Archived News for Research Sector Professionals

A research team led by Monash and Melbourne universities have discovered why people can develop life-threatening allergies following the treatment for conditions such as epilepsy and AIDS.

The International Square Kilometre Array Organisation has announced a dual site solution for the construction of the Square Kilometre Array telescope, with Australia, New Zealand and South Africa sharing the construction of the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope.

The Western Australian Government has announced $5.2 million over four years to build the state’s international profile in science through the support of WA’s Nobel Laureates and the attraction of new research fellows.

The University of Adelaide has established a new $50m endowment fund to support in perpetuity capital works and research in agriculture.

The Chief Scientist Professor Ian Chubb has released his Health of Australian Science report, providing an overview of Australia's science system in schools and universities, through to research sectors and industry.

The Minister Assisting for Industry and Innovation, Senator Kate Lundy, has announced the appointment of an independent expert committee to help Innovation Australia deliver the $1 billion Clean Technology Investment programs.

The Victorian Government has announced a new $20 million research initiative aimed at better understanding the effects of road trauma.

Design researcher, practitioner and Australian Future Fellow, Professor Andy Dong has been appointed to the new Warren Chair in Engineering Innovation within the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies at the University of Sydney. 

The Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) has announced the backing of a research project that has identified a number of hardy native plants that could be used to grow on walls and roofs of buildings.

The Victorian Minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business Louise Asher has called for applications for the 2012 Victoria Prize for Science and Innovation, and the 2012 Victoria Fellowships.

Ms Asher said the Victoria Prize for Science and Innovation will recognise two outstanding scientists this year for their lifelong commitment and achievements. Two individual awards of $50,000 each will be presented – one for work in life sciences and one for work in physical sciences.

As part of the Victoria Fellowships, the Government will provide $18,000 to up to twelve outstanding early-career researchers and innovators to enhance their careers with international study missions.

Applications close on Friday 29 June 2012. Application forms are available at www.business.vic.gov.au/vicprize or www.business.vic.gov.au/vicfellows 

Research and demonstration grants totalling $72.5 million have been awarded as part of the first round of the Federal Government’s  Filling the Research Gap and Action on the Ground programs that are part of the $429 million Carbon Farming Futures program.

The ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) of genomic research are the focus of a new international collaboration to use web 2.0 technologies to build a "collaboratory" infrastructure for ELSI research globally. 

Swinburne University of Technology Vice-Chancellor Professor Linda Kristjanson has announced the appointment of Professor George Collins to the role of Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Development).

Professor Collins has more than 30 years experience in research and research management, and is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the CAST Cooperative Research Centre. He is also Professor of Materials Science in the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering at The University of Queensland.

Professor Collins was previously Chief of Research at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) where he coordinated research in environmental science, radiopharmaceutical development, materials engineering and applications of neutron scattering.

As a researcher, Professor Collins has achieved international recognition in the field of plasma surface engineering.

Professor Collins will take up his appointment with Swinburne on 1 August 2012.

The upgraded facilities of the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) have been officially opened at Chowder Bay in Mosman, following investment of $20 million to upgrade and construct laboratories, expand seawater research aquarium facilities and purchase and install a range of marine research equipment.

A University of Queensland researcher has discovered nine new genes that drive the development of breast cancer, taking the tally of all genes associated with breast cancer development to 40.

Published recently in Nature journal, the study is part of an international initiative to sequence the genomes of a variety of cancers. Professor Sunil Lakhani from the UQ Centre for Clinical Research along with an international team of breast cancer researchers lead by Professor Michael Stratton (Sanger Institute, UK), examined all the genes in the genomes of 100 cases of breast cancer.

Professor Sunil Lakhani said mutated cancer-causing genes (called driver genes) were different in different cancer samples, indicating that breast cancer is genetically very diverse.

“Understanding the consequences of this diversity will be important in progressing towards more rational treatment,” Professor Lakhani said.

“The idea behind the work was to establish ‘the landscape' of genetic changes in breast cancer with a view to understanding which genes drive a breast cell to become cancerous.”

“Recently, we have begun to appreciate that breast cancer is not one disease but has several different subtypes. However, what the study shows is that the diversity and differences between patients is much greater than appreciated. Although 28 of the 100 cancers had a single driver mutation, some had as many as six. There were 40 different cancer genes implicated in the development of the cancer and in 73 different combinations – almost every cancer is therefore unique.”

“It is showing us that we will have to use broad information about cancer subtypes (as we do at present in the clinic) and combine it with the unique genomic features of each patients cancer in order to provide individualised treatment plans – which will be a challenge, but hopefully will also improve outcomes by providing new opportunities to target the mutations with specific drugs.”

The research was carried out at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, one of the world's leading genome centres, located in the UK.

The Australian National University (ANU) has announced the appointment of Professor Matthew Colless as Director of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Ten new desalination research projects will share in $2.7 million from the Australian Government funded National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia (NCEDA).

The Defence Science and Technology Organisation’s nutrition research facility at Scottsdale in Tasmania is to undergo an $18.7 million upgrade.

Researchers at the University of South Australia’s Ian Wark Research Institute and Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Science at Monash University have developed a way to use innovative nanotechnologies to ensure disease-controlling drugs are absorbed in the body much more efficiently.

The South Australian Government has signed an agreement with the Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR) to extend funding for its road safety research for another five years.