UQ performs well in medical research funding

UQ performs well in medical research funding

Preliminary advice indicates that The University of Queensland has consolidated its position as one of the nation's leading medical research universities.

The University has attracted the second highest number, and the third highest amount of new grant allocations nationally for 2000 from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

The University of Queensland was awarded 56 competitive new grant allocations worth $4.6 million, from a national total of 426 grants. This is 11 more grants than in 1999, when the University attracted 45 grants valued at $3.85 million.

Preliminary information indicates that the University of Sydney attracted 62 grants valued at $5.3 million, and the University of Melbourne received 54 grants, valued at $4.7 million, in the NHMRC round.

The two largest awards to University of Queensland investigators were five-year fellowship project grants:

o Professor Rob Parton (Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology/Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis/Department of Physiology and Pharmacology) will investigate the function of a muscle-specific caveolar protein. The $1million project will seek to understand the molecular changes associated with a debilitating condition, muscular dystrophy. Dr Parton is interested in a protein known as caveolin-3, and the mutations in this protein which cause some forms of muscular dystrophy.

o Dr David Vaney (Vision, Touch and Hearing Research Centre/Physiology and Pharmacology Department) will conduct a $767,000 investigation into the structural basis of direction selectivity in the retina.