Monash Memo - articles - 05 December 2001

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Grants pave way for more disease research

Monash medical researchcentres have won prestigious grants to further their research into majordiseases.

A number of research partners in the Monash Institutes ofHealth, together with the Baker Institute and The Alfred, have received$1 million to develop a new proteomics facility.

Known as theRamaciotti Foundation Medical Research Initiative, the highlycompetitive award (with more than 100 applications) was the first suchlarge grant awarded by the foundation.

The funding will be used toestablish the Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Centre for Proteomic and GenomicResearch, a state-of-the-art, high-throughput proteomics facility forthe Alfred Medical Research and Education Precinct.

The new facilitywill help researchers understand the structure of genes by investigatingthe role of proteins in genes.

It will also directly assist medicalresearchers in their efforts to develop drugs for the treatment ofcancer and neurological, cardiac and autoimmune diseases inparticular.

Monash also performed well in the small grants section ofthe initiative, winning seven of the 25 grants awarded in Victoria, thelargest number awarded to any Victorian institution.

Also receiving asignificant boost in funding was the Centre for Complementary Medicineat the Monash Institute of Health Services Research, which received agrant of $20,000 for research into non-pharmaceutical treatments forasthma.

The grant, from Asthma Victoria, will support research intothe use of complementary medicines and treatments for thecondition.

Director of the Centre for Complementary Medicine Dr MarcCohen will head up a team that includes Associate Professor MichaelAbramson from Monash's Department of Epidemiology and PreventiveMedicine and Ms Nory Side from the Lung Function Laboratory at TheAlfred.

According to Dr Cohen, asthmatics would see great benefits ifthe results were positive.

"Breathing techniques and othernon-pharmacological therapies are considered complementary rather thanas alternatives to pharmacological medicines," he said.

"However, ifthey are able to assist in controlling asthma symptoms, there will bemany people in our community who may benefit, so it's a very importanttrial."