Six researchers from The University of Western Australia have received key funding to pursue precision medicine research projects designed to drive more personalised care.
The researchers are among 15 Western Australian scientists to share in $775,000 of funding jointly supported by the WA Government’s Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund and The Hospital Research Foundation Group.
Announced this week by Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson and The Hospital Research Foundation Group Growth Impact lead Ben Wilson, the grants support projects that will lead to more personalised approaches to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of serious health conditions.
Four researchers will receive Tier One grants of $125,000 over two years, while another 11 projects will each receive Tier Two grants of $25,000 over one year.
Tier One recipients from UWA:
• Dr Alison McDonnell, from UWA Medical School and The Kids Research Institute Australia, will use her grant to investigate precision immunotherapy for children with brain tumours;
• Dr Weitao Lin from UWA’s Medical School and the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research will investigate rapid testing to identify the best treatments for ovarian cancer; and
• Dr Hadi Afsharan from UWA’s Medical School and the Perkins will work on a flexible radar-based wearable to monitor heart health.
Tier Two recipients from UWA:
• Dr Jonathan Chee from the Centre for Respiratory Health at UWA received a grant to explore precision strategies for cancer care targeting metal balance;
• Dr Kai Chen from UWA’s School of Biomedical Sciences and School of Molecular Sciences will explore targeted RNA therapy to prevent cancer-related bone damage; and
• Dr Jamie Bellinge from UWA Medical School will explore advanced PET imaging to better classify stroke sub-types.
The funding was awarded through a competitive grant round and marks the third major collaboration between The Hospital Research Foundation Group and the FHRI Fund over the past 12 months.
