$4.4 million to advance research in the East Asia region

This funding investment into transnational health and medical research extends to NHMRC e-ASIA 2025 Joint Research Program (JRP). The e-ASIA JRP formulates and supports joint research projects in the East Asia region on a multilateral basis and promotes the interaction of researchers through scientific workshops.

This investment will support Australian researchers to collaborate with partners in the East Asian region on the topic of infectious disease and immunology including antimicrobial resistance.

Among the recipients of NHMRC e-ASIA 2025 JRP funding announced today are: 

• Professor Mark Blaskovich from the University of Queensland will develop nanotechnologies to identify and characterise Tuberculosis (TB) from clinical samples, making it quicker to diagnose drug resistant TB in Southeast Asian countries.
• Dr Rhea Longley of WEHI will generate an evidence-based strategy to achieve the Philippines’ goal of malaria¹ elimination by applying serological markers that can detect hidden plasmodium vivax malaria infections, for both surveillance and as an intervention.
• Professor Alistair Forrest of the University of Western Australia will work with researchers from Thailand and Japan to apply advanced methods to map the immune response to dengue to better understand why some patients go on to develop life threatening dengue haemorrhagic fever.

NHMRC funding provided through the e-ASIA JRP supports the Australian component of the collaborative partnership, while the international research partners will be funded by their respective funding agencies.

All funding details can be downloaded on NHMRC’s outcomes of funding rounds web page.

Quotes attributable to NHMRC CEO, Professor Steve Wesselingh:

• “Through multilateral arrangements with our neighbouring regions, Australian researchers are provided with the opportunity to build a vibrant and collaborative research community in science and technology.
• “NHMRC’s participation in the e-ASIA JRP is consistent with our commitment to global health research and international collaboration and through the sharing of knowledge, expertise and research, we can inform potential interventions, policies and public health changes.

¹ Malaria is a vector borne disease caused by Plasmodium parasites, with most cases due to P. falciparum or P. vivax. P. vivax poses unique challenges for elimination due to relapsing infections from reactivated asymptomatic liver stage hypnozoites, a major transmission reservoir.