Murdoch Children’s Research Institute’s (MCRI) Associate Professor Amanda Gwee has been recognised for identifying an effective scabies medication dosing strategy in young children unable to access current treatments.

Associate Professor Gwee was presented with the 2025 Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR) Peter Doherty Leading Light Award, which celebrates the achievements of mid-career researchers in Australia. 

She received the award for her international clinical trial which aimed to find a safe, effective medication dose for scabies (a skin infection caused by mites) in children under 15kgs, who currently have no oral treatments available to them.

Image: Associate Professor Amanda Gwee

“Scabies is a neglected tropical disease that affects up to one in four children aged under five in resource-poor countries,” Associate Professor Gwee said. “The intense itch from scabies not only disrupts sleep and affects mental health, but also predisposes children to serious bacterial infections increasing their risk chance of significant health problems and death.

“Ivermectin, an antimicrobial medication, is the only approved oral treatment for scabies, but it’s not licensed for young children weighing under 15kgs leaving them extremely vulnerable to scabies and other neglected tropical diseases.”

To address this, Associate Professor Gwee led a clinical trial, run in collaboration with the Burnet Institute, enrolling 100 children across five health centres in Lao PDR to evaluate a dosing regimen she had previously developed.

The treatment was found to be successful and safe, clearing scabies in 91 per cent of the children.

“These results provide the first clinical trial evidence of a safe, effective ivermectin dose for young children under 15kgs, with immediate implications for global scabies control and treatment access,” she said.

Associate Professor Gwee leads MCRI’s Antimicrobials Research Group and is a general paediatrician, infectious diseases physician, clinical pharmacologist and Clinical Lead of Research in the Department of General Medicine at The Royal Children’s Hospital. She is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne and is a recognised leader in paediatric antimicrobial dosing.