The Menzies Research Institute has attracted $3.5 millionin funding from the latest round of National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) research grants.

The Menzies Research Institute has attracted $3.5 millionin funding from the latest round of National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) research grants.

Seven research project grants were received that will help researchers better understand diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, chronic arthritis and malaria.

More than 26 per cent of applications from Tasmanian researchers (28 per cent for Menzies) were funded, which is well above the national average of 23 per cent.

Vice-Chancellor, University of Tasmania, Professor Daryl Le Grew commended the researchers who have been awarded the project grants.

"The high calibre of medical research in this country means that successful applicants are of an outstanding level."

"Menzies continues to contribute to new knowledge at a leading international level in important areas of human health and medical research."

Director of Menzies, Professor Simon Foote said that Menzies had performed exceptionally well in the latest funding round, with the outcome testament to Menzies' world class medical research.

"Congratulations must go to all those involved. This is an exceptional outcome and we look forward to moving these exciting projects forward."

"The NHMRC funding will provide our researchers with significant resources needed to continue their innovative research and the opportunity to translate these findings into better health outcomes for all Australians,'' he said.

A total of $487 million in NHMRC funds was announced by the Federal Government yesterday, in addition to the $21 million announced by the Prime Minister during a recent visit to Tasmania.

Further Detail:

NHMRC Project Grants:

Dr Changhai Ding, Senior Research Fellow and Member$980,000

Vitamin D supplementation and knee osteoarthritis. Observational evidence suggests that vitamin D deficiency may have a role in the causes of osteoarthritis (OA) and there are biologically plausible mechanisms to explain this. There is, however, no evidence which shows that intervening with vitamin D supplementation can slow the progression of OA. This study will compare knee OA structural changes in patients receiving vitamin D supplementation with those receiving a placebo. Use of MRI will provide sensitive measures of knee OA changes.

Professor Graeme Jones, Professorial Research Fellow and Senior Member $232,000

A long term follow-up of the offspring cohort: a controlled study of those at higher risk of knee osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common musculoskeletal disorder. Despite this, relatively little is known about how the disease develops. This study will use a powerful technique known as MRI scanning to determine the sequence of changes over 10 years in subjects at higher risk of osteoarthritis (based on their family history) but who do not yet have established disease on radiographs (even though many have symptoms).

Professor Simon Foote, Director and Senior Member $540,000

Identifying novel therapies against malaria. Malaria kills up to one million people annually, mainly children and pregnant women. The drugs that are used to treat malaria are becoming useless due to the malarial parasite developing resistance to these drugs. We are looking at a totally new way of developing drugs that target molecules in humans, depriving the parasites of crucial factors. By using this approach, the malaria parasite will be unable to develop resistance to these new drugs and millions of lives may be saved.

Dr Jane Zochling, Dick Buttfield Memorial Research Fellow & Member $686,000

Tasmanian Ankylosing Spondylitis Study (TASS). Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronicarthritis which causes severe back and joint pain in young men and women. It can be difficult to diagnose as it takes years to show up on x-ray, and by then the joints are already damaged. This study looks at new ways to diagnose people with AS much earlier, which will allow earlier treatment and better outcomes. The study will also look at the role of lifestyle factors such as diet and physical activity which might impact on AS.

 Dr Jim Stankovich, Biostatistician and Member $286,000

Identifying rare genetic variants conferring susceptibility to multiple sclerosis (MS). Recently there has been success in identifying common genetic variants that confer susceptibility to multiple sclerosis. The variants that have been discovered so far have modest effects on risk of disease, and only explain a small proportion of familial aggregation of disease. This study aims to identify rare genetic variants that have strong effects on the susceptibility to multiple sclerosis, with the goal of reducing the high incidence of MS in the Tasmanian population.

 Dr Roger Chung, Senior Research Fellow andMember$385,000

Modulating beta-amyloid aggregation and toxicity with natural metal-binding proteins. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating disorder that afflicts millions of people worldwide. It is well established that the small peptide beta-amyloid, has a direct and important role in the development of AD. This project will investigate the ability of a small naturally occurring metal-binding protein to block the toxic actions of beta-amyloid.

Professor David Small, Professorial Research Fellow and Senior Member$389,000

The role of RAP in Alzheimer's disease. Our research will examine the role of a protein known as the receptor-associated protein (RAP) in Alzheimer's disease. We will determine whether the protein contributes to the progression of Alzheimer's disease and we will examine the possibility that that RAP may be used as a drug to treat the disease. The project could potentially have direct benefit for patients by leading to an effective treatment for dementia associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Released by:

Fiona Horwood
Communications Manager
Menzies Research Institute
Telephone:(03) 6226 7751

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