Griffith University research projects have received close to $6.8 million in funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
Announced in early December by the Federal Minister for Health, The Honourable Greg Hunt MP, five projects from across the health and medical science fields received grants totalling $6,083, 387.00 They were among 400 plus new research projects sharing in $427 million in NHMRC funding.
Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) Professor Andrea Bishop said the funding would strengthen a range of important research projects and affirms the University’s standing as a leading research institution that delivers research outcomes of real consequence.
“This funding supports both ongoing and new projects in the University across a wide range of health disciplines,” she said.
The grants
NHMRC Ideas Grants
Associate Professor James St John, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery (GRIDD) Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ) will lead a Griffith team awarded $715,060.00 for the project Self-assembling, self-adhering nerve bridges for large gap peripheral nerve injuries (Associate Professor Jenny Ekberg, Dr Matthew Barton, Dr Brent McMonagle, MHIQ).
Professor Suresh Mahalingam, Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ) has been awarded $905,080.00 for the project How alphaviruses cause chronic, persistent joint disease (Professor Richard Bucala, Yale University, US).
NHMRC Clinical Trials and Cohorts Studies
Pro Vice Chancellor (Health) Professor Sheena Reilly will lead a team awarded $942,256.00 for the project Understanding the impact of language ability on the transition from late adolescence to early adulthood: the Early Language in Victoria Study (Professor Bonnie Barber and Professor Robert Ware, Griffith University; Associate Professor Patricia Eadie, University of Melbourne; Emeritus Professor Edith Bavin, La Trobe University; Doctor Penny Levickis, Doctor Laura Conway and Doctor Fallon Cook, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute; Doctor Cristina McKean and Professor James Law, Newcastle University, UK).
Institute for Glycomics Associate Professor Kate Seib will lead a team awarded $2,735,991.50 for the project A multicentre randomised controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of the meningococcal B vaccine, 4CMenB (Bexsero), against Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection in gay and bisexual men (Professor Basil Donovan, Professor Andrew Grulich, Professor Matthew Law and Associate Professor Mark Polizzotto, UNSW; Professor Christopher Fairley, Monash University; Professor David Lewis, Western Sydney Local Health District; Doctor Caroline Thng, Gold Coast Health; Associate Professor David Whiley, The University of Queensland; and Doctor Anna McNulty, Sydney Hospital.
NHMRC Partnership Projects
Menzies Health Institute Queensland Professor Claire Rickard will lead a team awarded $3,600,000 for the project Difficult peripheral intravenous catheter insertion: Australian considerations for sustainable implementation of ultrasound-guided procedures (Associate Professor Amanda Ullman, Professor Marie Cooke, Associate Professor Joshua Burns, Griffith University; Nicole Marsh, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital; Tricia Kleidon, Jessica Schults, Queensland Children’s Hospital; Professor Gerben Keijezers (Gold Coast University Hospital); and Professor Louise Cullen (University of Queensland).
