Seven University of Newcastle teams have secured more than $10.6m in Australian government funding to help solve some of the nation’s most pressing health issues.

Seven University of Newcastle teams have secured more than $10.6m in Australian government funding to help solve some of the nation’s most pressing health issues.

Awarded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grants aim to transform health and medical research and innovation to improve lives, build the economy and contribute to health system sustainability.

University of Newcastle researchers will work to support chronic disease prevention in Australian schools; seek to understand how social factors affect the mental health of young people; and develop strategies to manage severe asthma, including in pregnant women.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) Professor Zee Upton said it was remarkable University of Newcastle researchers had secured seven of the 110 MRFF grants awarded nationally, a testament to the strength of research expertise in the Hunter.

“I congratulate each of the lead researchers and their teams who are embarking on potentially groundbreaking, life changing health and medical research projects in fields such as respiratory disease, mental health and chronic disease prevention.

“The work they are doing now will potentially change and save lives in the future, by addressing medical issues that affect people’s everyday lives.”

In announcing the grants, Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler said he was pleased to announce nearly $230m in MRFF funding would help Australia’s researchers to discover new ways to tackle many of the health and medical issues that impact Australians.

“Emerging researchers will be helped to develop their skills and grow their careers in Australia, while promising new treatments will get to market earlier and fulfil their promise of new hope for Australian patients.”

MRFF Early to Mid-Career Researchers Grants

Dr Bree Hobden  $457,765

Understanding the social determinants of young people’s mental health: an exploratory mixed methods study

This research project aims to understand how social factors, such as homelessness or a history of abuse, impact the mental health of young people in NSW aged 18-25 years. The team will explore this through a government service database that links various government services; and interviews with young people who have used mental health services. Lead researcher Dr Bree Hobden said understanding how social factors affected mental health could inform strategies to address these factors and improve outcomes for young people.

Associate Professor Nicole Nathan $4,869,263

Tools for Change: Informing and supporting sustainable chronic disease prevention in Australian schools

Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death and disability in Australia. Health risk behaviours established during youth track into adulthood. Sustained implementation of health promotion programs in secondary schools is required otherwise benefits are lost and investment is wasted.  Through this innovative program of research, Associate Professor Nicole Nathan and her team will be working with key partners from every Australian state and territory to identify key aspects required for sustained chronic disease prevention and deliver evidence-based tools, decision aids and guidance for policy makers and practitioners.

Conjoint Associate Professor Anoop Enjeti  $827,655

Mesenchymal Signal Targeting in Myelodysplasia as a pathway to transfusion independence and blood count improvement – the MESSAGE study

Myelodysplasia is a devastating blood disorder, which commonly occurs in older people and severely affects their quality of life due to dependence on blood transfusions. Recent discoveries show targeting interactions between cancer cells and surrounding tissue, using novel combinations that can be taken orally, can reduce need for frequent transfusions. Conjoint Associate Professor Anoop Enjeti and his team will run a transformational clinical trial combining PXS-5505 and ASTX727 to improve quality of life for transfusion-dependent MDS patients.

MRFF Chronic Respiratory Conditions Grants

Professor Vanessa McDonald  $1,486,922

Multicomponent digital intervention targeting breathlessness and physical activity in severe asthma

Even with best-available treatment strategies, people with severe asthma still experience symptoms that substantially impair quality of life. Professor Vanessa McDonald and her team will test a personalised (Treatable Traits) strategy, which combines face-to face and digital approaches to target breathlessness and physical inactivity to improve quality of life. The intervention is designed to support people with severe asthma to self-manage their breathlessness so they can be more active. The digital component will enable support to be accessed anytime, as needed.

Associate Professor Vanessa Murphy  $1,924,408

Treatable Traits for asthma management during pregnancy

Asthma is the most common disease in pregnancy; many women have a worsening of symptoms or need to seek medical help for an asthma attack in pregnancy. Asthma is associated with poor outcomes for baby, including being born too early or too small. Associate Professor Vanessa Murphy and her team propose that a personalised medicine approach which addresses lung inflammation, common co-morbidities such as reflux and rhinitis, and behavioural factors such as smoking, physical activity and inhaler use may improve outcomes for mother and baby.

MRFF Consumer-Led Research

Dr Elissa Jane Elvidge   $598,156

From community priority to delivery of care: Co-designing effective treatment models for Aboriginal women with asthma during pregnancy

This project will explore co-designed, community-led care models for Aboriginal women with asthma during pregnancy. The care provided by mainstream health services often aligns poorly with the needs of Aboriginal mothers and babies, while models designed in consultation and collaboration with communities promote cultural safety and deliver improved models of care. When specialist care is required to manage pregnancy complications, including flare-ups of chronic conditions, women are often referred back to mainstream clinical services. Focusing on asthma during pregnancy, we seek to explore how community-led models of maternity and infant care can be extended to health services for chronic respiratory conditions.

MRFF Rapid Applied Research Translation (RART) Grant

Dr Simon Deeming  $494,986

Demonstrating and optimising the impact generated from the RART Initiative

This research project will prospectively evaluate the potential translation and impact generated by the RART-funded projects, to ensure appropriate data collection, and to optimise any opportunities to improve their translation. It will also generate new knowledge of factors that promote the adoption, impact and sustainability of evidence-based healthcare. Dr Deeming and his core team have a reputation for leadership and expertise in research impact assessment, and research on medical and health research. This project will provide an opportunity to apply this expertise to key policy questions, expand the community of expertise, and to extend the experience of Aboriginal researchers in the evaluation of Aboriginal research.