First published 2 May 2024
QUT is celebrating the awarding of $6,189,180 in National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Grants for three researchers.
The recipients are:
Professor Kirill Alexandrov, from the School of Biology and Environmental Science and the QUT Centre of Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, has been awarded a $2,981,630 NHMRC Investigator Grant.
Professor Alexandrov, who is the Professor of Synthetic Biology, received the grant for the project Artificial protein circuits and the next-generation diagnostics.
“To ensure high-quality healthcare, we need advancements in disease diagnostics,” Professor Alexandrov said.
“I will use synthetic biology to develop technologies for detecting and monitoring diseases rapidly and accurately. By building sophisticated molecular machines capable of detecting disease markers, we will be able to simplify diagnostic hardware, making it more accessible for doctors and patients.
“Cheaper and easily distributable diagnostic technologies will be critical to meeting the increasing demand for healthcare in the world that is both growing and aging.”
Associate Professor Julie Marchant has been awarded a $1,603,775 NHMRC Investigator Grant.
Her project, Improving the understanding and management of chronic wet cough and its associations in children, aims to provide new clinical strategies for managing common early childhood respiratory issues of preschool cough and wheeze.
“A large proportion of lung disease in adults begins in childhood and so early intervention is the key to reducing lung health burden,” Professor Marchant, from QUT School of Public Health and Social Work, said.
“My research program will identify modifiable factors that could be implemented to prevent chronic lung disease.”
Professor Marchant is from the Australian Centre of Health Services Innovation (AusHSI) and the QUT Centre for Healthcare Transformation.
Associate Professor Peter Lazzarini, from the School of Public Health and Social Work and The Prince Charles Hospital, has received a $1,603,775 NHMRC Investigator Grant.
His project, Better feet, better lives: Next generation care for people with diabetes foot disease, will test a number of next generation tools and treatments aimed at preventing this debilitating disease that affects one in 40 people worldwide and is a leading cause of hospitalisations and amputations globally.
“These tools are designed to empower people with diabetes foot disease to better detect emerging complications such as ulcers and infections, to better care for their own foot disease and to better access the best care they need when they need it,” Professor Lazzarini said.
“We know that when people can access this best care we can prevent half of all hospitalisations and amputations for a condition that costs Australia $1.6 billion each year.”
Professor Lazzarini is from the Australian Centre of Health Services Innovation (AusHSI) and the QUT Centre for Healthcare Transformation.
(Main image, from left: Professor Kirrill Alexandrov, Associate Professor Julie Marchant, Associate Professor Peter Lazzarini.)
QUT Media contact:
Rod Chester, 07 3138 9449 or rod.chester@qut.edu.au.
