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Queensland wins millions for vaccine and stem cell research

Queensland researchers will receive more than $19 million to develop vaccines and investigate the potential for brain stem cells to repair neural damage, Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Kay Patterson, announced.

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13 June 2003

Queensland wins millions for vaccine and stem cell research

Queensland researchers will receive more than $19 million to develop vaccines and investigate the potential for brain stem cells to repair neural damage, Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Kay Patterson, announced today.

Senator Patterson said that under the National Health and Medical Research Council's Program Grants Scheme, eleven research teams in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria would receive more than $73 million in funding over five years.

A team from the University of Queensland will conduct important research on whether brain stem cells can play a part in repairing neural damage.

The team has been responsible for many of the major discoveries demonstrating that stem cells in the brain of adult animals could generate new nerve cells.

This finding opens up the possibility that the stimulation of a person's own brain stem cells might be able to repair neural damage from stroke and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Another team at the University will find ways to help people be more physically active, using innovative scientific approaches drawn from psychology and exercise physiology.

The grant awarded to researchers at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research will enable them to work towards developing vaccines for tropical diseases such as malaria and scabies.

"The NHMRC continues to lead the way in funding the work of internationally-recognised health and medical research teams for the benefit of all Australians," Senator Patterson said.

"The research undertaken by all these teams is a high priority and will ensure that Australia remains at the cutting edge of international health and medical research," she added.

The funding for health and medical research in Australia was doubled by the Commonwealth in the 1999-2000 Federal Budget, as a result of the Wills Review.

1. Control of nerve cell production.

University of Queensland, Qld

$6.474 million over five years

Dr Perry Bartlett; A/Prof Seong-Seng Tan; A/Prof Trevor Kilpatrick; Dr Pankaj Sah

Members of this team are at the forefront of research into the molecular control of nerve cell production and function in the developing and adult brain. They were responsible, often through collaboration, for many of the major discoveries demonstrating that stem cells in the brain of adult animals can generate new nerve cells. This revolutionised our concept of the brain and opened-up the possibility of therapeutic repair of neural damage through stimulation of a patient's own stem cells. Discovering the molecular mechanisms controlling this process is the goal of the present program. By combining resources the team will be positioned at the very forefront of the international competition to discover and to evaluate clinically the molecular mechanisms underlying neural repair and regeneration. This is of enormous significance in determining how we best treat stroke, injury and other neurodegenerative diseases in the next 10 years, and will lead to the development of new therapeutics of immense value.

2. How can people be helped to exercise regularly so as to improve their health?

University of Queensland, Qld

$4.387 million over five years

Professor Neville Owen; Prof Adrian Bauman; Prof Wendy Brown

Doing regular physical activity is very important for maintaining good health. It helps to prevent weight gain, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and breast and colon cancer. Unfortunately, most Australian adults are not active enough for health benefits. Rates of overweight and obesity are increasing rapidly; more than 50 percent of Australian adults are above the healthy weight range. Rates of type 2 diabetes have doubled in the past 20 years. New ideas and practical tools are therefore needed to tackle these serious 'diseases of inactivity'. To this end, the team will bring together innovative and practically useful scientific approaches drawn from psychology, epidemiology and exercise physiology. The approach is interdisciplinary - it combines theories and methods from their individual disciplines in an innovative manner, within a public health framework. Their new research program will build on and significantly extend these ideas and approaches into new areas. These ideas and approaches will be used to identify practical ways to help more people to be more physically active.

3. Research towards vaccines for tropical diseases

Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Qld

$8.521 million over five years

Professor David Kemp; Prof Michael Good; Dr Kadaba Sriprakash; Prof Istvan Toth; Dr Christian Engwerda; Dr Dror Baruch

Malaria, streptococcal diseases and scabies are infectious diseases largely affecting Indigenous people in various parts of the world on a massive scale, for which there are no vaccines. The aim of the work is to develop vaccines or other biological prevention measures against each of these diseases and the problems that need to be solved are similar. The team includes senior experts in the biology of infectious diseases with long histories of collaboration as well as younger members with impressive credentials that are new to the collaboration.

Media Inquiries: Randal Markey, Media Adviser, (02) 6277 7220 Jeanne Klener, Media Unit, NHMRC, (02) 6289 5796