The funding is part of $150 million allocated by the Federal Government in prestigious NHMRC Program Grants to boost the nation’s health and medical research efforts.

University of Melbourne researchers Professor Sam Berkovic, a world leader in the field of neurobiology and epilepsy research received $16.4M and Professor Colin Masters renowned for his advances in treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, received $14M.

They are two out of several University of Melbourne medical researchers who have been awarded grants as either chief or principal investigators.

Professor Kim Bennell, Director for the Centre for Health, Exercise and Sports Medicine in Physiotherapy, Melbourne School of Health Sciences has received around $2M to address musculoskeletal pain and injury, particularly knee osteoarthritis.

Associate Professor Elizabeth Hartland and Professor Dick Strugnell from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology have been awarded in excess of $3M to address how bacteria cause disease.

Professor James Angus, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne says, "This is wonderful and due recognition for our leading medical researchers. The awarding of these significant grants, highlights the outstanding research at the University of Melbourne conducted hand in hand with our teaching hospitals, affiliated research institutes and other major Australian universities."

Professor Sam Berkovic is the Director of both the Epilepsy Research Centre of the University of Melbourne and of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at Austin Health Heidelberg. The research team led by Professor Berkovic includes ten investigators across Australia, in Melbourne, Adelaide and Queensland.

Professor Berkovic’s team will investigate genes associated with epilepsy, how they are inherited and how genetic variations result in development of seizures.   Advanced brain imaging will be used to understand the effects of genetic variation on brain structure in patients and function and laboratory studies will lead to better understanding at the levels of molecules, cells and networks in the brain.

 “Over the course of the grant’s five year period, this research will significantly transform our understanding of the most common forms of epilepsy, leading to better diagnosis and better treatments,” Professor Berkovic says.
 
Laureate Professor Colin Masters is Executive Director, Mental Health Research Institute, National Neuroscience Facility and Professor at the University of Melbourne. His team is working to develop an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. They are also searching for a biomarker that will help diagnose the disease long before symptoms appear.

Professor Masters says, “We already know that substantial damage has been done to the brain before people display symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease”.

 “So it is important that we find a means to diagnose the illness early enough for any drug that is developed to be effective,” he says.

The program grant from the NHMRC will allow Professor Masters and his team to focus their research on treatment development and early diagnosis based on understanding the underlying cause of the illness.

Professor Masters says “This grant will accelerate the pace of research and provide a better chance of developing a drug that will significantly slow the progress of the disease.”

Professor Kim Bennell’s research team, in collaboration with the University of Queensland, will investigate ways to improve outcomes for people with knee osteoarthritis using a conservative management approach. This involves strategies such as exercise, orthotics, pain coping skills training and self management.

Musculoskeletal pain and injury have a major impact on the health and well-being of Australians. These disorders are associated with significant pain and disability, contribute to workplace absenteeism, reduced productivity and have a propensity to become chronic.

Due to the magnitude of the problem and the ageing of society, musculoskeletal disorders have been highlighted as a National Health Priority Area. 

“Using a novel approach, we are providing patients of conditions such as knee osteoarthritis with strategies to reduce pain and improve function and quality of life.”

Research conducted by Associate Professor Elizabeth Hartland and Professor Dick Strugnell from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology will focus on how bacteria initiate infections, how they invade, cause cell and tissue damage and respond to their human host.

The results will reveal new targets for the development of novel antibacterial drugs and vaccines for bacterial infectious disease such as Salmonella and Legionnaire’s Disease. This is a collaborative program with Monash University and the University of Queensland.