- The Australian Epilepsy Project (AEP) has been awarded $30 million through the Medical Research Future Fund to embed its leading brain health platform into the Australian health system.
- The Federal Government’s ongoing financial support will allow the AEP to give more clinicians and hospitals access to its advanced diagnostics and expertise.
- The funding will also support the investigation of future digital solutions for other neurological and mental health conditions.
Australians living with epilepsy and other neurological and mental health conditions will benefit from faster diagnosis and treatment, after the Federal Government committed an additional $30 million to support the expansion of a leading brain health research project.
The Australian Epilepsy Project (AEP), a flagship research initiative of The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, was established in 2021 with an initial $30 million in funding from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) – the single largest government investment into epilepsy research in Australia.
Using artificial intelligence, the AEP has created an innovative platform that brings together advanced MRI scans, genetic analysis and cognitive testing to offer patients a new and improved standard of care for epilepsy in Australia.
The additional $30 million in MRFF funding over the next four years will enable AEP to:
- Scale its reach across the health system to establish its leading standard of care for epilepsy across Australia;
- Investigate digital solutions for brain disorders beyond epilepsy to benefit the millions of Australians living with neurological and mental health conditions; and
- Develop its technical capability and products in readiness for commercialisation and international market expansion to benefit the Australian economy.
Chief Investigator at the AEP and Deputy Director at The Florey, Professor Graeme Jackson, said: “It is clear that we are entering a new era where technology is impacting our lives in unprecedented ways. This is the case in medicine as in other areas.
“Digital technologies and AI can translate research into new, optimised models of healthcare at population scale. This brings the highest standard of care to the whole population regardless of where you live, with particular impact for rural and regional Australia. This is the future.
“The Australian Epilepsy Project has successfully established a high standard of care for epilepsy, bringing advanced research to clinical impact in a platform model that connects patients with their doctors and ongoing research. Success will require new approaches to brain health and new thinking about the barriers to innovation that move beyond old assumptions.
“The Australian Epilepsy Project will continue to be at the forefront of developing the Australian med-tech industry in alignment with the ‘Ambitious Australia’ strategic plan.”
AEP’s executive leader, Anton De Weger, thanked the Federal Government for recognising the significant impact of the project.
“Securing this four-year investment allows us to move from a frontier clinical project to an established translation platform,” Mr De Weger said.
“Scaling AI-enabled digital care pathways requires a multidisciplinary team spanning deep neurological science, startup and commercial acumen, clinical expertise, lived experience, data science and engineering.
“This grant provides the precise runway needed to build innovative, regulated, automated tools that scale impact and change the standard of care for brain health, proving Australia can lead the world in health-tech commercialisation.”
The Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Aged Care, who last year hailed the AEP as “exemplar” of what the MRFF can achieve, said: “The medical advances we make in this country through health and medical research are always about improving the lives of Australians, as well as people around the world.
“Our investments will support our health and medical research sector by making funding more stable, boosting job security, and fostering a world-class research culture.”
Since its development, AEP has connected more than 2,100 patients with more than 160 neurologists across all mainland states.
