GSK Research Excellent Award nominations closing soon
Thursday, 26 April, 2012
GlaxoSmithKline Australia has extended the deadline for nominations for its $80,000 Award for Research Excellence until the end of April.
The Award for Research Excellence, now in its 32nd year, recognises outstanding achievements in medical research, while supporting Award recipients with their research endeavours.
It is open to Australian scientists and clinicians from a non-commercial research or university institute who have demonstrated significant work in the field of human medical health.
The winner will be announced at the 2012 Award for Research Excellence new oration event to be held in September in Melbourne.
Last year’s recipient was Professor Kathryn North AM, Douglas Burrows Professor, Associate Dean and Head of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of Sydney, and Head of the Institute for Neuroscience and Muscle Research at The Children's Hospital at Westmead
She was recognised for her work as a translational research scientist, including her discovery of a common genetic variant in the ACTN3 gene that influences muscle function and performance in elite athletes and the general population.
Since winning the $80,000 grant, Professor North has used the funds to develop new methodologies to understand the mechanisms that influence muscle performance at the molecular level, which she said has been a key breakthrough for her team. “We’ve had one of the most exciting years with our research, and leading the list of highlights has been a major advance in understanding how ACTN3 influences optimal muscle performance.
“We’ve also found that variations in ACTN3 influence disease severity in degenerative muscle diseases such as muscular dystrophy. Understanding these mechanisms at the molecular level opens up new possibilities for developing effective therapies and treatments for neuromuscular disorders,” she said.
Nominations can be made via the form on the GlaxoSmithKline website and sent to the nominations email address by the end of 30 April 2012.
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