim Vadolas - Development of RNAi
therapy for thalassaemia - $588,475
- Prof Anne-Louise Ponsonby - Enterovirus,
vitamin D status and inflammation at the clinical onset of type 1
diabetes in childhood - $398,047.50
Centres of Clinical Research Excellence Grants commencing in
2011
- Professor Sheena Reilly - Centre of
Research Excellence in Childhood Language - $2.48 million
- Professor John Carlin - The Victorian
Centre for Applied Biostatistics - $2.49 million
NHMRC Career Development Fellowships for 2012
- Dr Trevelyan Menheniott - Novel epigenetic
and molecular determinants of stomach cancer
- Dr Paul Lockhart - Understanding the role
of genes in human disease
Established Research Fellowships for 2012
- Bridget Southwell
- Jane Halliday
- David Thorburn
NHMRC Early Career Research Fellowships for 2012
- Louise Corben - A study of upper limb and
cognitive intervention in Friedreich Ataxia
- Dr Emma Sciberras - How can we improve
outcomes for children with common developmental
conditions?
- Fiona Mensah - Quantitative methods for
new insights into children's health inequalities
NHMRC - European Union Collaborative Research Grant
- Dr Richard Saffery - Long-term influence
of early nutrition on health - $524,557.00