Innovative health and medical research that supports commercialisation as it progresses from proof of concept through to clinical implementation will receive a funding investment under the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) Development Grants scheme.
Sixteen researchers and their teams will share in over $16 million for a period of up to 3 years.
Development Grants support the commercial development of a product, process, procedure, or service that, if applied, would result in improved health care, disease prevention or provide health cost savings.
Among those receiving funding is Professor Sarah Robertson from the University of Adelaide whose project is aiming to build on the specialised understanding of sperm biology and chemistry.
By mimicking natural processes in the female body, Professor Robertson’s team will produce a user-friendly, surface engineered device that purifies fertile sperm with high DNA integrity to provide an enriched sperm sample for successful conception and healthy babies.
The University of Queensland researcher, Professor Aleksandar Rakic, aims to deliver an innovative clinical tool for early skin cancer detection before the disease is visible.
By pushing this boundary, the project will provide a significant step forward in combating skin cancer in Australia and ultimately saving lives.
Dr Chengxue Helena Qin from Monash University is seeking to develop a library of innovative small molecules for therapeutic intervention for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
Dr Qin and team have found an inflammatory protein that is central to PAH progression, and its activation by a small molecule drug may prevent and potentially reverse damage to blood vessels – vastly improving outcomes for patients suffering from PAH.
Further information on all 2024 Development Grants projects can be downloaded on NHMRC’s outcomes of funding rounds webpage.
Quotes attributable to NHMRC CEO Professor Steve Wesselingh:
- “NHMRC’s Development Grant scheme increases the speed of translation of health and medical research into commercial outcomes, resulting in better health outcomes more quickly.
- “This unique scheme supports scientific invention as it progresses from the bench to bedside and enriches our nation’s strong health and medical research culture.
- “From new devices, drugs, vaccines, therapies, products and treatments, these projects represent how innovative our researchers are, and how willing they are to challenge the current boundaries of health and medical research to achieve better outcomes.”
