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Latest news and stories

Improving the health and wellbeing of children by making it easy to be active throughout the day

Professor Jo Salmon from the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), Deakin University received the Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Grant Award at last year’s NHMRC Research Excellence Awards. Her research focuses on how to effectively implement physical activity interventions at scale across the population, particularly in children. Physical inactivity is a leading modifiable risk factor for childhood obesity and other physical and mental health conditions.

  • InFocus
  • 28 January 2021
Scan of a brain

Case study: Neurodegenerative disease and metals

The formation of abnormal proteins in the brain has long been suspected to contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. Yet many individuals with abnormal protein formations do not go on to develop such diseases.

  • InFocus
  • 13 November 2020

Australian Partnership for Preparedness Research on Infectious Disease Emergencies

APPRISE is the Australian Partnership for Preparedness Research on Infectious Disease Emergencies. It was established in 2016 with an investment of $5 million funded by NHMRC and an additional $2 million in 2020 to undertake a range of studies to inform the public health and clinical responses to the COVID-19 outbreak.

  • InFocus
  • 27 October 2020

Linking high quality international research for improvements in Indigenous health

Professor Sandra Eades from Curtin University has dedicated her career to research in Aboriginal health improvements. Professor Eades works with National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to advise and develop strategic guidelines focused on closing the gap.

  • Video
  • 15 October 2020

Repairing the nervous system with patients’ own stem cells

Associate Professor James St John from Griffith University received the Marshall and Warren Innovation Award at the 2020 NHMRC Research Excellence Awards. His research involves the development of cell transplantation therapies to repair the nervous system, particularly peripheral nerve and spinal cord injuries.

  • InFocus
  • 28 September 2020
Abstract colours

NHMRC Dementia Research News

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) remains committed to supporting dementia research in Australia following the end of the Australian Government's Boosting Dementia Research Initiative (BDRI).

  • News
  • 18 September 2020

Improving kidney health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Associate Professor Jaqui Hughes from the Menzies School of Health Research received the 2019 NHMRC Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies Award at NHMRC’s Research Excellence Awards ceremony in March 2020. Kidney disease is a significant health priority among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The cohort study being led by A/Professor Hughes will describe the long-term changes in kidney function over 10 years. This will provide critical data to inform regional and national policy on identification and care of people with kidney disease.

  • InFocus
  • 18 September 2020

Using big data to improve people's health

Professor Louisa Jorm is the Foundation Director of the Centre for Big Data Research in Health at UNSW Sydney.

  • Video
  • 3 August 2020
Professor Carola Vinuesa

Blue sky impacts for human health

Professor Carola Vinuesa is a Professor of Immunology at the Australian National University and Head of the Pathogens and Immunity Department. She discusses Cellular Immunology and how blue sky research impacts human health. 

  • Video
  • 30 July 2020

Vaccine development and prevention strategies for Hepatitis C

NHMRC caught up with Professor Andrew Lloyd from The University of New South Wales who develops vaccines for Hepatitis C, which effects 750,000 Australians. Find out how his research is not only helping treat Hepatitis C but working on prevention strategies.

  • Video
  • 10 July 2020

Aboriginal mental health research and the importance of resilience

Developing better understanding of effective therapeutic practices with Aboriginal clients, in Aboriginal community settings, and with Aboriginal practitioners, across the spectrum of mental health and social and emotional wellbeing outcomes is the goal of Dr Graham Gee.

  • InFocus
  • 10 July 2020

Peoples lives transformed through bionics

Professor David Grayden is in the department of biomedical engineering at the University of Melbourne. He has undertaken successful innovation and a commercialisation journey, providing practical insights into how he navigates through this research pathway.

  • Video
  • 7 July 2020
Professor Si Ming Man

Fellowship contributing to Australian health

Prof Si Ming Man from The Australian National University and his team investigates the role of innate immunity in infectious diseases and cancer. Professor Man received the NHMRC Research Excellence Award for the highest-ranked Early Career Fellowship (2015) and an NHMRC Research Excellence Award for the highest-ranked Career Development Fellowship Biomedical Level l1 (2019). He also received the 2019 Commonwealth Health Minister's Medal for Excellence in Health and Medical Research and the 2021 CSL Centenary Fellowship.

  • Video
  • 2 July 2020

Boosting study in auto immune disease

Professor Joanne Reed from the Garvan Institute's research focuses on autoimmune diseases, particularly the origin and role of autoantibodies. 'It's really promising research and NHMRC has been able to fund this. This is something that's capable of having a big impact'. Watch her story in the video below.

  • Video
  • 1 July 2020

Could an antiseptic mouthwash reduce sexually transmitted infections and improve the sex life of Australians?

The 2020 Commonwealth Health Minister's Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research has been awarded to Associate Professor Eric Chow of Monash University. The award has been presented each year since 2000 and recognises the top-ranked recipient of a NHMRC Investigator Grant in the Emerging Leadership Level 2 category from the previous year’s application round.

  • InFocus
  • 29 June 2020

Focus on cardiovascular disease prevention

Dr Clara Chow is Professor of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Academic Director of the Westmead Applied Research Centre and Academic Co-Director of CPC Westmead. She is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Grant Leadership awardee and with this leads a research program focused on innovation for health service provision and clinical management of cardiovascular disease prevention. Professor Clara Chow shares her research on cardiovascular disease prevention.

  • Video
  • 27 June 2020

Motivated to repair insulating system of the brain

Dr David Gonsalvez heads up a laboratory focused on how glia, the non-neuronal cells in the brain and spinal cord, develop, contribute to neuronal plasticity and respond following injury. David’s lab also focuses on identifying therapeutic targets that may promote the repair of the nervous system in autoimmune diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

  • Video
  • 8 June 2020
Professor Sudha Rao

Talented women can keep pursuing their research

'What I really like about the NHMRC system is that it is a fantastic scheme for women in science.' Professor Sudha Rao discusses her research into how T cells (or immune cells) regulate themselves when looking at breast cancer. 

  • Video
  • 1 June 2020
Associate Professor Leonie Quinn

Using a fly to understand cancer genetics and biology

In 2016 Associate Professor Leonie Quinn relocated to The John Curtin School of Medical Research (ANU, Canberra) to establish the Quinn Group - Cancer Models in the ACRF Department of Cancer Biology and Therapeutics. Associate Professor Quinn is trying to understand how brain cancer develops by using a genetic model through a fly. She hopes to use this information to develop new treatments.   

  • Video
  • 1 June 2020

Game changer through a new vaccine for Rotavirus

Professor Julie Bines from Murdoch Children's Research Institute is doing some inspiring work, developing the RV3-BB rotavirus vaccine. 'Funding for this research from the very early days has become very critical and NHMRC has provided much of that critical funding through the course of this project'. Listen to Professor Bines' story below.

  • Video
  • 24 May 2020

Professor Ross Hannan: Detective in cancer research

Professor Hannan from the John Curtin School of Medical Research is an internationally recognised laboratory scientist, whose work on ribosome biogenesis has led to new treatment paradigms in cancer, centred on drugs that activate nucleolar stress. Professor Ross Hannan is a great detective of cancer research—finding and developing new cancer treatments for patients. Watch his story in the video below.

  • Video
  • 30 April 2020
Professor Emily Banks

Difference in research through prevention with Professor Emily Banks

Professor Emily Banks is focused on those unanswered questions around prevention to really make a difference.

  • Video
  • 27 April 2020

Leveraging gluten challenge in coeliac disease to improve its diagnosis

Coeliac disease is a common autoimmune-like illness caused by gluten. The condition affects over 350,000 Australians, causing substantial morbidity, impaired quality of life and increased health care costs.

  • InFocus
  • 25 October 2019

Research aims to make glaucoma treatment easier and more effective

Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, with an estimated 80 million people predicted to be affected by 2020.

  • InFocus
  • 24 October 2019

Delivering safe and effective medication management technology

Medication errors are widely recognised as a major cause of preventable harm and death worldwide, annually costing some $42B globally and $1.28B in Australia.

  • InFocus
  • 4 October 2019
Car driving on outback road

Improving stroke care in regional and rural Australia

In Australia, there is an excess burden of stroke in regional and rural areas and patients do not have the same access to specialised care as in metropolitan areas.

  • InFocus
  • 26 September 2019

Healthcare key to bridging determinants of health

'Capacity development is something I’m really passionate about and there is definitely a need for it' - Dr Odette Pearson.

  • News
  • 3 June 2019

Kidney disease - reporting the right outcomes

An estimated 1 in 10 Australian adults (10%) - about 1.7 million people in 2011 - 12 - had biomedical signs of chronic kidney disease1

  • InFocus
  • 17 January 2019
Dr Yasmine Probst looking at food jar

What is actually contained in our foods?

Dietary change is a significant lifestyle factor in managing the epidemics of obesity and diabetes. Uncovering the details of effective dietary change requires accurate user friendly dietary assessment and advice tools.

  • Video
  • 15 October 2018

Music provides strong connections for people with dementia

Doctor Tamplim is using therapeutic singing groups to support people living with dementia. Music is the glue that brings people together and it’s cementing and supporting existing relationships.

  • Video
  • 11 September 2018

Supporting women to breastfeed

Breastfeeding infants exclusively to around six months, and continuing up to 12 months and beyond as solids foods are introduced, provides clear benefits for both the infant and the mother. Supporting women to continue to breastfeed is key to improving rates of breastfeeding.

  • InFocus
  • 3 August 2018

New technology to spot skin cancer sooner

‘Melanoma is the most common cancer for 15-39 year old Australians—with the highest ‘years of life lost’ of any cancer’1

  • InFocus
  • 30 January 2018

Reducing trips and slips: healthy exercises to prevent falls as we age

Professor Anne Tiedemann’s research aims to develop and evaluate exercise-based programs for preventing falls to promote healthy ageing in older people. Her research aims to determine the barriers, enablers and preferences of older people, so that exercise programs can be implemented more effectively.

  • InFocus
  • 29 January 2018

Blending disability and Indigenous research

‘The rate of disability among Indigenous Australians is almost twice as high as that among non-Indigenous people'1

  • InFocus
  • 13 December 2017

Bringing innovative research into clinical practice

Now an ear, nose and throat surgeon, Associate Professor Kelvin Kong was destined for health care. Growing up Kelvin and his sisters were always keen to help his mother, a Registered Nurse, whenever she had a one of their mob come around to remove a suture, tend to a cut or get a vaccination.

  • InFocus
  • 13 December 2017
Professor Wayne Tilley

Unlocking the secrets of sex hormones in breast cancer

One in eight Australian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and seven women die from the disease each day in Australia1

  • InFocus
  • 31 October 2017

Drilling down: discovering the origins of dental anxiety

Associate Professor Jason Armfield set out to explain the origins of dental fear and to understand why fear of the dentist is a serious psychological problem for many Australians. He developed a ‘dental anxiety scale’ that will help to identify and treat the condition across the world, leading to more people visiting the dentist and better population level oral health.

  • InFocus
  • 24 October 2017

Starving bacteria—beating antibiotic resistance

Motivated by a desire to understand the molecular basis of key biological processes, Professor Abell saw an opportunity to use small molecules that selectively bind to bacterial proteins, as a potential mechanism for limiting bacterial survival.

  • InFocus
  • 29 September 2017
Paul Adlard, Dr Victoria Perreau, Dr Feng Chen, Ms Krista Dent, Ms Amelia Sedjahtera, Ms Lydia Gunawan, Ms Lisa Bray and Mrs Kali Perronnes.

Zinc on the brain for healthy aging

‘In Australia, 15 per cent of the population are aged 65+, estimated to grow to 21 per cent (8.4 million) by 20501.’

  • InFocus
  • 20 September 2017

Australia leading the way on Alzheimer’s treatment

By 2036, the total cost of dementia is predicted to increase by 81 per cent to $25.8 billion in Australia1

  • InFocus
  • 15 September 2017
Mary Jane Black and Associate Professor Gurmeet Singh, Professor Wendy Hoy

Protecting premature babies from kidney disease

‘18 per cent of all Indigenous Australian adults have chronic kidney disease—two times as likely as non-Indigenous Australians.’

  • InFocus
  • 7 September 2017
Professor Jackob Najman and his team

Forty years of mental health research

‘One in every ten mothers experience repeated episodes of major depression over their life course—on average, experiencing depression one in every six days of their lives.'

  • InFocus
  • 6 September 2017
Professor Marshall and her team

Saving lives—one vaccine at a time

‘There has been a 73 per cent reduction in children hospitalised from severe chicken pox infection since the introduction of the (varicella) vaccine to the National Immunisation Program in Australia in 2005.'1

  • InFocus
  • 31 August 2017
female speech therapist with a girl

Guiding children through traumatic brain injuries

Professor Morgan is Lead of the Neuroscience of Speech research group at Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (MCRI) and Head of Speech Pathology at the University of Melbourne. She is also one of the guideline developers for MCRI’s first Clinical practice guideline for the management of communication and swallowing disorders following paediatric traumatic brain injury for children 0 to 18 years of age (communication and swallowing guideline).

  • InFocus
  • 27 April 2017

Extraordinary life of an Indigenous medical researcher

‘I have just felt really privileged for most of my life, I love my work, I love what I do, and I really enjoy the people I work with, and it comes from spending part of my career in medical research. It just gives you a lot of flexibility and opportunities that you don’t get with standard clinical hospital jobs or general practice.’

  • InFocus
  • 16 March 2017

Excellence in mental health research for men

Suicide is the most common cause of death in Australians aged 15-44 years old—accounting for 35% of deaths in 15-24 year olds and 28.6% of deaths in 25-44 year olds (ABS, 2016)

  • InFocus
  • 24 January 2017

Associate Professor Julian Elliott recognised for outstanding achievement

Associate Professor Julian Elliott is taking research beyond the clinic with ‘citizen science’ and subsequently scoops this year’s Commonwealth Health Minister’s Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research.

  • InFocus
  • 24 January 2017
Adult holding a baby hand

Revolutionary breakthrough to ease discomfort and cost of fertility treatment

Led by UNSW’s School of Women’s and Children’s Health Associate Professor Robert Gilchrist, an international team of researchers have improved an existing treatment known as in-vitro maturation (IVM).

  • InFocus
  • 24 January 2017

Diet matters for mental and brain health

Diets around the world have significantly shifted for the worse since the 20th century and this has had a highly negative impact on the health of the global population. At the same time, the burden of mental disorders, particularly depression, has increased significantly. Associate Professor Felice Jacka and her team have established new approaches to the prevention and treatment of mental disorders by looking at what we eat.

  • InFocus
  • 24 January 2017

Sanguine advances In detecting colorectal cancer

Associate Professor Leah Cosgrove and her team have developed a simple blood test to diagnose colorectal cancer. A reliable, non-invasive blood test could augment the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, either as an adjunct primary screen for those unable to do the stool test, or in triaging positive subjects to colonoscopy. This could help drive a significant reduction in colorectal cancer deaths in Australia.

  • InFocus
  • 24 January 2017
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