$13.5 million research win for a healthier future

Research aimed at combating breast and prostate cancer, identifying the underlying causes of early onset Alzheimer’s disease, and improving the lifetime health of embryos used in IVF – these are just some of the new projects at the University of ˲Ʊ that have won more than $13.5 million in federal funding today.

Fifteen new Project grants and one Career Development Fellowship have today been awarded to University of ˲Ʊ researchers from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

Six of these researchers will receive more than $1 million each for their potentially life-saving work:

  • Professor Wayne Tilley (˲Ʊ Medical School) has been awarded more than $1 million for research into “the clinical significance of sex hormone crosstalk in estrogen receptor positive breast cancer”; and a further $946,176 for “dual targeting of the androgen receptor for effective and durable control of lethal prostate cancer”.
  • Associate Professor Lisa Jamieson (˲Ʊ Dental School) has been awarded more than $1.5 million to investigate “human papillomavirus (HPV) and oropharyngeal cancer in Indigenous Australians”.
  • Dr Peter Arrow (˲Ʊ Dental School) has been awarded more than $1.4 million for studying a “minimally invasive approach to manage early childhood caries in Aboriginal pre-schoolers”.
  • Associate Professor Rebecca Robker (Robinson Research Institute) has been awarded more than $1.1 million for “re-energising the preimplantation embryo to extend lifetime health”.
  • Professor Ghil’ad Zuckermann (School of Humanities), working with Professor Alex Brown (SAHMRI), has been awarded more than $1.1 million for “examining the impact of language reclamation on social and emotional well being among the Barngarla”.
  • Associate Professor Simon Barry (Robinson Research Institute) has been awarded more than $1 million for “identification of the conformation dependant targets of autoimmune disease linked variation in human regulatory T cells”.

Among the other grants awarded, biomechanics expert Dr Dominic Thewlis has received a $425,048 Career Development Fellowship to join the University of ˲Ʊ’s School of Medicine for his project, “improving the functional outcomes of lower limb orthopaedic surgery”.

“The University of ˲Ʊ continues to demonstrate its leadership in health and medical research that is delivering tremendous benefits to the community,” says the University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Mike Brooks.

“Today’s announcement brings the total research funds awarded to the University of ˲Ʊ over recent weeks to $31.5 million, all from highly competitive funding sources.”


For more information about research at the University of ˲Ʊ, visit: 

For full results of the NHMRC funding announcement, visit the .

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