Funding boost for UQ Frazer Institute research

Researchers from The University of Queensland’s Frazer Institute have received $350,000 from the Translational Research Institute Australia (TRI) to accelerate medical research ‘from bench to bedside’.

Funding from the Leading Innovations Through New Collaborations (LINC) scheme will support 7 UQ-led projects by early to mid-career researchers to demonstrate proof of concept discoveries in cancer, children’s immunity and blood infection.

The research will be carried out in partnership with clinicians from Metro South Health (MSH) or Children’s Health Queensland (CHQ).

LINC recipients – lead scientists from UQ Frazer Institute:

• Dr Lauren Aoude – Establishment of patient-derived 3D organoids to advance personalised treatment of oesophageal cancer in partnership with MSH.
• Dr Michelle Chamoun – Preventing blood stream infection by removing E.coli’s protective cloak in partnership with MSH. 
• Dr Amelia Soderholm – Localised immune checkpoint therapy for cutaneous head and neck cancer in partnership with MSH.
• Dr Ming Tang – Development of novel drugs for the prevention and treatment of skin cancer in immunosuppressed organ transplant recipients in partnership with MSH.
• Dr Tatiane Yanes – Genomics of paediatric inborn errors of immunity in partnership with CHQ.
• Dr Yang Yang– A novel approach to engineer personalised vaccines to prevent cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma in partnership with MSH.
• Dr Joseph Yunis – Development of a personalised T cell vaccine for Ewing Sarcoma.

LINC grants are jointly funded by TRI, MSH, CHQ and the Queensland Government.

UQ’s Frazer Institute enables scientists, clinicians and industry to collaborate to address infectious disease, cancer and diabetes.

TRI is one of the largest medical research institutes in the southern hemisphere and is a joint venture by UQ, QUT, the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Mater Research and the Queensland Government.

Media: UQ Communications, communications@uq.edu.au, +61 (0)429 056 139.