Research uncovering the gut-brain connection in bipolar disorder, advancing food sovereignty to strengthen First Peoples' wellbeing, pioneering tools that predict medicine safety, and developing new therapies for aggressive prostate cancer, have been awarded National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ideas Grants.
Four Flinders University researchers and their teams from the College of Medicine and Public Health have been awarded a combined $6m in the latest Ideas Grants round to work on innovative solutions that improve lives, empower communities, and deliver safer, more effective treatments.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Raymond Chan congratulates the research teams and says that Flinders University is at the forefront of health and medical research working to address some of the world's most pressing health challenges.
"From chronic diseases and Indigenous health inequities to pioneering treatments for mental health disorders and safer medicines, our researchers are working tirelessly to advance global health," says Professor Chan.
"Flinders University has received a record $15.6m in NHMRC funding this year alone and has achieved a 150% growth in research income over the last six years.
"This funding, along with our state-of-the-art Health and Medical Research Building, helps us to drive breakthrough research and clinical trials that translate into real benefits for Australians."
About the Flinders University projects:
Cultivating First Peoples' healing through food sovereignty and first foods ($3,064,128.05)
Lead researcher, Waljen woman, Associate Professor Tamara Mackean, from the College of Medicine and Public Health is leading this project in collaboration with Neporendi Aboriginal Forum Inc.
This project supports First Peoples' health in Southern Adelaide by promoting food sovereignty – the right to access ecologically sound, culturally appropriate, healthy foods. Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers will partner with Neporendi Aboriginal Forum Inc. to explore how this improves First People's wellbeing through cooking workshops, field trips, and a community garden. The aim is to empower communities, uphold Indigenous food knowledge, and challenge colonial views on health and nutrition.
Targeting the gut-brain axis to create better outcomes in bipolar disorder ($1,923,419.50)
Lead researcher, Professor Damien Keating, College of Medicine and Public Health and Deputy Director of FHMRI.
Bipolar disorder is a long-term mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings, from manic highs to depressive lows. Lithium has been the main treatment for decades, but it only works for about 30% of patients, and it is not understood why. The research team have evidence that specific gut cells trigger the mood fluctuations that are central in bipolar disorder. Activation of these cells can alter brain activity via a pathway called the gut brain axis. This project will focus on understanding how activating these cells affects brain function and how to target these cells to create new treatments for bipolar disorder.
Lead researcher, Professor Andrew Rowland, College of Medicine and Public Health.
Tissue Specific Liquid Biopsy to Enhance Medication Efficacy and Safety ($1,099,541.50)
Medicine exposure in Australia varies widely for over 700 drugs, affecting their safety and effectiveness. Many medicines do not work properly or have harmful effects because of hidden factors that change how the body processes them, leading to hospitalisations and poor outcomes. This project will use tiny particles in blood, called extracellular vesicles (EVs), to spot these differences early. By combining EV signals with genetic information, the aim is to better predict medicine levels in the body. The goal is to make medicine use safer and more effective for patients by guiding more appropriate dosing to reduce adverse and dangerous side-effects.
Lead researcher, Professor Luke Selth, College of Medicine and Public Health and FHMRI's Cancer Impact Program.
Ramping up proteotoxic stress to kill prostate cancer ($724,196.50)
Metastatic prostate cancer is a major killer of Australian men. It is incurable and current treatments can cause major side effects. The research team have identified enzymes that are essential for tumours to make new proteins, and their preliminary work suggests they could be targeted as a new treatment approach. The goal of the project is to better understand how these enzymes drive the growth of metastatic prostate cancer and use this information to develop new therapies to target them, as well as identifying markers that could predict which patients would benefit most from such therapies.
