The Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Kay Patterson, today announced that South Australian researcher, Associate Professor Nick Fazzalari, from the University of Adelaide, will receive $240,000 over 3 years to study osteoarthritis in a rapidly ageing population.
"Recently reported studies have shown very persuasively that primary osteoarthritis might initially be a bone disease, rather than, or in addition to, a cartilage disease," Senator Patterson explained.
"Professor Fazzalari's project will investigate cellular and molecular mechanisms to increase our understanding of bone cell function which is essential for diagnosis and design of rational treatment for osteoarthritis and other bone diseases."
The Minister said 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 New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania, will each study an aspect of the ageing process to help improve the health outcomes for an ageing Australian population.
"With an ageing population, healthy ageing is very properly a national research priority," she said.
"Each of the 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."
The NHMRC's Strategic Healthy Ageing Program funds research in areas that will improve the health outcomes for an ageing Australian population, by both prevention and treatment of the conditions commonly associated with the ageing process.