Gilead Sciences Australia recently announced that six researchers across Australia have been awarded critical funds to help realise their research ambitions in the areas of chronic viral hepatitis, HIV, breast cancer and invasive fungal infections. The Gilead Australia Fellowship: Grants Program provides funding to novel clinical research projects across Australia that can help inform and shape best practice in patient care.
The six applicants* will share in the $300,000 AUD allocated fund pool from the Grants Program, established by Gilead to foster local research with a clinical and ‘real-world’ focus that supports the development and implementation of best practice to enhance patient outcomes.
Some of the funds from this year’s program will go towards researching point-of-care testing for hepatitis C in people experiencing homelessness in the Adelaide CBD, improving women’s access to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) treatment in NSW, and the use of big data to help identify people in Melbourne with “silent” liver disease and link them to timely care.
One of this year’s research award recipients, Dr Joan Ericka Flores from the Department of Medicine, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, will be putting funds from the Grants Program towards utilising available data to help identify people with potentially serious, but clinically silent, liver disease.
“With a high burden of alcohol and fatty liver disease-related cirrhosis in Australia, new approaches to improve early diagnosis are still needed. Our study will look at the merits of analysing data from routine blood tests performed in a community setting to help identify individuals at-risk of liver cirrhosis who may have otherwise been missed, and ultimately link them to timely care.”
“We were delighted that Gilead recognised the value of this study in providing novel research and crucial data in this area lacking attention. The Grant can now help to inform clinical practice and ultimately improve services to our patients.”
With researchers in Australia currently facing increasing competition, as they vie for much-needed funding, initiatives such as the Grants Program have never been more important in bridging the gap in local Australian research funding, particularly for projects with a local or community focus.
According to Dr Andrew Weekes, Senior Director, Medical Affairs at Gilead Australia and New Zealand: “Gilead is a company founded by scientists focused on tackling major public health crises. Research is in our DNA, and over the past 20 years we have been at the forefront of drug discovery and development in HIV, chronic viral hepatitis, haematological malignancies and solid tumours.”
“We believe that investing in local scientists who are seeking to improve clinical practice through better diagnosis, treatment and education is a fundamental part of how we, as a research community, help to create a healthier world,” he added.
Over the last decade, the Grants Program has granted more than $2.6 million to research projects throughout Australia, providing funding for clinical and academic staff at Australian hospitals, clinics, universities and research institutes, young investigators, nurses, GPs, and other healthcare providers/researchers from professional organisations in both metropolitan and regional areas.
Applications for the 2023 Gilead Australia Fellowship: Grants Program are now open with a call for research proposals in the areas of HIV, chronic viral hepatitis, haematological malignancies, solid tumours and invasive fungal infections. Applications are reviewed by an independent judging panel featuring a number of experts from across Australia recognised for their contribution to research. Applications close 12 August 2022.
For more information on the 2023 Gilead Australia Fellowship: Grants Program please visit www.gileadfellowship.com.au
Full list of 2022 research award recipients:
- Dr Erin McCartney of the Royal Adelaide Hospital Infectious Diseases Unit in Adelaide (SA) who will undertake a study which aims to inform how to scale up HCV screening for people who are experiencing homelessness through HCV point-of-care testing and direct referral into treatment at homeless community centres in the Adelaide CBD.
- Dr Caroline Lade from Illawarra Sexual Health Service in Warrawong (NSW) who will research how to improve HIV prevention in Australian women by exploring their barriers and opportunities to prescribe PrEP.
- Dr Joan Ericka Flores from Department of Medicine, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne (VIC) who will study how to use big data to improve the diagnosis of liver cirrhosis and links to specialist care.
- Dr Sarah Latham at Eastern Health – Box Hill Hospital (VIC) who will explore the feasibility and safety of using bone turnover markers to guide the frequency of a specific medication administration in the treatment of patients with bone metastases from breast cancer.
- Dr Zoe Neoh from Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre/ University of Melbourne (VIC) who will develop and establish a streamlined database for systematic collection, management and analysis of non-Aspergillus mould infection data, to support effective surveillance in Australia.
- Michael Traeger from the Burnet Institute in Melbourne (VIC) who will research the acceptability and preference for new ways of delivering PrEP amongst men who have sex with men (MSM).
