The search for a multi-season flu vaccine, better treatment for schizophrenia, and how gut microorganisms may fight off melanoma, are 3 projects sharing in $50 million in health research funding from the Australian Government.
Ten projects will bring together outstanding teams from across health and medical research disciplines to work together to answer major questions that cannot be answered by a single investigator.
The $50 million in funding will support new discoveries in a range of health and medical areas, covering the spectrum from basic science to clinical medicine, public health and health services research.
Associate Professor Joanna Groom of WEHI (formerly Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) will lead a multidisciplinary team to rethink current vaccine design approaches and further the search for a long-lived and multi-season flu vaccine.
The research hopes to reveal how to best promote long-lived protection against respiratory viral infections that emerge and mutate quickly, like influenza and coronaviruses.
Despite previous research, vaccines that consistently induce long-lasting protection remain elusive. This reduces protection, increases the need for booster shots, and which imposes large socioeconomic costs and reduces vaccine compliance.
Associate Professor Groom's approach will establish the mechanistic 'rules' to produce the first unified model of long-lived vaccine response that induces broad and durable immunity against viral infections.
Deakin University researcher Professor Michael Berk will lead a project which aims to discover new treatments for schizophrenia.
The Synergy for the Development of Innovative Clinical Treatments in Schizophrenia (SYNDICAT) project will generate new evidence that will position Australia as a world leader in psychiatric treatment discovery and will foster a new generation of mental health researchers. This will provide people with schizophrenia and their carers hope of improved quality of life and renewed ability to contribute to their families, workplaces, and society.
Associate Professor Shahneen Sandhu of The University of Melbourne will lead a team exploring how microorganisms in the gut produce key factors involved in immune responses against melanoma.
Melanoma is Australia's third most commonly diagnosed cancer.
This project will bring together immunologists, microbial ecologists, computational biologists, and clinicians to identify new therapeutic approaches to improve outcomes in patients with melanoma.
The $50m in funding is provided through the National Health and Medical Research Council's (NHMRC) 2024 Synergy Grant scheme.
