Researchers from UNSW Sydney have been awarded $9 million in government funding for research into dementia, autoimmune disease and the prevention of epidemics in aged care.
UNSW Scientia Professor Perminder Sachdev, Professor Christopher Goodnow and Professor Raina MacIntyre have received $9 million in funding in the latest round of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centres of Research Excellence scheme.
The centres will work over five years to improve the treatment and prevention of cognitive impairment and dementia, autoimmune disease and to better prevent epidemics in aged care – with each centre awarded $3 million.
The funding is part of a $66 million investment announced by the federal government to establish 22 new centres, collectively aiming to improve health outcomes and translate research into policy and practice.
Professor Bronwyn Fox, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research & Enterprise, said securing funding for three new centres was an achievement which reflected the quality and ambition of UNSW’s health and medical research.
“This funding recognises the depth of expertise our researchers are bringing to key health challenges. By supporting long-term, collaborative research through Centres of Research Excellence, the NHMRC is helping create the partnerships needed to translate outstanding science into better healthcare.”
Professor Cheryl Jones, Dean of UNSW Medicine & Health, said the centres would bring together leading researchers and clinicians to tackle pressing health challenges.
“These centres will help translate new discoveries into better prevention, treatment and care for people affected by autoimmune disease, dementia and infectious diseases. This collaborative approach is essential to improving health outcomes for our communities.”
A focus on vascular contributions to dementia
Prof. Sachdev, Co-Director of UNSW’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), will lead the Centre of Research Excellence in Vascular Contributions to Dementia.
The Centre will bring together a cross-disciplinary team of researchers to improve the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) – the second most common cause of dementia, resulting from restricted blood flow in the brain.
Researchers from UNSW, Victor Change Cardiac Research Institute , The George Institute for Global Health , and University of Newcastle will work to validate internationally developed diagnostic criteria for VCID. They will also focus on developing biomarkers to enable earlier and more accurate diagnosis, improving understanding of global and population-specific risk factors, uncovering genetic causes, identifying potential new drug targets and developing prevention strategies.
“We want to change diagnostic practices for VCID, influence dementia prevention internationally, and develop promising new treatments for cerebral small vessel disease,” Prof. Sachdev said.
Furthermore, the centre has the potential to realise the potential of VCID as a truly preventable dementia.
“If we can better understand and control the vascular causes of dementia, we have a real opportunity to reduce the burden of dementia in Australia and globally,” Prof. Sachdev said.
The Centre will also establish a national Think Tank on vascular dementia, strengthen consumer involvement in research, and train the next generation of researchers in this emerging field. The work will build on a previous NHMRC-funded program, which helped establish CHeBA and Australia as leaders in this under-recognised area of dementia research.
Preventing epidemics in aged care
Prof. MacIntyre, Head of the Kirby Institute ‘s Biosecurity Program, will lead an interdisciplinary team of researchers focused on infection prevention in aged care.
The Prevention of Epidemics in Aged Care with Carers, Consumers and Community (PEACCCC) Centre will focus on respiratory and gastroenteritis epidemics and antimicrobial resistance. The research will inform the development of AI decision-support tools for early detection and mitigation, and a mobile app to help aged care providers implement practical interventions.
The project will bring together medical, engineering and aged care researchers, and be delivered in collaboration with aged care provider HammondCare .
“Aged care facilities face outbreaks with influenza, RSV, COVID-19, whooping cough and gastroenteritis. Residents are highly vulnerable, with many living with dementia,” Prof. MacIntyre said.
“What aged care facilities need and what our research will focus on is infection prevention and mitigation measures, such as vaccines and safe indoor air, that are equitable and applicable across the aged care spectrum.”
By analysing patterns across air-quality, biosensor and outbreak data, researchers will be able to identify emerging risks, then use AI tools and the app to deliver early warnings and practical, facility-specific actions, said Dr Charitha de Silva of UNSW’s School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering , who will lead the Centre’s engineering work.
“This will help aged care providers act earlier, improve indoor air safety and protect residents and staff with minimal disruption.”
Accelerating diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune diseases
Prof. Goodnow from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and UNSW Medicine & Health will establish the Centre for Somatic Mutation drivers and therapy of Autoimmune Diseases.
The grant recognises almost three decades of research into the root cause of autoimmune diseases . Prof. Goodnow and his team are working on the hypothesis that the cause of some, or all, autoimmune diseases is the evasion of immune tolerance checkpoints by ‘rogue clones’ with mutations in their DNA.
By targeting cells with these abnormalities, they hope to put autoimmune diseases into long-term remission, without the need for immunosuppressants, helping to improve the quality of life for those affected by these mostly chronic and incurable condition.
“Autoimmune diseases are relatively common, with more than 10% of the population impacted, and most people have the same questions: ‘What caused this and what can I do about it?’,” Prof Goodnow said.
“We want to address these concerns by not only gaining a better understanding of a common cause driving autoimmune diseases, but by developing and testing therapies that offer patients a better option than immunosuppressive drugs, which while currently the gold standard for managing these conditions, often come with significant side effects.”
Researchers will use two recent advancements. The first is new single cell technologies that identify DNA mutations accumulating in immune cells driving autoimmune disease. The second is new antibody and CAR-T cell-based therapies to purge the body of these rogue cells to achieve lasting remission.
The Centre will focus on autoimmune diseases that affect the blood, joints and gut, including rheumatoid arthritis and coeliac disease. The new funding will also provide support and mentorship for Early and Mid-Career Researchers.
