Researchers and innovators share in $6 million for COVID projects
Almost $6 million in State Government money has been awarded to local researchers and innovators to tackle health and wellbeing challenges related to the COVID-19 emergency.
The funding – drawn from the Future Health Research and Innovation Fund – will support 18 projects across three separate streams, these being:
- Research Grants – 10 projects valued at $2,107,830
- Innovation Grants – 3 projects valued at $147,420
- Infrastructure Grants – 5 projects valued at $3,732,761
The Department of Health’s Assistant Director General, Clinical Excellence Division, Dr James Williamson said the projects highlighted the wide range of research underway across Western Australia that had the potential to provide important new insights into the SARS-CoV-2 virus and challenges arising from the COVID-19 emergency.
Successful applications included two projects that are especially timely given the imminent commencement of COVID vaccination in Australia:
- Professor Merrilee Needham from the South Metropolitan Health Service has been awarded $879,661 to build a digital WA-wide research platform, known as TRANSFORM, which will provide access to quality, real-time prospective data on COVID-19 patients for a range of research purposes.
- PathWest Laboratory Medicine’s WA COVID-19 Collaborative (WACIC), led by Clinical Professor Dominic Mallon, will receive $788,436 to establish a longitudinal cohort study of Western Australians who have recovered from COVID-19, their close contacts, and people who will be among the first to be vaccinated. WACIC will monitor these groups over a two-year period, collecting blood, saliva, and mouth swabs. It will share data with all WA researchers. Minimal community transmission in WA to date has given WACIC a unique opportunity to examine and compare immune responses to infection and different types of vaccine without the effect of exposure or re-exposure to the virus which could otherwise change the nature and duration of the initial immune response.
FHRI Focus Grants: COVID-19 recipients
|
Coordinating Principal Investigator/Project Lead |
Administering Institution |
Project Title |
Funding Awarded |
|
Research |
|
||
|
Dr Katie Attwell |
The University of Western Australia |
Coronavax 3: Helping the hard-to-reach |
$224,964 |
|
Ms Kathleen Davern |
The University of Western Australia |
Humanized Neutralizing Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 |
$221,902 |
|
Associate Professor Nick Golding |
Curtin University |
Quantifying contact networks for COVID-19 outbreak preparedness |
$223,741 |
|
Dr Tim Inglis |
The University of Western Australia |
Western Australia-driven COVID-19 countermeasures |
$225,000 |
|
Associate Professor Samuel Lundin |
Biotome Pty Ltd |
Precision-immunology assisted by on-chip machine learning to create a test for neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 |
$225,000 |
|
Dr Brennen Mills |
Edith Cowan University |
Development and evaluation of a novel gamified education package enhancing pandemic preparedness for frontline healthcare response staff and students |
$224,446 |
|
Professor George Milne |
The University of Western Australia |
Analytics to determine effective and cost-effective responses to infectious disease epidemics and pandemics, with application to COVID-19 |
$224,586 |
|
Dr Sandra Salter |
The University of Western Australia |
COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Monitoring in Community Pharmacy (COVID-19 VIP) |
$217,505 |
|
Professor Valerie Verhasselt |
The University of Western Australia |
Determinants of human milk-mediated protective immunity against COVID-19 |
$223,047 |
|
Professor Bu Yeap |
The University of Western Australia |
Influences of cardiometabolic risk factors and testosterone on risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in men |
$97,639 |
|
Innovation |
|
||
|
Dr Nathan Lawler |
Murdoch University |
Optimisation and validation of a rapid biomarker screening assay for identifying COVID-19 |
$47,420 |
|
W/Professor Marc Tennant |
The University of Western Australia |
Tele-screening for tooth decay in early childhood during COVID-19 pandemic |
$50,000 |
|
Mr Janardhan Vignarajan |
CSIRO's Australian e-Health Research Centre |
Artificial intelligence technology for automated detection of tooth decay from mobile dental photographs |
$50,000 |
|
Infrastructure |
|
||
|
Dr Yit Heng Chooi |
The University of Western Australia |
COVIDexpress: High-throughput platform for screening of drugs to treat COVID-19 and rapid diagnosis |
$862,382 |
|
Clinical Professor Dominic Mallon |
Pathwest Laboratory Medicine WA |
Western Australian COVID-19 Immunity Collaborative (WACIC) |
$788,436 |
|
Dr David Morrison |
East Metropolitan Health Service |
Infrastructure to test current and innovative PPE and other medical devices |
$322,282 |
|
Professor Merrilee Needham and Dr Aron Chakera |
South Metropolitan Health Service |
TRANSFORM - Building for the WA Research Future |
$879,661 |
|
Professor Bruce Robinson |
The University of Western Australia |
An advanced digital monitoring and engagement platform for at-risk and confirmed COVID-19 individuals |
$880,000 |