Otago gains major health research funding

Otago gains major health research funding

University of Otago researchers gained $28.6m in the latest Health Research Council (HRC) funding for research projects to improve the health of New Zealanders.

The 20 contracts won by Otago researchers include two of the three new major research programmes announced in the annual nationwide round. Overall, they gained 50.3 per cent of the available funding.

One new programme focuses on preventing injuries and reducing subsequent disability, and the other involves combating deadly viruses, such as HIV, and exploiting viruses to improve vaccines and therapies for other diseases. The researchers leading this programme are members of the University’s Webster Centre for Infectious Diseases.

University researchers also gained extensions to five existing major programmes. These involve long-term mental health and wellbeing, mental health treatment, new ways to detect and treat cancer, lifestyle approaches to obesity and diabetes, and investigating hyperactivity and movement disorders.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Geoff White says the researchers achieved an outstanding result in a very competitive funding round.

“The fact that our researchers won more than twice the amount of any other institution confirms that the University of Otago is the major centre for excellence in health research,” he says.

“I warmly congratulate them on their well-earned success. As well as gaining more than half of the available funding, they have also won the highest number of contracts.

“Throughout the country, only one-quarter of new programme applications and less than one-fifth of project applications were successful. Otago’s much higher rate of success testifies to the high calibre and relevance of the Otago research proposals.

“Our researchers’ stellar performance clearly reinforces Otago’s recognised status as both New Zealand’s most research-intensive university, and the one with the highest-quality research,” says Professor White.

Researchers from Otago Divisions of Health Sciences and Sciences at all three campuses in Dunedin, Christchurch, and Wellington were successful in the round.

As well as the seven research programmes funded, University researchers will also pursue 10 new projects. Two grants for emerging researchers and one for a feasibility study were also gained.

“All these new Otago initiatives hold the potential to bring practical benefits that can make a real difference to the health and well-being of New Zealanders across many areas,” he says.

The projects include investigating genes involved in arthritis and schizophrenia, cellular mechanisms underlying neurological diseases and fertility, a new marker for acute cardiac injury, and lowering the rate of colorectal cancer in New Zealand.

--

List of projects:

HRC PROGRAMMES: NEW

Professor John Langley, Dr Dorothy Begg, Dr Shyamala Nada-Raja, Dr Sarah Derrett
Injury Prevention Research Centre, University of Otago
Preventing injury and reducing subsequent disability outcomes
36 months, $1,980,543

Professor Andrew Mercer, Professor Kurt Krause, Dr Merilyn Hibma, Dr Sarah Young, Associate Professor Margaret Baird, Professor Richard D’Aquila, Dr Stephen Fleming, Dr Alex McLellan, Dr Alan Melcher, Dr Daniel Milligan, Professor Franca Ronchese, Dr Vernon Ward, Dr Lyn Wise
Departments of Microbiology & Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Otago
Human pathogenic viruses: drug targets and therapeutic potential
36 months, $2,889,479

HRC PROGRAMME EXTENSIONS

Professor Antony Braithwaite, Professor Michael Eccles, Dr Janice Royds, Professor Bruce Baguley
Department of Pathology, University of Otago
Therapeutics and diagnostic markers of cancer: From bench to clinic
24 months, $2,640,067

Professor David Fergusson, Mr John Horwood, Associate Professor Annette Beautrais, Associate Professor Elizabeth Wells, Associate Professor Lianne Woodward
Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago
Longitudinal Studies of mental health and psychosocial wellbeing
36 months, $3,789,499

Professor Peter Joyce, Associate Professor Martin Kennedy, Associate Professor Christopher Frampton, Dr Janice McKenzie, Dr Virginia McIntosh, Dr Suzanne Luty, Dr Marie Crowe, Dr Janet Carter, Associate Professor Richard Porter, Professor Roger Mulder, Ms Jennifer Jordan, Dr Stephanie Moor, Dr Caroline Bell
Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago
Mental health clinical research
36 months, $3,345,053

Professor Jim Mann, Dr David Tipene-Leach, Professor Robert Walker, Associate Professor Patrick Manning, Ms Lorraine Brooking, Dr Rachael Taylor, Miss Eleanor Murphy, Dr Alexandra Chisholm, Associate Professor Sheila Williams, Associate Professor Geoffrey Chase, Ms Helen Pahau, Dr Kirsten Coppell, Dr Geoffrey Shaw, Ms Victoria Farmer, Mr Chris Booker, Dr Kirsten McAuley, Dr Wayne Sutherland
Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago
Lifestyle & nutritional approaches to reduce obesity, type 2 diabetes & its complications
36 months, $2,116,152

Professor Jeffery Wickens, Dr Gail Tripp, Associate Professor Brian Hyland, Dr Brent Alsop
Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology, University of Otago
Behavioural and cellular mechanisms of hyperactivity and movement disorders
36 months, $2,617,829

HRC PROJECTS

Dr Haxby Abbott, Professor John Campbell, Dr Clare Robertson, Associate Professor Jean-Claude Theis, Professor David Baxter
School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago
Decreasing pain, disability, waiting lists and costs of osteoarthritis
36 months, $646,762

Professor Wickliffe Abraham, Professor Warren Tate, Dr Joanna Williams, Dr David Ireland
Department of Psychology, University of Otago, (03) 479 7648
Mechanisms of secreted amyloid precursor protein regulation of synaptic plasticity
36 months, $1,024,344

Professor Allan Herbison, Dr Christine Jasoni, Professor James Sneyd
Department of Physiology, University of Otago, (03) 479 7312
Calcium oscillations in GnRH neurons
36 months, $1,084,086

Ms Bernadette Jones, Professor Julian Crane, Dr Sarah Dean, Ms Cheryl Davies, Dr Tristram Ingham
Wellington School of Medicine, University of Otago
Pukapuka Hauora: Parents knowledge of preventing & treating their child's asthma
24 months, $624,415

Dr Tony Merriman, Ms Jade Hollis-Moffatt, Dr Jerry Lanchbury, Dr Kirsten Timms
Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago
The GRIK2 gene: a link between rheumatoid arthritis and schizophrenia?
36 months, $878,896

Dr Pauline Norris, Dr Simon Horsburgh, Dr Gordon Becket, Professor Peter Crampton, Associate Professor Peter Herbison, Professor Bruce Arroll, Dr Jacqueline Cumming
School of Pharmacy, University of Otago
Equity in prescription medicines use
36 months, $911,503

Dr Chris Pemberton, Associate Professor Tim Yandle, Dr Chris Charles, Professor Gary Nicholls, Professor Mark Richards
Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago
BNP signal peptide: a novel, specific marker of acute cardiac injury
36 months, $666,368

Professor Ann Richardson, Dr Terri Green, Professor Brian Cox, Ms Suzanne Pitama, Associate Professor Bridget Robinson, Dr Susan Parry, Dr Ian Sheerin, Dr Lisa Fitzgerald, Mrs Gillian Abel, Dr Philip Hider, Dr Diana Sarfati, Mr Magnus McGee, Dr Tony Reeder, Mr Ian Bissett
Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago
Colorectal cancer control in New Zealand
36 months, $1,397,629

Professor Douglas Sellman, Dr Simon Adamson, Ms Daryle Deering, Associate Professor Martin Kennedy, Professor Peter Joyce
Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago
Treatment Evaluation of Alcohol and Mood: The TEAM Study
42 months, $840,037

Dr George Thomson, Ms Losa Moata’ane, Dr Heather Gifford, Dr Sheena Hudson, Dr Richard Edwards
Wellington School of Medicine, University of Otago
Policymaking to reduce smoking around children
36 months, $700,445

HRC EMERGING RESEARCHER FIRST GRANTS

Dr Erin Mahoney, Associate Professor Chris Sissons, Michael Swain
Wellington School of Medicine, University of Otago
The prevalence and carious potential of hypomineralised molars
36 months, $121,793

Dr Lynette Sadlier, Professor Ingrid Scheffer
Wellington School of Medicine, University of Otago
Genetics of epilepsy
24 months, $149,917

HRC FEASIBILITY STUDY GRANTS

Dr Haxby Abbott, Professor John Campbell, Dr Clare Robertson, Associate Professor Jean-Claude Theis, Professor David Baxter
School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago
Economic analysis of physiotherapy care to reduce costs of osteoarthritis
12 months, $134,565

ENDS

© Scoop Media