Ideas grants awarded to Florey researchers for vital projects

Researchers from The Florey have been awarded new funding to investigate seven crucial areas of research that aim to benefit the Australian and global community.

The Ideas Grants, a flagship NHMRC scheme, encourage innovation and creativity in research. It provides opportunities for talented researchers at all career stages to contribute to the improvement of human health.

Funded projects from Florey researchers include innovative approaches in neuroscience and drug development studies, overlapping with health areas such as Parkinson’s disease, cardiovascular disease, immune health and kidney disease.

The awarded projects are:

  • Associate Professor Mohammed Akhter Hossain – Developing relaxin family peptide receptor 4 (RSFP4) agonists as novel tools and therapeutic leads for chronic constipation
  • Dr Rachel McQuade – Protecting the Gut: A novel therapeutic avenue for Parkinson’s Disease
  • Dr Yugeesh Lankadeva – Targeting renal hypoxia to avoid cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury
  • Professor Robin McAllen – The neuro-immune synapse
  • Professor Robin McAllen – Critical consequences of neuro-immune crosstalk and its relevance to sepsis
  • Dr Song Yao – A new target for heart failure treatment – the blood-brain barrier
  • Professor Clive May – Reversing renal medullary hypoxia and acute kidney injury in sepsis

Professor Steven Petrou, Director of The Florey, welcomed the funding news.

“I offer my congratulations and best wishes to all researchers who were successful in receiving NHMRC Ideas grants and thank the Australian Government for their ongoing support of medical research which has the potential to make enormous improvements to the health of our community.”