Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) will advance stem cell-based drug discovery, which could lead to new therapies for currently incurable conditions, thanks to a generous philanthropic investment.

The MCRI Stem Cell Medicine Theme, led by Professor Enzo Porrello, was awarded $4.05 million over three years from Stafford Fox Medical Research Foundation to support the Institute’s stem cell research.

The funding will equip MCRI with two cutting‑edge instruments that significantly expand the Institute’s drug discovery capabilities and boost the development of potential new therapies for childhood conditions.

Children with currently incurable diseases such as kidney, heart and skeletal muscle diseases, leukemia, brain cancer and respiratory illnesses could benefit from the technology.

Professor Porrello said the grant enhanced the capacity of MCRI’s state-of-the-art Stafford Fox Medical Research Foundation Stem Cell Based Drug Discovery Facility. The facility has an automated platform for high-throughput screening – a drug discovery process using robotics, data processing and automated technologies - of patient-derived stem cell tissue models.

Image: MCRI Stem Cell Medicine Theme Leader Professor Enzo Porrello

This funding will allow the MCRI Stem Cell Medicine Theme to add a Ramona Vireo Microscope and a second Yokogawa High-Content Analysis System, boosting the size, number and complexity of high-content screens they are able to perform.

“This grant means MCRI can acquire a new, cutting‑edge high-content imaging system, which will improve our drug discovery research and could help identify new drug‑like compounds,” Professor Porrello said. “It will also give us important early funding to kick‑start research projects, especially for teams investigating new drug development or treatment opportunities.”

The Stafford Fox Medical Research Foundation was established through the Will of Moyna Fox and named in memory of her late husband, James Stafford Fox. The Foundation aims to support advancing medical research projects at Australian medical research institutes, public hospitals and universities.

Read more about MCRI’s Stem Cell Medicine research.