- New health and medical Innovation Fellowships announced
- More than $1.3 million in funding shared by 10 successful
applicants
- Supported by the State's Future Health Research and Innovation
Fund
The Cook Government is investing $1,347,849 to help 10 local innovators build
their capacity and capability to develop solutions to health and medical
challenges across the State.
The 2022-23 Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund Innovation
Fellowships support a range of projects which aim to improve the health and
wellbeing of Western Australians and contribute to WA's economy.
Among the recipients is Curtin University's Dr Armin Mooranian, who is
developing a drug-based treatment for age-related hearing loss.
It's a condition that affects a quarter of all Western Australians, and there
is currently no available therapy
to prevent or treat hearing loss.
Dr Mooranian's drug, delivered via a
special gel, permeates deep into the inner ear and creates a long-term environment
in which to protect the cochlea.
This new drug is less invasive and less
expensive than other treatments, which can include cochlea implants.
Associate Professor
Ryu Takechi is working on dementia, a
leading cause of death in Western Australians and a condition that is expected
to quadruple by 2050.
The Curtin
University researcher has found a toxic protein that abnormally increases in
the blood decades before clinical onset of Alzheimer's disease.
His team
is now testing a drug which significantly
decreases the blood levels of the protein, potentially reversing the process
and preventing the onset of Alzheimer's.
For more information on the 2022-23 FHRI Fund Innovation Fellowship
program, visit the FHRI Fund page.
Comments
attributed to Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson:
"These FHRI Fund Innovation Fellowship recipients are at
the cutting-edge of innovation here in Western Australia.
"These recipients all have incredible ideas, and many
have great expertise in innovation and entrepreneurship.
"The Cook Government committed to helping them fully
develop their projects, to benefit the Western Australian community and help
diversify the State's economy."
