Monash University has secured over $49 million in funding for 40 projects in the latest round of NHMRC Ideas Grants – more than any other university in Australia. This outstanding achievement reflects Monash’s leadership in health and medical research and its commitment to tackling critical global challenges.
The awarded projects span diverse and impactful areas, including exploring nanomedicine to treat preterm brain injuries, pioneering new therapies for acute leukemia, and refining antibiotic dosing strategies to combat drug-resistant bacteria.
The NHMRC Ideas Grant scheme funds innovative research across all areas of health and medicine, supporting projects from early discovery through to implementation. It is open to researchers at all career stages and aims to foster creativity and multidisciplinary approaches to address significant health challenges in Australia.
The full list of Monash recipients are below. Details on their research projects can be found here.
Impact biased agonism at GLP-1R affects obesity and type 2 diabetes treatment | Dr Dana Hutchinson | Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences |
Understanding host and pathogen adaptations during recovery from C. difficile infection | Prof Dena Lyras | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
How reproductive cells recover and fertility is restored after genetic damage | A/Prof Robin Hobbs | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Upfront BAT | Dr Mitchell Lawrence | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
How the heart’s electrical system forms during development | Dr Gonzalo del Monte Nieto | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Tumor Neural Crosstalk: How nerves and tumors interact to shape the tumor environment | Prof Erica Sloan | Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences |
Understanding immunity to develop better Strep A vaccines | Dr Danika Hill | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Immune Responses to Bacteria: How cells respond to stress and bacterial infections | Prof Elizabeth Hartland | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Reprogramming the immune response to fight lung cancer | A/Prof Daniel Gough | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Investigating atypical gut dysmotility caused by Clostridioides difficile infection | Prof Dena Lyras | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Trace Amine Receptor in Psychiatry: Exploring genetic diversity and treatment potential for mental health | A/Prof Karen Gregory | Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences |
Protecting fertility, pregnancy and endocrine function after cancer treatment | Dr Amy Winship | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Data for Ageing Policies: Using linked data to evaluate ageing-related policies | A/Prof Nadine Andrew | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Using nanotechnology to improve Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery Outcomes | A/Prof Shayanti Mukherjee | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Pregnancy and the multiple sclerosis brain | Dr Nevin John | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
How mTORC1 regulates cell growth and disease at the lysosome level | A/Prof Andrew Ellisdon | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Targeting Acinetobacter baumannii small RNAs for new treatments. | Prof Anton Peleg | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Nanomedicine for preterm brain injury | Dr Tamara Yawno | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Cancer Therapy via PTEN: Targeting a unique protein function for cancer treatment | Dr Antonella Papa | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Antibody Therapy for Strep: Developing a new therapy for invasive Strep infections | Dr Danika Hill | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Novel strategies to understand and treat facial development disorders | Prof Edwina McGlinn | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Discovery of New Antimalarials with a Novel Mechanism of Action and Irresistible Target | Dr Carlo Giannangelo | Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences |
Anti-Clot Therapy: A first-of-its-kind therapy targeting blood flow clots | Prof Christoph Hagemeyer | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Identifying brain changes in loss of consciousness across species and anaesthetic conditions | Prof Naotsugu Tsuchiya | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Optimising dosing strategies with new antibiotics against drug-resistant bacteria | A/Prof Cornelia Landersdorfer | Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences |
What controls how long plasma cells live? | Prof David Tarlinton | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Treg Suppression in Cancer: Using tick proteins to block cancer’s immune defenses. | Prof Martin Stone | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Cancer Signaling Axis: Targeting a new pathway in aggressive cancers. | Prof Roger Daly | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Developing a new therapy for acute leukemia | A/Prof Ross Dickins | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Investigating IRF1 in shaping T Cell immunity | Prof Stephen Turner | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Studying NLRP1’s role and treatment potential in immunity | A/Prof Ashley Mansell | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Regrow with the flow | A/Prof Jan Kaslin | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Using new trial designs and AI for personalised treatments | Prof Andrew Forbes | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Understanding how seizures start in human epilepsy | Prof Greg Stuart | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Targeting evolution to combat Helicobacter pylori antibiotic resistance | Dr Terry Kwok | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Melanoma Immunopeptidome: Using systems biology to understand melanoma | Dr Chen Li | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Using technology to track and prevent opioid poisonings | Dr Ting Xia | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Fighting bacterial superbugs with advanced molecular tools | Prof John Boyce | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Using natural body processes to manage chronic pain | Prof David Spanswick | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
Developing PD-L1 checkpoint therapies for autoimmune diseases and transplants | A/Prof Ross Dickins | Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences |
