Researchers at the Children's Medical Research Institute and the Anzac Research Institute, in New South Wales will receive a total of $465,000 in Federal funding over three years, to study the genetics of cellular ageing and geriatric pharmacology.
The Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Kay Patterson, today announced that eight research projects across Australia would receive a total of $1.7 million, under the National Health and Medical Research Council's Strategic Healthy Ageing Program.
The other seven projects, in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania will each study an aspect of the ageing process to help improve the health outcomes for an ageing Australian population.
"Each of these projects will, by increasing our knowledge about the processes of ageing, allow us to improve health outcomes for, and the quality of life of, our ageing population or will provide information to help prevent diseases of ageing in the Australian community," Senator Patterson said.
"With an ageing population, healthy ageing is very properly a national research priority"
Dr Lily Huschtscha from the Children's Medical Research Institute, will receive $300,000 over three years to study cellular ageing which could lead to the eventual development of new ways of preventing and treating those aspects of diseases of ageing that resulted from limited cellular proliferation.
Professor David Le Couteur from the Anzac Research Institute at the University of Sydney, will receive $165,000 over three years for a study into geriatric pharmacology.
"One of the reasons that drug therapy in older patients is more complex is because ageing is associated with impaired ability to metabolise drugs, particularly related to ageing changes in the liver. This can increase adverse drug effects. Increased knowledge in this area will have considerable clinical applications," the Minister said.