ARC
Dr Kris Thurecht led a successful team in the Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities scheme. The team, including Prof David Reutens, and researchers from UQ and the University of New South Wales, received funding for their "Facility for Characterisation of BioNanomaterials". The facility will support programs using nanomaterials for molecular imaging and intelligent drug delivery, while developing a greater understanding of how to create more effective nanobiomaterials.
A/Prof Katie McMahon is part of a team who received three years funding for their Discovery Project investigating whether exercise improves language learning and consolidation in ageing. The team will examine exercise-induced changes in brain activity and biomarkers and their findings are expected to have practical applications in a range of populations with language and learning difficulties.
NHMRC
Dr Kris Thurecht and team have received funds for their project "Immuno-polymeric drugs for prostate cancer therapy". They will use a novel antibody approach to directly target chemotherapy drugs to prostate tumours in a bid to reduce the severe side-effects that affect 30% of patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Dr Viktor Vegh led a successful team in the project grant scheme that includes CAI director, Prof David Reutens, and Dr Marcus Gray. In their project, "Novel MRI approaches to map focal cortical dysplasia in focal epilepsy", they aim to develop new MRI methods in order to create a new MRI-based diagnostic tool for patients with focal epilepsy who are potential surgical candidates.
Dr Mehdi Mobli is part of a team who received funding for their research investigating the mechanisms of pain and developing new pain killers. "A pharmacological approach to define the contribution of Nav1.7 to pain pathways"
Dr Katie McMahon is part of a team awarded funding for four years for their project "Predicting and Promoting Aphasia Recovery". Up to 40% of stroke survivors have aphasia (disturbance or loss of language). The team will use clinical measures and brain imaging to develop better predictors of aphasia.
Dr Christine Guo (QIMR) and Dr Marcus Gray received three years funding for their project "Probing neural circuits of emotion with ultrafast fMRI and dynamic natural stimuli". They will implement an innovative platform for studying brain activity underlying natural emotional experience in order to provide valuable insights into emotion disturbances in disorders such as major depressive disorder and dementia.