The Australian Government is contributing more than $8 million for groundbreaking research projects between Australia and Japan under the Adopting Sustainable Partnerships for Innovative Research Ecosystem (ASPIRE) program.
As part of the ASPIRE program, led by Japan’s Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), Australia’s ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) will fund 3 large scale collaborative joint research projects to tackle the complex mechanisms underlying the maintenance and disruption of biological functions.
With a focus on basic science research, world-leading research teams will be supported to undertake cutting-edge research relevant to the populations of both Japan and Australia, providing opportunities for further synergies.
Dr Ankur Sharma, based at the University of New South Wales, aims to build a comprehensive spatial map of cancer cells and their immune systems. This project will enhance our understanding of why current therapies work only in some patients and some subtypes of cancers. Developed in collaboration with Australian and Japanese cancer researchers, clinicians and data scientists, this map will also help identify new drug targets to develop novel therapies and rationalise treatment selection.
University of Melbourne researcher, Professor Damian Purcell, will collaborate with a team of researchers from both Australia and Japan to develop RNA and small molecule medicines to prevent and treat the Human T-cell Leukaemia Virus, a priority infectious agent in the respective communities.
Based at the University of New South Wales, Professor Robert Graham’s research program will elucidate the mechanisms of poor heart repair caused by heart attacks. The aim is to develop therapeutics that stimulate the regrowth of heart muscle. The project will identify the best drug candidate and formulate it so that it can be easily delivered to heart attack patients, with the overall goal to remove roadblocks that prevent the body from healing itself after an injury.
AMED is Japan’s national body to promote integrated research and development in the field of medicine, from basic research to clinical trials. AMED’s ASPIRE program is designed to foster the exchange of information and to encourage collaboration between Japan and partner countries.
All funding details can be downloaded on NHMRC’s outcomes of funding rounds webpage.
Quotes attributable to NHMRC CEO Professor Steve Wesselingh:
- “NHMRC’s participation in AMED’s ASPIRE program provides an important, and exciting, opportunity for Australian researchers to collaborate on finding answers to some of the most complex health problems.
- “Another key aspect of the successful research programs is the establishment and enhancement of sustainable partnerships between Australian and Japanese researchers.
- “The funding announced today will help our researchers to answer fundamental questions about complex biological systems and improve our knowledge leading to better ways to predict, prevent, diagnose, and treat disease.”
