$47 Million in Health and Medical Research Funding to Meet the Challenges of Ageing
Health and medical research into dementia, Parkinson’s disease, bone disease and other major age-related conditions will benefit from $47 million in Australian Government funding.
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17 October 2011
Health and medical research into dementia, Parkinson’s disease, bone disease and other major age-related conditions will benefit from $47 million in Australian Government funding, the Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, said today.
Mr Butler today announced funding for 93 National Health and Medical Research grants focused on ageing.
“The Gillard Labor Government is committed to improving the health and quality of life for our older Australians. One of the key ways we can achieve these goals is by funding quality research that will expand our knowledge of the diseases that affect our elderly population,’ Mr Butler said.
“This funding will go a long way to finding better, more effective treatments for debilitating conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, and bring us closer to a future where we can cure dementia.”
The 93 grants cover a range of areas including identifying new treatments for osteoporosis by studying cells that form and destroy bones, increasing our understanding of the loss of lipid molecules and its relationship to brain impairment in Alzheimer’s disease, and reducing the rate of falls in elderly patients’ transition from hospital to home.
- Dr Dafna Merom will receive $575,593 to investigate whether social dancing can help prevent falls in older people. She will determine whether a twelve-month dancing program provides the same protective effects as other exercise by improving balance and cognition, as well as having potential mental and social benefits of dancing.
- Dr Kim Delbaere, from the University of New South Wales, will receive $559,399 through the Australian-European Collaborative Research Scheme to develop innovative home-based technologies that will monitor and prevent falls amongst the frail.
- Associate Professor Peter Schofield of the University of Newcastle will receive $743,450 to determine whether an olfactory (smell) test can be used for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. As the sense of smell is one of the first of the first facilities to deteriorate with Alzheimer’s, this diagnostic method has the potential to improve early stage treatment rates.
- Dr Amy Brodtmann of the National Stroke Research Institute in Victoria will receive more than $1 million to investigate whether strokes can trigger progressive dementia in the same way as Alzheimer’s disease. This study will consider how progressive Alzheimer’s Disease therapies can assist to reduce the risk of dementia after stroke
“The research we are funding is helping Australians to live and lead longer, healthier and more productive lives as they age.”
Further information on all NHMRC grants announced today can be found at the NHMRC website.
For more information, please contact the Minister's Office on (02) 6277 7280
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