WA Researchers Secure $6.1 Million to Advance Paediatric Cancer Immunotherapy, Neuromuscular Disease Genetics, and Health Equity
Key Insights
Twenty-one UWA researchers received $2.1 million in WA Near-Miss Awards bridging funding for projects spanning paediatric cancer immunotherapy, respiratory infections, and cardiovascular diagnostics.
Three UWA-led projects secured over $4 million in NHMRC Investigator Grants, including genetic research into neuromuscular diseases and recurrent miscarriages led by Professor Gina Ravenscroft.
Dr Omar Elaskalani and Dr Anthony Buzzai received grants to advance immunotherapy and dissect cancer-immune interactions in childhood cancers, addressing critical unmet needs in paediatric oncology.
A total of $6.1 million in combined state and federal funding has been awarded to health and medical researchers at The University of Western Australia, bolstering investigations into paediatric cancer immunotherapy, neuromuscular disease (search) genetics, childhood respiratory health, and health equity for First Nations populations.
The funding, announced across two separate grant programs, supports 21 researchers through the WA Near-Miss Awards program and three lead investigators through the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Grants scheme.
WA Near-Miss Awards: Bridging Critical Funding Gaps
The Western Australian State Government, through its Future Health Research and Innovation Fund, awarded $2.1 million to 21 UWA researchers whose applications narrowly missed out on federal funding. The WA Near-Miss Awards program provides critical bridging support to sustain high-calibre research across the state.
Among the recipients, several projects focus on advancing paediatric cancer treatment. Dr Omar Elaskalani, from UWA's Medical School and The Kids Research Institute Australia (search), received a grant for research advancing immunotherapy for childhood cancer (search). Dr Anthony Buzzai, also from UWA's Medical School and The Kids, was awarded funding to dissect and exploit cancer-immune interactions in paediatric cancers. Dr Annabel Short received support to design safer childhood brain cancer therapies by understanding the brain-immune microenvironment.
Dr Nicola Principe, from UWA's Medical School, secured a grant to investigate targeting lipid-mediated immune suppression to improve cancer immunotherapy, while Dr Tao Wang received funding for developing new approaches to cancer treatment.
In respiratory health, Professor Christopher Blyth was awarded a grant for research into improving prevention of paediatric respiratory infections. Dr Denby Evans will investigate mechanisms of persistent and progressive lung disease after preterm birth, and Dr Luke Garratt received funds for research into immune cell function and disease.
Dr Hadi Afsharan, from UWA's Medical School and Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research (search), received funding to improve cardiovascular health by developing diagnostics using simplified biomarker technology. Dr Anita Campbell was awarded a grant to advance equity in sepsis (search) care and prevention.
Additional recipients include Dr Ziming Chen (tendon repair and cellular processes), Dr Jua Iwasaki (vaccine development for Strep A infections targeting tonsil attachment), Dr Jasreen Kular (lysosomal transporters in musculoskeletal disease), Dr Andrew Stevenson (autologous cell therapies for skin regeneration), Dr Chrianna Bharat (healthy ageing and disease burden), Dr Lakshini Herat (sympathetic nerve activity in cardiorenal and metabolic health), Dr Mridul Johari (TUBA4A (search) gene variants in neurological diseases), Dr Erin Kelty (reducing prenatal exposure to teratogenic medications), Dr Su Chen Lim (One Health approach to Clostridium difficile infection (search)), Dr Kenta Ninomiya (epigenetic roadmap to healthy ageing), and Dr Ingrid Stacey (cardiovascular measures for First Nations populations).
NHMRC Investigator Grants: Tackling Genetic Disease and Health Communication
Three UWA-led projects received more than $4 million through the NHMRC Investigator Grants scheme, targeting genetic causes of neuromuscular disease (search), health communication with First Nations communities, and the impact of air pollution on children.
Professor Gina Ravenscroft, from the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research (search) and Dr Patricia Kailis Chair in Rare Diseases at UWA, will lead research to find the genetic causes of neuromuscular diseases, including disorders that present from birth to late adult life. Her program will also tackle the genetics of recurrent miscarriages.
"These conditions result in a significant burden to families and our health care system," Professor Ravenscroft said. "A genetic diagnosis provides families with answers, allows family planning, enables precision care and identifies targets for new therapies."
She added: "My research program also aims to understand neuromuscular disease (search) mechanisms and develop targeted therapies using patient-derived models."
Dr Emma Haynes, from UWA's School of Population and Global Health, will lead a project to align biomedical information with First Nations knowledges, experiences, and priorities to improve health communication.
"Communication failure often causes unintended confusion or harm, limiting healthcare effectiveness, especially in First Nations health," Dr Haynes said. "This program will develop, implement and evaluate an innovative health communication model to support autonomous informed decision-making, co-designed with First Nations leaders, community members and academics, as well as clinicians."
Dr Katherine Landwehr, from UWA's Medical School and The Kids Research Institute Australia (search), received funds to investigate the toxic effects of air pollution on children's lung health. "We will help define the role of air pollution in childhood lung disease, assessing how lung health is affected by breathing different types of air pollution," Dr Landwehr said. "The data will then be combined to create a model that can be used to predict health impacts of future air pollution sources."