Advancing solutions for chronic health conditions
Half of Australians live with a chronic health condition. We are re-imagining how people live with these conditions, through mission-oriented research programs. Our goal is to develop and translate new approaches, including diagnostics and therapies, to advance health outcomes, transform lives and reduce healthcare burden.
Our Programs
-
RAPID-TBI: Rapid Risk Assessment with Point of Care Technology and Intervention Delivery Using Targeted Therapeutics for Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic Brain Injury affects 27 million people worldwide annually, including more than 700,000 Australians. After a head injury, the brain can swell, causing dangerous internal pressure. The RAPID-TBI program is evaluating the benefits of using a handheld device that can be used by doctors, paramedics, and even trained sports coaches to measure any internal pressure in the skull, without the need for surgery. If the brain is inflamed, a new medicine, designed to calm brain inflammation, can help prevent further damage, while the use of biomarkers can monitor a patient's recovery. In partnership with hospitals, tech experts, and those with lived-experience, we are exploring how these tools, used in tandem, could help doctors and caregivers act faster. This research aims to streamline diagnosis and treatment, giving patients a better chance at full recovery and improved quality of life.
-
Targeting Inflammation to Prevent Heart Attacks, Heart Failure, and Cardiovascular Death
Heart disease remains a critical challenge in Australia, particularly within remote and Indigenous communities. Our program investigates atherosclerosis (blocked arteries) and accompanying heart damage. We are testing medicines that could protect the heart during attacks, while developing innovative mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics to reduce inflammation and prevent plaques in the arteries from rupture. The program will investigate various delivery methods, including nasal sprays, to improve treatment accessibility in remote areas. By targeting the body's inflammatory and immune responses, this research aims to create fairer, more effective ways to prevent and treat heart disease, potentially transforming cardiovascular care for all Australians.
-
SUCCEED (Systematically Understanding Comorbidities in Childhood Epileptic Encephalopathy Disorders)
Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies (DEEs) are devastating disorders where frequent seizures can affect a child’s development and lead to a severe disability. The SUCCEED program will leverage a novel preclinical platform that recapitulates an individual’s unique DEE to address the urgent need for more precise diagnosis and personalised treatment of DEEs. In partnership with hospitals and patient groups, the program aims to develop a portable, child-friendly device to make testing easier and less scary for kids. This is intended to help doctors diagnose DEEs sooner, prescribe the optimal therapies for individuals, and monitor if those treatments are working, improving long-term outcomes for families with these debilitating conditions.
Discovery with impact
Delivering cures for complex health conditions requires a mission-oriented approach that transcends traditional research. We conducted a rigorous process to identify multidisciplinary programs capable of delivering transformational change for diseases with high morbidity and global impact. These programs leverage our state-of-the-art platform technologies and the collective intellectual strength of the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct to focus research efforts on the outcomes that matter most to those living with these chronic health conditions.
A meaningful cure
We define a "cure" as a transformative advance in health outcomes that are meaningful to the people living with the chronic condition. To achieve this, we aim for breakthroughs that substantially relieve morbidity and the daily burden of disease. By embedding consumer voices and expertise from the outset, we ensure our research addresses the most pressing challenges and aligns with patients' goals. This co-design approach, involving partnerships with individuals with lived experience, focuses our efforts on delivering impacts that are truly transformative for people’s lives
Accelerating development together
Working in collaboration with diverse partners across the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct, we aim to fast-track the development of life-changing interventions. Our mission-oriented approach uses our advanced technologies to bridge critical gaps in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. By aligning our foundational research strengths with the expertise of industry and community partners, we accelerate the journey from the laboratory to the patient. Together, we are creating a faster, more effective path to delivering the new drugs and devices that people need.
Scaling impact
Lasting change comes from empowering our people and ensuring our discoveries have global reach. By engaging students and early-career researchers as vital partners in our mission, we are preparing the future leaders of healthcare. We endeavour to turn intellectual property into tangible products and services to advance Australian-led innovation. This focus on enterprise allows us to scale our impact, reducing the global healthcare burden while creating a sustainable, community-focused ecosystem for long-term health transformation
A process to innovate
Our Impact Area recognises the challenge of diagnosing and treating some chronic health conditions. There is an opportunity to think big and tackle these profound health challenges by leveraging our capabilities and working collaboratively. By accessing the state-of-the-art capabilities of the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct and the breadth of expertise of our partners, we aim to develop cures for high-burden conditions that have a global impact and transform care for people with those conditions. Leads of this Impact Area, Professors Laura Downie and Stuart Mazzone, have been collaborating closely with researchers and partners to refine and focus programs of research to achieve this goal. Work is underway to develop innovative platforms and devices, to fast-track disease diagnosis and to assess the effectiveness of novel treatments that can transform health outcomes. Through a rigorous, dual-stage expression of interest process, we have facilitated pitching sessions and hosted interactive workshops to identify and support Impact Area research programs to adopt a mission-oriented approach that can deliver positive impact and advance health.