Researchers

[Image appears of a facing and then profile view of Associate Professor Jeanie Cheong walking]

Associate Professor Jeanie Cheong: My expertise is in the area of newborn brain. 

[Images move through of Jeanie turning towards the camera and smiling, her face, Jeanie talking to the camera and Jeanie in conversation with another female and text appears: Associate Professor Jeanie Cheong, MBBS, MD, FRACP]

We spent many years understanding why do pre-term children have health and developmental challenges when they grow up and we actually have a very deep understanding of what those challenges are now. 

[Images move through of a children’s book pages being turned, Jeanie talking to the camera and a machine putting purple liquid via nozzles into test tubes]

However, we’re moving on to the next step of also understanding what the risk factors are and what the protective factors are. 

[Images move through of purple liquid in test tubes, a female looking into a microscope, the microscope lens, Jeanie talking to the camera and the purple liquid being stirred in a test tube]

Then can we go on to look at how we make things better, trial new treatments, new interventions that can maximise these children to reach their full potential.

[Images move through of the test tubes being moved around on a machine, a female drawing liquid into a nozzle, and Jeanie talking to the camera]

I’ve been fortunate to have received a Medical Research Future Fund Career Development Fellowship. 

[Images move through of Jeanie’s face, Jeanie in conversation, Jeanie looking at a book with another female and then Jeanie talking to the camera]

This Fund enables me to have protected research time, time where I can manage the research projects and train the future generations of researchers who will carry on the work into the future.

[Images move through of Jeanie and another female looking at a children’s book, Jeanie talking to the camera and a back view of Jeanie walking inside a building and text appears: Coat of Arms and text appears: Australian Government, Medical Research Future Fund, www.health.gov.au/mrff]

The Medical Research Future Fund has the opportunity to offer all these individuals hope to achieve what they could have done regardless of the events that happened around birth.

[Image appears of Dr Greg Begley sitting in an office talking to the camera and the camera zooms in on Glen’s face and then out again to show Dr Begley sitting in the office talking]

Dr Glen Begley: The big challenge we have in Australia is taking advantage of the outstanding research that we’ve got and turning that into something that is of benefit to humankind.

[Images move through of Dr Begley’s fingers typing on a keyboard and the camera zooms out to show Dr Begley sitting at an office desk typing at his computer]

[Image changes to show Dr. Begley sitting at an office desk talking to the camera and text appears: Dr Glen Begley, Chief Executive Officer, BioCurate]

I’m Glen Begley and I’m the Chief Executive Officer of BioCurate.

[Images move through to show Dr. Begley walking past a University sign with a male, Dr Begley talking to the camera, Dr Begley and the male walking to a building, and Dr Begley talking]

BioCurate is a joint initiative of Monash University, the University of Melbourne and supported by the Victorian Government, specifically focussed on translating research discoveries into something that will have value in the clinic.

[Images move through to show people working in a busy laboratory and then the image changes to show Dr Begley talking to the camera]

The challenge for researchers is that what industry is looking for is a different world.

[Image changes to show Dr Begley sitting at a table talking, looking at paperwork with a male, and in conversation with the male]

It takes particular expertise, people that have done it many times before to understand what the pitfalls might be.

[Camera zooms in on the male’s hands on the table, and then Dr Begley’s face as he listens]

In Australia we’ve really lacked the commitment, the capacity, the capability to translate that research.

[Image changes to show Dr Begley talking to the camera and then the image changes to show researchers working in a busy laboratory]

We have had some outstanding examples but across the board we’ve failed to take advantage of that outstanding research.

[Music plays and images changes to show Dr Begley giving a presentation to staff in a boardroom]

[Image changes to show Dr Begley talking to the camera and then the images move through to show Dr Begley giving a presentation to staff in a boardroom]

The Medical Research Future Fund for the first time gives us the ability to begin to address that deficit. It takes substantial funding to bridge that gap from research to clinical application.

[Images move through to show a female writing, Dr Begley giving a presentation to staff in a boardroom, Dr Begley talking, scientists working in a laboratory, and then Dr Begley talking]

The Medical Research Future Fund is very important in building Australian capability into the future so that in the future we’ve got researchers that have a deeper understanding of what commercialisation looks like.

[Images move through to show a sign depicting the difference between Academia and Industry, Dr Begley talking to the camera, and then Dr Begley talking to a male while sitting at a table]

What excites me is we’ve got Victoria partnering with South Australia, partnering with Queensland in an attempt to provide the resource base that will be available then to New South Wales and all of the other states and territories.

[Image changes to show Dr Begley talking to the camera]

The Medical Research Future Fund is a jewel. It’s a treasure.

[Images move through to show Dr Begley talking to the camera, a BioCurate banner, and then Dr Begley standing smiling at the camera]

Ultimately, it will be $20 billion that will feed future Australian research with the intent of building on that research, translating it into something that has clinical value to Australia.

[Music plays and a hexagon pattern appears over the screen and then the image changes to show the Coat of Arms and text appears on a blue screen: Australian Government, Department of Health, Medical Research Future Fund]

[Music plays and an image appears of a row of flags in front of the SAHMRI building and then the camera zooms out to show people walking past the SAHMRI building]

Professor Alex Brown: We know that chronic disease affects Aboriginal people more so than any other part of our community.

[Camera pans over the SAHMRI sign outside of the SAHMRI building and then the image changes to show Professor Alex Brown sitting talking to the camera and text appears: Professor Alex Brown, Professor of Aboriginal Health, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute]

We need to make sure that health care systems do their job with the right support, the right evidence and the right research to support their decisions.

[Camera pans over glass panels on the outside SAHMRI building then image changes to show Alex and a female walking through the inside of the building]

The South Australian Aboriginal Chronic Disease Consortium’s fundamental job is to take evidence from science and to deliver it to practical outcomes for Aboriginal people in South Australia.

[Image changes to show the room number of Alex’s office door and then the image changes to show Alex talking to the camera]

My name’s Alex Brown. I’m the Professor of Aboriginal Health here at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute.

[Images move through of Alex talking on the phone while in a lift, the view from the SAHMRI building, and then Alex talking to the camera]

We’ve established the Aboriginal Chronic Disease Consortium here in South Australia on the back of significant research we’ve done over the last ten to 15 years,

[Images move through of a South Australian Aboriginal Chronic Disease banner and Alex and a group of people conversing in a boardroom]

really trying to understand what drives poor outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from chronic conditions.

[Camera zooms in on Alex listening at the table and then a female talking at the table and then the camera zooms out to show the whole board room table again]

The biggest challenge is just simply the enormity of the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.

[Image changes to show Alex talking to the camera]

We know that the life expectancy differential is at least ten years.

[Images move through to show Alex and a group of people conversing in a boardroom, Alex talking to the camera, and then a male and a female working at a computer]

We know that particularly at young age the chances of dying from a chronic condition is between five and ten times higher whether that be from say heart disease or diabetes.

[Image changes to show Alex talking to the camera then image changes to show Alex and a female sitting at a laptop looking at paperwork and talking]

We know that there’s significant barriers to access for Aboriginal people in the systems of care that we already have from primary care right through to tertiary services and rehabilitation after somebody has trouble with their health.

[Images move through to show an internal view looking down from the top to the bottom of the SAHMRI building, Alex talking, a meeting room sign, and then people conversing around a table]

The MRFF has provided resourcing for us to continue the work of the South Australian Aboriginal Chronic Disease Consortium.

[Images move through to show a male looking at paperwork, Alex talking to the camera, a male looking at a brochure and talking, and a group of people conversing around a boardroom table]

We have a plan in place and there are a range of projects we’re trying to deliver in translating policy into action.

[Camera zooms in on Alex at the boardroom table]

The MRFF has provided us with some funding to take that next step.

[Images move through of Alex talking to the group at the boardroom table, Alex talking to the camera, a close-up of Alex’s face, and the side of the SAHMRI building]

The value of the Medical Research Future Fund is it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for researchers to think more deeply about how we can take research and make a difference in systems and services moving forward.

[Camera pans over the glass panels of the SAHMRI building, and then images move through of a row of flags outside the building, and the SAHMRI sign on the outside SAHMRI building]

It’s a great opportunity to translate research into real outcomes for the community.

[Image changes to show Alex talking to the camera]

The medical research is really important for all Australians for a whole raft of reasons.

[Camera pans over a framed SA Aboriginal Chronic Disease Consortium Statement of Commitment then image changes to show Alex and a female working at a laptop]

One is we know that medical research has a return on investment that’s significant.

[Image changes to show Alex and the female in conversation and then the image changes to show Alex talking to the camera]

Probably $7 for every dollar that is invested in medical research is brought back to the community.

[Images move through to show an Aboriginal flag, an internal view of the SAHMRI building from the ground floor, Alex talking to the camera, and then a male and a female working at a computer]

But fundamentally, our interest is in how we can use medical research to make a difference in the lives of people who are experiencing profound disadvantage.

[Image changes to show Alex and a group people conversing around a boardroom table and then the image changes to show Alex talking to the camera]

We’re now starting to build a workforce of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people engaged directly in research.

[Images move through to show Alex and a group people conversing around a boardroom table, a male and a female sitting filling out paperwork, and three females sitting and filling out paperwork]

We’re starting to train the next generation of Aboriginal researchers and we think the time is now, to invest to make sure that those benefits are realised.

[Camera zooms in on one of the females smiling, and then the image changes to show Alex talking to the camera, and then the camera zooms in on Alex’s face as he talks]

If only we understood that the way in which Aboriginal people understand the world can inform a better way for all Australians will we see the future that we all aspire to.

[Image changes to show Alex standing looking at the camera and the camera zooms in on Alex’s face and then the image changes to show a coloured blue, white and red hexagon pattern on the screen]

That’s our job and that’s what we’re hoping to live up with the support of the MRFF.

[Music plays and the Coat of Arms and text appears on a blue screen: Australian Government, Department of Health, Medical Research Future Fund]

[Image appears of Professor Helen Christensen sitting in an office talking to the camera and the camera zooms in on her face as she talks]

Professor Helen Christensen: In Australia there’s about 4,000,000 people who have a mental health problem.

[Music plays and the image changes to show an open pamphlet with a note pad next to it with the Black Dog Institute logo on it]

[Images move through to show the Black Dog Institute building, a statue of a black dog, Helen talking to the camera, and then people sitting in an auditorium] 

Understanding big problems like mental illness requires a large national response and the Medical Research Future Fund really allows us to do that.

[Image changes to show Helen talking to the camera and text appears: Professor Helen Christensen AO, Director and Chief Scientist, Black Dog Institute]

I sit on the Million Minds Advisory Committee.

[Image shows Helen talking to the camera and then the image changes to show Helen and three other staff members sitting around a boardroom table in conversation]

Our role is to help shape the way in which the Medical Research Future Funds will be used in the cause of mental illness.

[Images move through to show an open pamphlet showing a suicide prevention research chart, a Black Dog brooch on Helen’s suit jacket, and then Helen talking to the camera]

Many young kids in their early teens start to develop mental health problems like depression, anxiety and so on.

[Images move through to show Helen talking to the camera, a “Creating a mentally healthier world” booklet on a desk, and then Helen in conversation with a group of young people at a table]

However, we do know that around 22% of those young people could be prevented from developing these disorders in the first place.

[Camera pans around Helen and the group at the table and then the images move through to show Helen talking to the camera and Helen and her colleagues sitting around a boardroom table]

The Medical Research Future Fund has contributed $125 million over ten years to try and make a difference to the lives of people who have mental health problems.

[Camera zooms in on a male listening and then the image changes to show Helen talking to the camera]

At the moment we have three different areas of particular interest.

[Image changes to show a female giving a presentation to a group of people and the camera zooms in on their faces]

One is mental health issues in young people and adolescents.

[Images move through to show Helen talking to the camera, Helen working at a laptop, and then Helen scrolling through the Million Minds Mission Grant Opportunity website]

A second issue is around eating disorders. They cause so much suffering and severe disablement.

[Images move through to show Helen talking to the camera, three females in conversation, a group of people in conversation sitting around a boardroom table, and then Helen talking to the camera]

And the third one is indigenous mental health because we know for example the suicide rate in indigenous young people and adults is two or three times higher than that of non-indigenous people.

[Image changes to show scientists working in a busy laboratory and then the image changes to show Helen talking to the camera]

The Medical Research Future Fund aims to focus on translational research.

[Image changes to show scientists working in a busy laboratory and then the image changes to show Helen talking to the camera]

Australia is very good at discovery but we’re not so good at getting our innovations into practice.

[Image changes to show Helen and a male scientist in conversation while conducting tests on a male’s brain activity and then the image changes to show the “I Had a Black Dog” book on a table]

In fact, we rank much lower than comparable countries around the world and I think the Medical Research Future Fund is a way in which we can bring that investment to make sure that our discoveries are kept here in the country and actually lead to major transformative health care change into the future.

[Camera pans along the Black Dog Institute corridor showing a painted mural of a male next to a dog and the camera zooms in on the mural]

The Medical Research Future Fund is really important for Australian health.  I’m totally committed to mental health.

[Image changes to show a rear view of Helen walking up a flight of stairs and then the image changes to show Helen talking on a mobile phone while looking out of a window]

Like many people I’ve experienced mental health problems myself. I’ve had family members with mental health problems.

[Images move through to show a Black Dog Institute logo on a window, Helen talking to the camera, and then Helen smiling at the camera]

I think there’s a lot of stigma associated with it but I actually think science and research is the answer both to reduce stigma but also to make the innovations that we need in this space.

[Music plays and a blue, red and white hexagon pattern appears over the screen and then the image changes to show the Coat of Arms and text appears on a blue screen: Australian Government, Department of Health, Medical Research Future Fund]

[Music plays and images move through to show glass panels on the outside of a building, Professor Ian Frazer in an office talking to the camera, and then glass panels on the outside of the building]

Professor Ian Frazer: The healthy population is a happy and productive population and to keep people healthy you need medical research.

[Music plays and image changes to show a view of the glass panelled building from the street]

[Images move through to show Ian talking to the camera, a group of people sitting watching a presentation, and then Ian having a conversation with the presenter and text appears: Professor Ian Frazer AC, Chair, Australian Medical Research Advisory Board (AMRAB)]

I’m Professor Ian Frazer. My job as chair of the Australian Medical Research Advisory Board, AMRAB is to give advice to government about what the strategy for health and medical research should be and what the priorities should be at any given time.

[Image shows Ian in conversation with the group then image changes to show Ian talking to the camera and the camera zooms out on Ian talking]

The great advantage of having a Medical Research Future Fund with guaranteed funding is that we can look at the big problems in health and try and build new capacity to solve those problems.

[Image changes to show a male pointing at a presentation and then the camera zooms out to show him talking, and then the image changes to show  a female in the group talking]

We were charged with consulting widely to find out what the priorities should be in medical research.

[The camera pans over group, and then the image changes to show Ian talking to the camera]

That means consulting with the experts, of course, but also with the community and with governments and we also set up a website so people could put in their suggestions on the web.

[Camera zooms out on Ian talking to the camera]

Basically we did the best we could to consult with absolutely anybody that wanted to talk with us.

[Music plays and image changes to show Ian and a female scientist walking through a busy laboratory and then image changes to show Ian talking to the camera]

Australia values its health and there are many health challenges that face Australia — cancer, diabetes, heart attacks, dementia — and what will really make a difference is if through research we can prevent these diseases.

[Image changes to show Ian and a female scientist in conversation while looking at a manual in a laboratory and then the image changes to show Ian talking to the camera]

And so, there are many parts of the Medical Research Future Fund that are directed in that area but the one that stands out is genomics.

[Music plays and image moves through to show Ian and a female scientist walking through a busy laboratory, and then the image changes to show an indoor garden café]

Genomics is the future of medicine.

[Image changes to show Ian talking to the camera]

At one end of the spectrum we can diagnose young kids with serious genetic diseases quickly.

[Images move through to show Ian and a male scientist working together in a laboratory and looking into a microscope]

In between, we can use genomics to understand how bacteria spread particular diseases.

[Image changes to show Ian talking to the camera, and then the image changes to show a microscope, and then the camera zooms out to show Ian looking into the microscope]

And at the other end of the spectrum we can map out the people who are likely to end up with chronic disease such as  Type 2 Diabetes and therefore we can predict how best to prevent them getting that disease.

[Music plays and the image shows Ian and a male scientist in conversation in a laboratory]

[Images move through to show Ian talking to the camera, Ian and a male scientist working together in a laboratory, and then Ian talking to the camera]

Eventually genomics will probably be the road map for health that everybody carries around with them.

[Image changes to show blue liquid being drawn up into a syringe and then being put into test tubes]

Medical research also creates job opportunities.

[Image changes to show Ian talking to the camera]

It creates potential wealth for the country.

[Image changes to show blue liquid being drawn up into a syringe and then the camera zooms out to show Ian and a male scientist working together in a laboratory]

Innovative research leads to innovative products and innovative products can be sold on a global basis.

[Images move through to show Ian sitting in a café working at a laptop]

We are a small country in a very big world.

[Image changes to show Ian talking to the camera and then the image changes to show Ian smiling at the camera]

We contribute well above our weight in medical research but we recognise that we really need to be doing internationally competitive research and all of the Medical Research Future Fund is focused on this idea of doing world-best research in Australia.

[Music plays and the Coat of Arms and text appears: Australian Government, Department of Health, Medical Research Future Fund]

[Music plays and images move through of a male walking into the UNSW Children’s Cancer Institute, and a sign on the side of the building]

[Images move through to show a Zero Childhood Cancer brochure, and then Professor Michelle Haber talking to the camera and text appears: Professor Michelle Haber AM, Executive Director, Children’s Cancer Institute]

Professor Michelle Haber: The Zero Childhood Cancer program is directed only towards the children who are at serious risk of dying from their disease.

[Music plays and images move through of various views of the inside of the UNSW Children’s Cancer Institute]

[Images move through of a Zero Childhood Cancer brochure, Michelle and two colleagues talking at a desk, Michelle holding up the brochure,  and then Michelle talking to the camera]

The Medical Research Future Fund have supported, specifically through the Australian Brain Cancer Mission, so that ultimately we can achieve our goal of zero children dying of cancer.

[Music plays and images move through of Michelle and another female in a laboratory walking towards the camera, and then through the laboratory]

[Images move through of researchers at work in the laboratory]

The Zero Childhood Cancer program is at the absolute forefront of child cancer precision medicine programs internationally.

[Images flash through of a laboratory worker drawing liquid up into a syringe and squirting into a test tube, Michelle talking, researchers working in a laboratory, and Michelle talking to colleagues]

It’s one of the most comprehensive, personalised medicine programs worldwide because it combines extremely comprehensive molecular profiling with the responses of the child’s tumour cells

[Camera zooms in on laboratory workers squirting liquid into a test tube and the camera zooms in on the syringe and the test tube]

that are being grown in the laboratory and actually tested empirically for their response to anti-cancer drugs.

[Image changes to show Michelle talking to the camera]

Their tumour cells will be flown here to Children’s Cancer Institute.

[Images move through of workers inside the laboratory, a worker removing a container from a fridge, Michelle talking to the camera, and a researcher studying a liquid in a clear container]

We will extract the genetic material from those tumour cells and in collaboration with our partners that data, the whole genetic sequence of both the tumour and for comparison the normal DNA of that child’s cells, will be sequenced within two weeks.

[Image changes to show Michelle talking to the camera and then the image changes to show a laboratory worker looking through a microscope and the camera zooms in on her face]

And we have been able to turn around that data and give answers back in real time to children who would otherwise have died of their disease and it has fundamentally changed their life.

[Images move through to show the liquid in the container on the microscope stand, the researcher looking through the microscope, Michelle talking, and then holding up a brochure]

The funding from the Medical Research Future Fund has allowed us to address three major challenges in the area of treating these most resistant childhood cancer brain tumours.

[Camera zooms in on the brochure and then images move through of a female listening to Michelle talking, and then Michelle talking to the camera]

The first is to have sufficient funding to actually roll out this program nationally and ensure that every child in the country with high-risk brain tumours has access to this precision medicine platform.

[Images move through of labelled bottles on a shelf in a laboratory, boxes of samples being gently rotated on a machine, Michelle talking to the camera, and researchers working in the laboratory]

The second challenge is having access to the clinical trials of the latest treatments and a significant proportion of this funding is focussed specifically on more, newer, innovative clinical trials for children with brain tumours.

[Images move through of a male looking through a microscope, a hand adjusting the microscope slide, Michelle talking, and then with a colleague in the laboratory]

And the third focus of the MRFF funding is to develop new immunotherapies for children with cancer, to find new ways of treating these children who have such limited opportunities for cure.

[Images move through of Michelle and a colleague in conversation, Michelle talking to the camera, Michelle and the colleague looking at a sample in the lab again, and Michelle talking]

So, this is genuine translation of bench to bedside research and then back again where the responses that we see in the clinic then inform the next experiments in the laboratory.

[Images move through of Michelle and a female colleague in the laboratory looking at data on a screen and talking]

And this is the sort of funding that the MRFF was committed to supporting.

[Image changes to show Michelle talking to the camera]

These are the ways that we will take on this challenge and beat it.

[Images move through of Michelle and a researcher at a microscope, a close-up of a sample under the microscope, the researcher looking through the microscope, and an area outside of a building]

We’ve seen the results of research, the impact of improvements in survival rate from zero to 80% for kids with cancer.

[Image changes to show Michelle talking to the camera]

That’s hundreds of thousands of children who are alive today who would not have been without medical research.

[Camera zooms in on Michelle’s face as she talks to the camera]

That is the power of what we do.

[Music plays and the image changes to show Michelle standing in a laboratory and smiling at the camera and then the image changes to show a hexagonal blue, white and red pattern on the screen]

[Coat of Arms and text appears on a blue screen: Australian Government, Department of Health, Medical Research Future Fund]

[Image appears of Professor Kathryn North smiling at the camera and the camera zooms in on Kathryn’s face]

Professor Kathryn North: I’ve been working for over 20 years in the field of rare disease. 

[Image changes to show Kathryn seated and talking to the camera and then the image changes to show Kathryn in conversation with another female and text appears: Professor Kathryn North, AM, BSc, MBDS, MD]

My big focus at the moment is in genomics and genomic medicine and particularly how we’re implementing that into clinical practice.

[Camera zooms in on Kathryn’s face as she listens and then as she talks to the camera and then the image changes to show Kathryn and another male walking through a laboratory]

Genomics is transforming the way we do medicine. You know, five, ten years ago when a child was brought to see me because of, of weakness or an inability to walk we needed to bring them into hospital, do invasive tests under anaesthetic, often going on for many years without an answer.

[Camera zooms in on their faces as they walk and then the image changes to show Kathryn talking to the camera again]

And now in over half the cases, our first assessment of a child, we’re getting an answer immediately.

[Images move through of Kathryn and a male and female looking at a document, Kathryn talking to the camera, Kathryn in conversation with the male and female and then with another female]

The Medical Research Future Fund is an amazing investment in the future of Australian research and it’s particularly focussed on impact into clinical practice and it’s really inspiring people to think big, how do we tackle the big problems that we need to solve and to be able to change people’s lives for the better. 

[Image changes to show a laboratory and the Coat of Arms and text appears: Australian Government, Medical Research Future Fund, www.health.gov.au/mrff]

That’s the ultimate goal.

[Music plays]