For the third consecutive year, Monash University has topped all Australian universities in the latest round of National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ideas Grants, receiving more than $41 million across 37 projects.
The Monash grants are among 232 projects that will share in $241 million nationally, to help advance understanding of a wide range of health and medical issues faced by Australians.
Monash projects to be awarded funding include the understanding of non-genetic inheritance in health and disease, exploring new treatments for schizophrenia, and determining "actionable vaccine targets" for breast cancer immunotherapy.
The Ideas Grant scheme is designed to support innovative and creative research projects addressing a specific question from discovery to implementation, and provide opportunities for researchers at all career stages.
Monash University President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Gardner AC welcomed the funding, and thanked the Federal Government and NHMRC for its ongoing commitment to such critical and life-changing research.
"The Ideas Grants are a significant investment in Australia's health and medical research workforce, creating invaluable opportunities for researchers at all career stages to pursue projects that will yield numerous benefits for Australians," Professor Gardner said.
"The number of grants awarded to Monash researchers demonstrates how instrumental their projects are in advancing knowledge and outcomes, and reflects the University's commitment to fostering thriving communities."
Some of the Monash projects funded under the 2022 Ideas Grants scheme include:
Targeting Endosomal Receptor Signalling for Superior Pain Relief, $1.35m
Lead: Dr Nicholas Veldhuis, Senior Research Fellow in Drug Discovery Biology
Investigating the morphological and molecular origin of non-compaction cardiomyopathy, $1.82m
Lead: Dr Gonzalo del Monte Nieto, Senior Research Fellow, Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute
Targeting sympathetic nerves to treat metastatic triple negative breast cancer, $1.10m
Lead: Erica Sloan, Professor of Drug Discovery Biology
Therapeutic targeting of TLR7 in autoimmunity, $1.46m
Lead: Associate Professor Michael Gantier, Adjunct Research Fellow, Hudson Institute - Centre for Innate Immunity and Infectious Disease
The role of genetic compensation in modifying disease severity and potential therapeutic application, $640,308
Lead: Dr Tamar Sztal, Research Fellow - School of Biological Sciences
Targeting the 4Ms in cancer treatment – matrix, mechanics, microenvironment, metabolism, $814,599
Lead: Associate Professor Daniela Loessner - Chemical and Biological Engineering
The full list of recipients can be found here -
