NFMRI announces 2016 grant recipients

The National Foundation for Medical Research and Innovation (NFMRI) last night announced its 2016 grant recipients, supporting researchers from across the country in the advancement of their medical innovations.

The night saw the announcement of $801,206 of continuing and new funding for 2016, with the NSW Department of Primary Industries opening a grant round into infectious diseases with $400,000 funding available. Newly funded projects included the fields of cardiac fibrosis, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and asthma.

Associate Professor Bernard Flynn, from Monash University, was awarded $100,000 for his project on cardiac fibrosis — the lead cause of heart failure. His research group is working to identify a suitable biomolecular target for fibrosis and to design drug molecules to inhibit this target. Support from NFMRI will enable Associate Professor Flynn to access both internal collaborators, such as the Monash Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, and external collaborators, such as vivoPharm, to assist with targeted studies.

Dr Michelle Wykes, from the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, has won $213,402 for her identification of galectin-9 on immune cells as a novel drug target for cancer therapy. Agents which activate this target cause immune cells to attack cancer cells and to develop an immune memory which may help to prevent cancer recurrence. NFMRI funding will enable Dr Wykes to access external collaborators such as CSIRO for protein manufacture, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for antibody generation and purification, and Pepscan for epitope mapping.

Dr Sanjaya Kuruppu, from Monash University, received $90,000 for his discovery of a molecule (referred to as K49-P1-20), from the venom of a snake, which could be used as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The research study will use a mouse model of AD to determine if the molecule can prevent the build-up of amyloid beta in the brain. Support from NFMRI will facilitate access to additional skill sets from an external collaborator at the University of Tasmania, including access to a mouse model relevant for AD.

Professor Mark Smythe, from The University of Queensland, was presented with $80,078 for his pursuit of new and innovative asthma therapies. Professor Smythe and his team have developed and optimised a series of potent and specific inhibitors of HPGD2S — an enzyme involved in the inflammatory mechanisms of asthma — that are orally bioavailable and efficacious in in vivo animal models. NFMRI’s support will provide access to additional research studies and facilities to profile the compounds on human bronchial epithelial cells in order to study respiratory function.

“It was exciting to receive many high-quality applications and to be able to provide targeted support for research activities that may fall outside of the current funding ecosystem,” said NFMRI CEO Dr Noel Chambers. “These research activities can be essential in attracting future collaborators and investments capable of delivering community benefits through new drugs, devices, diagnostics, vaccines and biological interventions.”