News centre

Research Excellence: Developing novel gene expression control mechanisms for ALS gene therapies

Professor Roger Chung is the Professor of Neurobiology and Neurochemistry, and Deputy Dean (Research and Innovation) in the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences at Macquarie University. Professor Chung’s research employs a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding the biochemical, molecular and cellular mechanisms that underpin how neurons respond to injury or neurodegenerative disease, and how non-neuronal cells (glia) are involved in modulating this process. Professor Chung is the co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of CelosiaTX and also leads the Neurochemistry and Molecular Therapeutics Group within the Macquarie University Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research.

• InFocus
• News
• 21 June 2024

NHMRC update on the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) plays a pivotal role in safeguarding public health by developing the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (the Guidelines). These guidelines serve as a crucial resource for water regulators and suppliers, offering comprehensive advice on monitoring and managing drinking water quality across Australia.

• Communique
• News
• 14 June 2024

Research Excellence: Driving the transition to high value testing to benefit the health of all

Professor Katy Bell is a clinical epidemiologist and health services researcher at the Sydney School of Public Health. Professor Bell’s research evaluates the clinical effectiveness of healthcare, with a focus on medical tests used for screening, diagnosis and monitoring chronic disease. She is an NHMRC Fellow, and a member of the Medical Services Advisory Committee Evaluation Sub-Committee which critically assesses the evidence supporting applications for new listings on the Medical Benefits Scheme. The quality and impact of Professor Bell’s work has been recognised by awards including a Robinson Fellowship through the University of Sydney (2023) and an Australasian Epidemiological Association Mid-Career Researcher Professional Development Prize (2022).

• InFocus
• News
• 13 June 2024

Australian innovators create superior surgical screws for orthopaedic surgeries

Not all orthopaedic implants are created equal. Surgeons repair bone fractures using metal plates and screws but sometimes the screws loosen and the surgery needs to be repeated. Previous expandable screws increased screw fixation strength but were more difficult (or impossible) to remove and increased surgery time.

• InFocus
• News
• Ten of the Best
• 15th Edition
• 12 June 2024

Research Excellence: Strengthening the evidence base for suicide prevention

Professor Jane Pirkis is the Director of the Centre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing at the University of Melbourne. With a background in public health, Professor Pirkis has worked in the area of suicide prevention for over 25 years, contributing to knowledge about which interventions are effective in preventing suicide. Professor Pirkis’s work has also emphasised media-based interventions and interventions that involve restricting access to means of suicide. Professor Pirkis is the recipient of The University of Melbourne’s Marles Medal (2021) and is also the recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award at the University of Tasmania (2017) and has received a Lifetime Research LIFE Award through Suicide Prevention Australia (2010).

• InFocus
• News
• 6 June 2024

Speaking of Science: Unlocking the power of Indigenous co-design and intervention: Transformative outcomes through authentic collaboration

National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can join the national efforts towards achieving national reconciliation.

In this Speaking of Science webinar held during National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June 2024), we were joined by distinguished researcher and Indigenous leader, Professor Maree Toombs (Professor of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health in the University of New South Wales School of Population Health) who walked us through an incredibly moving presentation.

• News
• Speaking of Science
• Video
• 31 May 2024

Research Excellence: A new paradigm for how APOE genotype affects brain lipid homeostasis and dementia risk

Professor Anthony Don is Professor of Medical Biochemistry in the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Sydney. His team develops and applies advanced mass spectrometry methods to investigate how alterations to brain lipid metabolism with ageing lead to dementia, develop neuroprotective therapeutics, and discover new biomarkers for demyelinating diseases. His research has uncovered deficits in lipid metabolism that destabilise myelin in the course of normal ageing and early in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis. He also developed and coordinates the popular masters-level unit of study, Advances in Disease Diagnosis and Treatment.

• InFocus
• Media release
• 30 May 2024

Redefining resilience research for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents

It is well known that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ conceptions of health and wellbeing and life experiences differ vastly from mainstream populations.

• News
• Ten of the Best
• 15th Edition
• 27 May 2024

Research Excellence: Pioneering Early Cancer Detection through Nanotechnology

Dr Jiayan Liao is a dedicated researcher specialising in the field of nanotechnology, nanomedicine, biomedical engineering, and their applications in medical diagnostics. Dr Liao’s research focuses on developing innovative diagnostic tools for early cancer detection, leveraging photonics, fluorescent nanoprobes, and artificial intelligence for precise detection of single-molecule biomarkers in diseases and cancers. Dr Liao is contributing to the advancement of diagnostic methodologies and technologies, aiming for non-invasive, early detection methods to improve patient outcomes.

• InFocus
• News
• 16 May 2024

Budget 2024–25

The Budget 2024–25, delivered on 14 May 2024, confirms the Australian Government’s ongoing commitment to supporting health and medical research and its translation into new health treatments and technologies to improve the health of the Australian community.

• News
• 15 May 2024

Research Excellence: Solving Australia's Hypertension Treatment Problem

Professor Alta Schutte, SHARP Professor and Principal Theme Lead of Cardiac, Vascular and Metabolic Medicine at the University of New South Wales and The George Institute for Global Health, focuses on implementing effective scalable interventions for global blood pressure control. Appointed Co-Chair of the National Hypertension Taskforce in 2022, she was recognised in 2023 as the Leading Researcher in Vascular Medicine by The Australian. Notably, she received the 2022 Harriet Dustan Award from the American Heart Association and the 2023 Peter Sleight Excellence award from the World Hypertension League. Her impactful work extends to improving cardiovascular health in Australia and beyond.

• InFocus
• News
• 12 May 2024

Life-giving oils: low omega-3 fatty acid linked to early preterm birth and lower brain development

Preterm birth occurs in approximately 1 in 10 infants globally. It causes about three-quarters of near-birth deaths and more than half of newborn deaths.

• News
• Ten of the Best
• 15th Edition
• 6 May 2024

Uncovering the deep, dark secrets of pathogen genomes to save lives

Professor Ben Howden, from the University of Melbourne at the Doherty Institute, is a renowned clinician researcher whose dedicated focus on public health microbiology, genomics and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has impacted thousands of lives.

• News
• 15th Edition
• 30 April 2024

Speaking of Science: Towards a National Indigenous Genomics Agenda

Harnessing the power of research by combining genomics, precision medicine and public heath can help to address the long-term health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

• News
• Speaking of Science
• Video
• 18 April 2024

Research Excellence: Designing adaptive strategies to drive tuberculosis towards elimination

Dr Romain Ragonnet is a Senior Research Fellow in the Epidemiological Modelling Unit at Monash University. Dr Ragonnet specialises in the mathematical modelling of tuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19, and his notable contributions include the first-ever quantification of TB mortality and self-recovery rates. Dr Ragonnet has advised various governments of lower-middle-income countries in the Asia-Pacific region to assist the local control of TB and COVID-19. He also initiated and led multiple cross-disciplinary collaborations, creating a strong network of world-leading experts that spans mathematics, medical ethics, biostatistics, economics, and clinical trials.

• InFocus
• News
• 16 April 2024

Getting adolescents active for health benefits

Less than 10% of adolescents globally, including in Australia, do enough physical activity to align with the amount required for young people to be healthy.

• News
• 15th Edition
• 9 April 2024

Research Excellence: Unlocking molecular vulnerabilities in childhood brain cancers

Dr Sean Humphrey leads the Functional Phosphoproteomics Laboratory at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Dr Humphrey’s research uses cutting-edge mass spectrometers to create detailed molecular maps that capture how cells communicate and process information by regulating proteins. Dr Humphrey completed his PhD at the University of New South Wales before moving to Germany to undertake post-doctoral training at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Munich. Dr Humphrey’s research pinpoints key molecular signals that are dysregulated in human disease, uncovering a myriad of new targets for future therapies.

• InFocus
• News
• 8 April 2024

Addictive brain changes linked to obesity and simple supplement shows promise

When exposed to highly palatable (yummy) foods, some people overeat and have trouble regulating their intake long-term.

• News
• 15th Edition
• 5 April 2024

Research Excellence: Epidemiology and equity of kidney failure in Australasia

Dr Johanna Birrell is a general physician and advanced trainee in public health medicine. Dr Birrell has trained in both Australia and New Zealand and has a particular interest in rural health, Indigenous health, and health services research. Dr Birrell is completing her postdoctoral studies at the University of Sydney with concurrent clinical work. Her research explores geographic variation in kidney failure epidemiology and access to care across Australia and New Zealand. Dr Birrell has received awards including the Royal Australasian College of Physicians 2023 Aotearoa Trainee Research Award for Excellence in the Field of Adult Medicine and the Gerry Murphy Prize in 2022.

• InFocus
• News
• 3 April 2024

Speaking of Science: International Women’s Day 2024 - Inspire Inclusion

International Women’s Day represents a day of collective global activism and celebration that belongs to all of those committed to forging women’s equality.

In this Speaking of Science webinar held for International Women’s Day, we were joined by members of NHMRC’s Research Committee to discuss this year’s theme of ‘Inspire Inclusion’.

• News
• Speaking of Science
• Video
• 21 March 2024

Speaking of Science: Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month- Early detection, risk prediction and improving prognosis

Around 1,786 new cases of ovarian cancer in Australia were estimated to have been diagnosed in 2023, which is the equivalent of a 1 in 87 lifetime risk.

In our first Speaking of Science webinar, held for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, we were joined by international expert in ovarian cancer research, Professor Susan Ramus (Professor of Molecular Oncology in the School of Clinical Medicine at the University of New South Wales).

• News
• Speaking of Science
• Video
• 1 March 2024

NHMRC Update on the Australian Dietary Guidelines

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is currently undertaking a review of the Australian Dietary Guidelines. The updated guidelines are scheduled for delivery in 2026.

• Communique
• News
• 26 February 2024

Growing up and getting stronger: improving the long-term health of premature babies

In the early 1970s, Professor Lex Doyle watched as ventilators were introduced in Australian hospitals to help premature babies breathe.

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 21 February 2024

Accelerating change in driver safety screening

While many older Australians value the independence of driving and continue to do so safely throughout their lives, for others, the changes that occur with aging may take them off the road.

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 20 February 2024

Harnessing the power of natural immunity to extend vaccine protection

Associate Professor Linda Wakim is focused on using our body’s own immune defence system to improve vaccines by providing longer lasting protection against viruses.

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 26 January 2024

Community-designed and delivered suicide intervention

Warning: Some people may find parts of this content confronting. If this material raises any distress, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Call 13YARN or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.

A self-described grassroots Aboriginal researcher, Professor Maree Toombs is responsible for developing the first Indigenous-led and designed suicide intervention training program in Australia, creating space for connection to traditional lands and culture as part of life-saving support.

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 24 January 2024

Fighting biofilms with a Trojan Horse

Dr Nicky Thomas started his career as a pharmacist. During his PhD, he was investigating how encasing medicine in lipid droplets could improve its efficacy when he was asked: can this lipid technology be used to treat biofilms?

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 17 January 2024

NHMRC Investigator Grants sets the standard for gender equity

It is an inspiring time for health and medical research in Australia as the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) sets the standard for achieving gender equity through its largest grant scheme, Investigator Grants.

• Communique
• News
• 16 January 2024

Improving fertility treatment through innovation

Professor Robert Gilchrist is a part of a bench-to-bedside research success story, innovating existing infertility treatments to offer a less invasive and cheaper alternative to in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 10 January 2024

Mentors inspire an Indigenous research career with impact

Professor Cath Chamberlain, a Palawa woman of the Trawlwoolway clan (Tasmania), received an NHMRC Early Career Fellowship in 2014 to find culturally safe ways to improve cardiometabolic health outcomes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers.

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 3 January 2024

Driving change in aged care pharmacy practices through data

Having practised as a hospital pharmacist by day and a residential aged care pharmacist by night, Dr Lisa Pont naturally began to think about how pharmacists could work differently as part of her research.

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 21 December 2023

Enhancing future pain treatments using venoms

Professor Richard Lewis and his team from the Institute of Molecular Bioscience at University of Queensland made a notable discovery early in their research after a lab assistant observed one could milk cone snails for venom much more quickly if you gave them 'a poke or two'.

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 13 December 2023

Delivering a legacy of culturally safe maternity care

Professor Rhonda Marriott AM, a descendant of Nyikina people of the Kimberley, has devoted five decades to nursing and midwifery in clinical, academic and research roles.

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 6 December 2023

Research Excellence: Supporting healing and recovery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander survivors of childhood sexual abuse

Dr Graham Gee is an Aboriginal-Chinese man, also with Celtic heritage, originally from Darwin. His Aboriginal-Chinese grandfather was born near Belyuen on Larrakia Country. Dr Gee is a clinical psychologist and has worked at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service for 11 years before taking up a research position at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. His early career research focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health, social and emotional wellbeing, resilience and complex trauma. In 2022, Dr Gee commenced working in partnership with several Victorian Aboriginal services dedicated to healing child sexual abuse. Read more to find out more about Dr Gee’s research, in his own words.

• InFocus
• 18 November 2023

Research Excellence: Microelectrode recordings from the vagus nerve in awake humans

Professor Vaughan Macefield is the Professor of Neuroscience in the Department of Neuroscience at Monash University. Professor Macefield specialises in recording from single nerve fibres via microelectrodes inserted into the peripheral nerves of awake human participants. He is best known for developing the methodology for recording the firing properties of single, type-identified, sympathetic neurones supplying muscle and skin, and for developing the methodology for recording muscle sympathetic nerve activity at the same time as performing functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. Read on to find out more about Professor Macefield's research, in his own words.

• InFocus
• 23 October 2023

Tackling health challenges of the present and the future

As an infectious disease physician and researcher in HIV, vaccine development and the impact of the microbiome on human health, Professor Wesselingh brings a wealth of medical experience, clinical leadership as well as national and international success to this role.

• InFocus
• 11 October 2023

Research Excellence: Understanding membrane protein structures

Dr Alastair Stewart, Head of the Institute’s Structural Biology Laboratory at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute (VCCRI) focuses his research on understanding the mechanisms of how cells transport drug molecules using cyro-electron microscopy technology. Based within VCCRI’s Innovation Centre, Dr Stewart’s research involves generating detailed information on the function of membrane protein structures, providing a template to better understand drug interactions within the body. Read on to find out more about Dr Stewart’s research, in his own words.

• InFocus
• 21 September 2023

Research Excellence: trialling women's testosterone therapy

Professor Susan Davis AO, Head of the Monash University Women’s Health Research Program, focuses her research on understanding the role of sex hormones, particularly testosterone, in women’s health. Her program of research involves a series of innovative, complementary clinical trials to determine if the hormone can serve as a new therapy to protect against leading causes of ill health in postmenopausal women. Read on to find out more about Professor Davis’s research, in her own words.

• InFocus
• 30 August 2023

Research Excellence: predicting gastric cancer

Dr Doug Tjandra is an advanced trainee in gastroenterology at The Royal Melbourne Hospital with an interest in preventing gastrointestinal cancers and immunotherapy-related complications of the gastrointestinal tract and liver.

• InFocus
• 11 August 2023

Transcript: RN Breakfast interview with Professor Anne Kelso AO on gender equity in research funding

In the final days of Professor Anne Kelso’s term at NHMRC, we reflect on her contribution to the agency and the sector, including through initiatives to address gender disparities in health and medical research. Professor Kelso explained why such interventions are necessary during an interview with Patricia Karvelas on ABC Radio National Breakfast on November 15 2022.

• News
• 28 July 2023

Transcript: MJA Podcast interview with Professor Anne Kelso AO on her term as NHMRC CEO

In the final days of Professor Anne Kelso’s term at NHMRC, we are reflecting on changes that have taken place at the agency and in the wider sector while she has served as CEO. During an interview with Cate Swannell for the MJA Podcast on December 5 2022, Professor Kelso discussed some of the most significant experiences of her tenure, including the introduction of an initiative to address gender disparities in the Investigator Grant scheme.

• News
• 28 July 2023

Research excellence: understanding the first few weeks of pregnancy

Professor Jose Polo’s work in epigenetics spans diverse fields, including cellular reprogramming, embryogenesis, neurobiology, immunology and cancer. His Synergy Grant brings together a multidisciplinary team who will combine the latest advances in models of early development, genetics and molecular biology to determine how the early placenta produced by the embryo burrows into the uterus and keeps developing during the entire pregnancy.

• InFocus
• 20 July 2023

NHMRC statement on iBlastoids

Regulation of research involving human embryos and embryo-like structures in Australia.

• Media release
• 20 July 2023

Research Excellence: rapidly detecting emerging viruses

It is challenging to contemplate, but the world can expect to experience pandemics like COVID-19, and perhaps even larger in scale, in the future. Professor Eddie Holmes is developing a pandemic radar to rapidly detect emerging viruses and determine which are most likely to have pandemic potential. His research focuses on understanding the fundamental mechanisms of virus ecology and evolution, as well as how viruses jump species boundaries to emerge and cause disease in new hosts.

• InFocus
• 14 July 2023

Excellence in ethics and integrity

Reverend Kevin McGovern, recipient of the 2023 NHMRC Ethics and Integrity Award, is one of Australia’s leading ethicists, active in education, research and policy for over 25 years. Throughout his professional life as a parish priest, academic and community leader, Reverend McGovern has brought to innumerable discussions and debates the highest quality and intensity of consideration. His reputation for the courage of his convictions and his openness and respect for others with a diversity of views is unparalleled.

• InFocus
• 29 June 2023

Excellence in consumer engagement: optimising the lives of people with aphasia

The Queensland Aphasia Research Centre (QARC) brings together people with aphasia, their families and friends, clinicians and researchers in the collaborative development of innovative and novel health interventions that transform lives. At NHMRC's Research Excellence Awards in March, QARC received the 2023 NHMRC Consumer Engagement Award, which recognises an individual, a group of individuals or an organisation that has made a long-term contribution to consumer and community involvement in health and medical research.

• InFocus
• 1 June 2023

Research Excellence: A vision for the elimination of tuberculosis

Professor Greg Fox is a respiratory doctor and clinical trialist at the University of Sydney and Director of the Sydney Vietnam Institute who is contributing to the momentum towards tuberculosis (TB) elimination. Professor Fox received the 2021 NHMRC David Cooper Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies Award, recognising the highest ranked recipient in the Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies scheme.

• InFocus
• 19 May 2023

Research excellence: Transforming midwifery in the Asia-Pacific region

Professor Caroline Homer AO is a midwife and maternal and newborn health researcher. Her research addresses maternal and newborn health issues, especially the role of midwives in improving outcomes in limited-resource settings, with a focus for more than 20 years on the Asia-Pacific region.

• InFocus
• 5 May 2023

Research Excellence: New antibody therapies against malaria and COVID-19

Professor Wai-Hong Tham was one of four distinguished female researchers to receive 2022 NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Grant Awards. Her award was for the highest ranked female recipient (Leadership category) in the Basic Science research area of the Investigator Grants scheme. Professor Tham is Head of the division of Infectious Diseases and Immune Defence at WEHI and co-Chair of the WEHI Biologics Initiative. 

• InFocus
• 24 April 2023

Research Excellence: Identifying gaps and solutions needed for HIV elimination

Dr Tafi Marukutira is a medical doctor and public health researcher, specialising in infectious diseases epidemiology. Dr Marukutira received the 2022 NHMRC Frank Fenner Investigator Grant Award (Emerging Leadership), which recognises the highest ranked recipient in the Emerging Leadership Level 1 Investigator Grant category within the Basic Science or Public Health research areas, for his work on equitable access to HIV care and treatment.  

• InFocus
• 6 April 2023