Local Researchers Celebrate Grant Wins

October 2nd, 2007 - Media Statement

The Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR) is celebrating after sharing in nearly $19 million dollars of funding to help unlock the causes of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Together with their national and international collaborators, more than a dozen scientists from WAIMR this week received confirmation of the funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Australian Research Council (ARC).

WAIMR Director Peter Klinken said he was thrilled that his team had continued its high level of success in this latest funding round.

"We have an excellent track record in obtaining grants from the NHMRC which is a key source of income for our researchers and we're delighted this year has been more successful than ever," Professor Klinken said.

The grants run for between three and five years.

WAIMR teams involving Associate Professor Luba Kalaydjieva, Dr Steven Wiltshire, Associate Professor Sibylle Schwab and Professor Dieter Wildenauer shared in more than $2.2 million funding to undertake critical research into schizophrenia.

"In addition to searching for genes linked to schizophrenia, another grant is to investigate genes that may be involved in heroin dependence," said Professor Klinken.

"We're also very proud to announce that Associate Professor Lin Fritschi, our head of Cancer Epidemiology, secured a coveted five-year $600,000 Fellowship.

"And we're delighted Professor Grant Morahan will share in a program grant worth more $10 million over five years that will be ploughed into research into the prevention and cure of type 1 diabetes."

In Australian Research Council grants, WAIMR's Oliver Rackham received $484,000 over three years to engineer cells to generate potential drug candidates.

Other WAIMR recipients of collaborative NHMRC projects include:

• Associate Professor Karin Eidne - for developing new technologies to detect hormone action
• Dr Evan Ingley, Professor Peter Klinken - for work into leukaemia
• Professor Peter Leedman - for research into the regulation of testosterone action in prostate cancer and to investigate factors involved in energy metabolism in diabetes and obesity
• Prof Grant Morahan - for research into mechanisms of insulin resistance and diabetes susceptibility
• Associate Professor Tom Ratajczak - to study steroid receptors and treatment of steroid-based diseases
• Dr Evan Ingley - for research into the relationship between the CYP19 gene and disease
• Dr Steven Wiltshire, Dr Brenda Powell, Prof Peter Thompson - for genetic research into risk factors for metabolic and cardiovascular disease
• Dr Archa Fox - to study the new forms of regulating gene expression
• Prof George Yeoh, Prof John Olynyk - for research linked to liver disease and lymphomas

For more information please contact:
Natalie Papadopoulos
Media Consultant for the WA Institute for Medical Research
Mobile: 0407 984 435
Office: (08) 9388 9280