Australians could benefit from better cancer treatments, new vaccines, depression treatment without medication, and deeper insights into gut health because of new medical research projects funded by the Albanese Government.
The Government is providing $73 million for 19 projects to develop and implement new medical technologies or to build or upgrade facilities for cutting-edge health and medical research.
The grants include $2.9 million for a device that treats depression using closed-loop, non-invasive brain stimulation. The project will test the prototype device and develop digital infrastructure to enable its widespread use in homes and clinics.
Almost $9.8 million will help progress Targeted Alpha Therapy – a promising cancer treatment that delivers radiation directly to cancer cells to kill them, without affecting any other part of the body.
Another $2.9 million will support Australia’s first purpose-built human microbiome biobank. This will help researchers study the diverse ways micro-organisms influence our health and how they might be used to treat diseases.
Almost $4.3 million will fund a purpose-built vaccine laboratory and access to expertise to enable Australian researchers to develop and rollout new mRNA vaccines and therapies.
The 19 projects are funded under the National Critical Research Infrastructure Initiative, a 10-year, $650 million Australian Government investment from the Medical Research Future Fund which funds facilities, equipment, systems and services that support world-class health and medical research.
