- Government awards $2 million to support long running cohort studies
- Seven significant study projects to share funding
- Grants support a range of studies such as cancer, cystic fibroses and perinatal health
The Cook Government’s Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund is providing $2 million in grants for some of the State’s most significant and long-running cohort studies.
Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson said the first round of funding would be shared across seven Western Australian studies including: the Raine Study; Cancer Blood Biomarkers Study; Busselton Health Study; PLAY Spaces and Environments for Children’s Physical Activity Study Cohort; Respiratory Centre Cystic Fibrosis Biobank (BANK CF); ORIGINS Project and the Western Australia Paediatric Cancer Cohort.
The WA Cohort Studies-Operational Support Program (WACS-OSP) has been established to provide operational funding to support cohort studies. The funding enables the studies to continue to contribute to the delivery of clinical outcomes, changes to health policy and translational health outcomes.
University of Western Australia’s Associate Professor Rebecca Glauert has won funding for Perth’s Raine Study one of the world’s longest running studies into the effect of perinatal health on childhood and adult health.
This unique study has been helping researchers and policy makers better understand the causes of human health and wellbeing for more than 30 years influencing clinical practice, policies and programs.
Edith Cowan University’s Associate Professor Elin Gray has received funding for a Cancer Biomarkers Study.
The study is looking at cancer biomarkers in the blood and other body fluids of cancer patients before and after treatment looking at cancer stage, treatment response and survival.
Biomarker data is compared to clinical and radiological data to identify diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive markers helping shape better treatment and improved outcomes for cancer patients.
Perth’s Respiratory Centre Cystic Fibrosis Biobank, headed by Telethon Kids Institute’s Professor Stephen Stick, has also secured funding to acquire respiratory-orientated biological specimens and data to better understand and manage cystic fibrosis.
The biobank collects information and samples from children diagnosed with CF following patient trajectories from diagnosis through to six years of age.
The WACS-OSP is administered through the Department of Health’s Office of Medical Research and Innovation. Further information regarding all the recipients can be found on the FHRI website.
Comments attributed to Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson:
“This is an important step by the Cook Government to announce this funding program to support some of WA’s exceptional cohort studies.
“The Raine Study the oldest pre-birth longitudinal study in the world is a great example of a local cohort study making its mark in health research.
“The Raine Study is one of the most successful and extensive studies of pregnancy, childhood and adulthood ever undertaken and has made many important discoveries over the past 30 years.
“We are punching well above our weight with this sort of research work being undertaken here in WA. The Cook Government is committed to continue our support of cohort studies which will deliver benefits for Western Australians.”
