University of Queensland granted $6 million for two new Centres of Research Excellence

The funding will be targeted towards improving patient outcomes and collaborative research to address pressing health challenges related to gynaecological cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Study in Australia: To improve the treatment of gynaecological cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, the University of Queensland has received $6 million in grants. It is given by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

The funding will help in finding solutions to pressing health issues related to these diseases and also in improving patient outcomes. It will be used in establishing two centres of research excellence which will work in these areas.

Professor Jürgen Götz from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute and Professor Andreas Obermair from UQ’s Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR) will lead these centres for Alzheimer’s Disease and gynaecological cancer respectively.

$3 million is granted to the Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) to research about Alzheimer’s Disease treatment.

Professor Götz said, “Using a multidisciplinary approach, we are aiming for discoveries that leapfrog us towards new disease-halting or reversing treatments, which have remained elusive for more than a century. Alzheimer’s disease drug research has been largely focused on strategies to remove toxic amyloid-β and Tau aggregates from the brain, but the effectiveness of these drugs is yet to be determined. A growing body of evidence supports the multifactorial nature of Alzheimer’s disease, so the MIND-AD Centre of Research Excellence will take a more holistic approach.”

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He said that the centre will find new therapies by looking at the relationship between misfolding and mitochondrial functions and protein aggregation.

“Our program will span molecular, cellular and brain-wide research, drug targeting and delivery as well as multiscale mathematical models. We will also nurture industry partnerships and support translation and commercialisation opportunities where appropriate,” said the Professor.

Centre of Research Excellence to Improve the Quality of Survival in Gynaecological Cancer Patients at the university has been granted $3 million.

Professor Obermair said “The current treatment for most gynaecological cancers takes a brutal toll on patients. Some of the biggest concerns for these women include issues with fertility, lymphoedema or swelling caused by a lymphatic system blockage, and their general recovery from treatment. The new centre will focus on priority areas aiming to enable fertility after endometrial cancer, reducing lymphoedema and optimising cancer recovery."

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