Focus on molecular mechanisms by which cells kill themselves. [ 2007 - 2012 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: Prof David Vaux (Principal investigator)

Brief description The main aim of this Fellowship is to enable me to further expand, enhance, and strengthen the study of cell death at La Trobe. I wish to establish a centre for bio-medical research at La Trobe that acts collaboratively with local, national and international researchers to conduct basic research and harness the results to develop new therapies. Since moving to La Trobe in January 2006 I have been able to build and expand the critical mass of cell death researchers by recruiting laboratory heads, post-doctoral fellows and several PhD and Honours students. These have joined post-docs, who moved with me from WEHI. We continue to have very close links with the WEHI Cell Death NHMRC Program Grant I remain a Chief Investigator on that grant, renewed in 2006. Because many of the WEHI facilities are on the La Trobe campus at Bundoora, my lab has better access to new mouse strains, monoclonal antibody production, medicinal chemistry, and genetically modified mouse production than those at WEHI in Parkville. This Fellowship will allow me to accelerate the building of a research group that will make substantial collaborative contributions to the basic scientific study of the mechanisms of cell death, to identification of therapeutic targets, to testing and validation of novel pharmaceutical compounds in vitro, and to facilitate clinical trials in Australia. Australian research on the basic mechanisms of cell death is not just of international standard, it is world leading. While it is important that our research is funded to maintain this position, we do not see ourselves as competing with overseas groups, but participating in a joint scientific effort. The translation of basic findings into new treatments will require the input from pharmaceutical industry that Australia lacks. To shorten the time for clinical translation, and to benefit from these developments, we must retain our research credentials, and remain collaboratively integrated with the international effort.

Funding Amount $AUD 4,366,120.62

Funding Scheme NHMRC Research Fellowships

Notes Australia Fellowship