Federal funding totaling nearly $5.5 million has been allocated to four research projects at the University of Western Australia (UWA). The grants were awarded through The National Health and Medical Research Council’s 2025 Ideas Grants scheme.
Funded Research Areas
-
Osteoporosis Risk and Bone Fat: Dr. Kai Chen from UWA’s School of Biomedical Sciences will lead research to examine how dietary sugar converts into bone fat. The project will also explore the use of RNA therapies to block this process. Bone marrow fat, which accounts for 70 percent of adult bone space, is known to play a role in bone health, consume more sugar than other bone cells, and its growth is linked to bone loss in conditions such as osteoporosis. The research aims to develop new treatments for bone protection and strengthening.
-
Transplant Patient Outcomes: Professor Michaela Lucas, from UWA’s Medical School, will investigate new targeted treatments for transplant patients. Organ transplantation is a life-saving procedure, but the immune suppression required to prevent organ rejection often leads to adverse side effects. This project will comprehensively examine proteins at various stages of the immune response across different types of transplanted solid organs. The goal is to inform the development of new treatment strategies to prevent early rejection and improve long-term outcomes and quality of life for transplant recipients.
-
Strep A Infection Prevention: Dr. Janessa Pickering from UWA's School of Biomedical Sciences and The Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases will lead a study to prevent the spread of Strep A using beneficial bacteria found in the throat. Researchers have identified healthy bacteria capable of naturally eliminating Group A Strep, a pathogen responsible for conditions including sore throats, skin sores, and rheumatic heart disease. The project will characterize these healthy bacteria and develop new products for infection prevention. Community engagement will also assess the acceptability of using alternative Strep A treatments, such as probiotics and supplements.
-
Genetic Factors in Osteoporosis: Professor Scott Wilson from UWA’s School of Biomedical Sciences is leading new research to understand how inherited genetic differences increase the risk of osteoporosis. While numerous genetic risk factors for osteoporosis have been identified, their specific effects on bone cell function are not fully understood. This project will identify which genes are activated or deactivated by these risk variants and how these changes affect bone cell function. This knowledge is considered crucial for translating genetic discoveries into improved diagnostics and future treatments for osteoporosis.