MRFF projects

The DNA Screen study offers free DNA screening for high-risk hereditary disease gene variants to 10,000 young Australians. When the study launched it received national media coverage. Over 20,000 people registered in the first 3 days. We asked lead researcher Paul Lacaze what happened next.

Optometrist researcher Lauren Ayton is improving diagnosis and treatment pathways for patients with age-related vision loss.

Early childhood educators have the right skills to prevent infectious diseases and communicate health information fast to families with young children. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, staff struggled to find relevant health information.

Indigenous-led research is using advanced multi-omics technology to reduce the high rate of chronic kidney disease in First Nations communities.

The largest ever pre- and post-bushfire fighters survey asks how the Black Summer fires in 2019-20 impacts their mental health. The results: we are better supporting professional bushfire fighters, but our volunteers need more help.

Boys and men are 3 times as likely to die by suicide in Australia than girls and women. The Buoy Project is testing 7 different suicide prevention programs that target boys and men. The aim is to find out which programs might be most effective in reducing male suicide.

Jenni trained in stroke research after her dad had a stroke caused by bleeding in the brain. She is Associate Investigator and consumer adviser on a trial designed to reduce loss of function in survivors of this kind of stroke.

Professor Peter Currie dedicated his research career to finding a treatment for incurable muscle injury and disease. In 2021 Peter’s research team published their discovery of a new biological substance needed for skeletal muscle healing. Peter thinks NAMPT could be the cure he’s been looking for.

Aboriginal-led research is implementing and evaluating the Debakarn Koorliny Wangkiny (Steady Walking and Talking) co-design framework. The aim is to improve mental health services for Aboriginal young people.

A music therapist and a human-computer interaction expert help carers use music to calm people with dementia.

The SuperbugAI Flagship is developing a hospital tracking and response system to detect superbugs. The system will also support personalised treatment to improve patient survival and control outbreaks sooner.

New surgical probes will help surgeons to identify microscopic cancer tissue in real time. This ability to check they have removed all the cancer during the operation will reduce the need for repeat surgery.

Dr Ira Deveson’s ultra-fast COVID sequencing workflow made global media headlines. At the peak of the pandemic in 2020, Ira’s new workflow reduced COVID variant sequencing time from one week to 4 hours. This allowed authorities to quickly trace the sources of infections and stop them from spreading.

The Australian Government has made available $96 million for the national effort fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Read about some projects, supported by the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).

The international Pragmatic Pediatric Trial of Balanced vs NormaL Saline Fluid in Sepsis will compare two treatments commonly used to treat sepsis in children to compare their safety and effectiveness.

Your phenome is a dynamic fingerprint of your unique biology. The Australian National Phenome Centre (ANPC) studies phenomes to better understand diseases and an individual’s disease risk.

Infants with hearing impairment can struggle to learn language and engage fully with the world around them. But a new clinical tool – EarGenie™ – promises to give them a head start soon after birth.

A premature infant's lungs lack a critical chemical that allows them to 'open' or 'fill'. To address this issue, the largest ever respiratory intervention trial is now underway in delivery rooms across the world.

Blood clots in leg veins and lung arteries are a significant public health problem. A new international clinical trial will test the 2 drugs currently used for treatment to compare safety and complications.

Mackenzie's Mission is a ground-breaking initiative which identifies the risk of having a child with a genetic condition.

Researchers tested a drug that could help to treat Motor Neurone Disease (MND). Thanks to donors and almost $2 million in MRFF funding, the trial was run at 6 centres.

The Zero Childhood Cancer Personalised Medicine Program (ZERO) is helping to improve survival outcomes for kids most at risk.