2007 Media Releases
Thursday 27 September, 2007
Fighting malaria, cancer, crop loss - and the water crisis - La Trobe wins $10 million in new research grants
La Trobe University has received almost $10 million in the latest rounds of major Federal Government research grants.
Seven La Trobe University research teams – working on projects related to cancer, malaria and cerebral palsy as well as community, refugee and mental health – have been awarded more than $4.2 million in the 2008 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grants.
An additional 15 University projects have won $4.7 million from the Australian Research Council (ARC). These range from studies to help fight plant diseases that cause devastating crop losses and food spoilage world-wide, to research into more effective allocation of water resources between rural and urban sectors.
The ARC grants also support the design of pure carbon-based materials for frontier nano-electronics industries using the new Australian Synchrotron, and a major six-nation maths project. The maths research plays a central role in modern physics, biology, chemistry, astronomy, meteorology, and geoscience – and will also strengthen Australia's links with the mathematical software industry.
A further $1million has been awarded for four ARC Linkage grants. These will be used to establish a facility to help develop electronic devices of the future that rely on emerging materials such as diamonds, fullerenes and magnetic molecules – and to study the safety and effectiveness of family mediation where violence is present.
The NHMRC projects are:
Refugees: Dr Ignacio Correa-Velez from La Trobe University Refugee Health Research Centre has received $420,250 to investigate the physical and mental health of adult refugee men, and the social and cultural issues they face settling in. The study will identify ways to assist them to be healthier, settle in successfully, and develop their full potential as active members of the Australian community.
Titled ‘Talking the walk: A longitudinal study of refugee men's health and resettlement’, the project was highlighted in the Prime Minister’s announcement of the latest NHMRC grants.
Relationships: $1,575,250 has been awarded to a group from La Trobe’s Australian Research Centre for Sex Health and Society for its Longitudinal Study of Health and Relationships. The study, one of the largest of its type, began in 2005 and involved more than 8,000 people throughout Australia aged between 30 and 55. The researchers involved are Professor Anthony Smith, Professor Marian Pitts, Dr Julia Shelley, Dr Juliet Richters, and A/Professor Judy Simpson.
Cancer: $535,500 went to biochemists Dr Hamsa Puthalakath and Dr Li Wu for research into an important mechanism associated with cell-death known as apoptosis. Understanding that process is essential for developing drugs that can make cancer cells kill themselves, or prevent other cells from dying when they shouldn’t, potentially making a major impact on cancer and other serious diseases.
A further $452,750 has been awarded to another project for the design and development of new anti-cancer drugs which are more efficient at killing cancer cells. This work is led by biochemists Dr Suzanne Cutts, Professor Don Phillips, Dr Keith Watson and Dr Carleen Cullinane.
Malaria: $416,625 was awarded for malaria research designed to inhibit the invasion of red blood cells by the plasmid falciparum. The plasmid is involved in spreading malarial infection which kills more than one million people a year - one child every 30 seconds - most of them in Africa. The research team, led by Dr Michael Foley and Dr Andrew Coley, is studying the structure of falciparum’s membrane antigen as a possible way of blocking infection.
Cerebral palsy: Research into targeted strength training to improve the functional walking capacity of adolescents and young adults with cerebral palsy has received $256,050. The project, which is based on research in the School of Physiotherapy, involves Professors Nicholas Taylor, Kerr Graham, and Karen Dodd and Dr Richard Baker.
Mental health: $527,500 has been awarded to a randomised controlled trial of acceptance and commitment therapy for medication-resistant psychosis. The researchers are Dr John Farhall, Professors David Castle, David Copolov, and Steven Hayes, Dr Frances Shawyer and Dr Neil Thomas.
Some of the ARC projects are:
Plant diseases: $315,000 over three years for research into the Molecular basis of the antimicrobial activity of the floral defensin, NaD1, for the plant pathogen Fusarium oxysporum. Filamentous fungi are responsible for many major plant diseases that result in devastating crop losses and food spoilage world-wide. There are currently no resistant cultivars or adequate chemical controls for many of these diseases. The plant defensin, NaD1, stops the growth of many pathogens, including the recalcitrant fungi Fusarium oxysporum and Botrytis cinerea, and has been shown to protect transgenic cotton against fungal infection in glasshouse and field trials. NaD1 has potential application for durable, broad spectrum fungal disease control in crops, potentially bringing environmental and economic benefits to Australia. The grant was awarded to Professor M.A. Anderson (Biochemistry) and Dr K.M. Plummer (Botany).
Water crisis: $259,083 over three years for research into Solving the water crisis in Australian cities and towns with options contracts between urban and rural water users. This work will equip water resource managers with an effective means of allocating water resources between rural and urban sectors. Urban centres have endured stringent water restrictions, ignoring the potential benefits of purchasing water from the irrigated agriculture sector, while rural communities have suffered hardship due to restricted agricultural production during times of drought. This project proposes a solution to both problems. The grant was awarded to Dr L.R. Crase and Mr J.Byrnes (Applied Economics).
Nano-electronics: $368,000 over three years for research into Quantum transport in carbon-based materials, which will result in new protocols for materials control of electronic structure at the molecular level. Carbon-based molecular materials will play an important role in frontier nano-electronics industries. Building on expertise and infrastructure for nano-science, and employing new facilities at the Australian synchrotron, the project plans a unique approach to molecular-scale quantum device engineering using pure-carbon materials. New protocols will be developed to demonstrate carbon as a quantum material, a high-profile objective that will place Australia at the forefront of a new area of surface and device science. The award was granted to Dr C.I. Pakes, Professor J.D. Riley, Professor P.J. Moriarty, Dr C.J. Mellor, Dr S. Rogge, and Professor Dr L.Ley (Physics).
Global maths: $825,000 over five years for further developing Geometric numerical integration of differential equations - an international project in new ways of solving Differential Equations that will significantly strengthen Australia’s links with the mathematical software industry (eg.Wolfram Research Inc), and lead to world-class graduates and research training. Differential equations (DEs) play a central role in modelling scientific phenomena in physics, biology, chemistry, astronomy, meteorology, and geoscience. The researchers have developed new ways of solving DEs using geometric integration, which have significant advantages over traditional methods because of the crucial non-linear stability they provide. Combining seven world experts from six countries, this project will place Australia at the forefront of this intensive international activity. The grant was awarded to Professor R. Quispel, Dr WM Wright, Professor R.I. McLachlan, Professor A.Iserles, Professor H. Munthe-Kaas, Dr M. Sofroniou, Professor B. Owren, and Professor Dr M. Hochbruck.
Linkage grants:
Future electronics: $350,000 will go towards developing a facility for imaging, manipulating and measuring molecular-scale quantum materials. This research is being carried out by physicists Dr C.I. Pakes and Professor J.D. Riley, with colleagues from the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney. The facility will help develop electronic devices of the future that rely on the performance of emerging materials such as diamonds, fullerenes and magnetic molecules.
Violence and mediation: $129,800 will provide support to a study into the safety and effectiveness of family mediation as the favoured method of resolving disputes when violence is present. Dr H.M. Cleak (La Trobe Department of Social Work and Social Policy), will carry out the study in conjunction with Relationships Australia. More than 20 per cent of women are estimated to experience family violence, with far-reaching effects on emotional well-being, health, family stability and child development.
Further information
For a full listing of La Trobe University ARC Discovery grants see: http://www.arc.gov.au/rtf/DP08/DP08_LaTrobeU.rtf
For all ARC (including Linkage Projects & Linkage Infrastructure Equipment and Facilities grants) see: http://www.arc.gov.au/applicants/fundingoutcomes.htm
For (La Trobe) NHMRC grants see Pp 63-64 at: http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/funding/funded/outcomes/index.htm