Health Innovations Research Institute (RMIT HIRi)

Translating fundamental science into better health outcomes

RMIT HIRi takes an integrated approach to address key health issues facing the Australian community in the 21^st century through research programs focussing on understanding how the human body functions at a molecular and cellular level. This knowledge will inform innovative therapeutic strategies to target disease states.

The primary goal of the institute is to translate basic science discoveries into effective, safe therapeutic outcomes.

A research institute

The RMIT mission is “to create and disseminate knowledge to meet the needs of industry and community”. The Health Innovations Research Institute is a new RMIT initiative that seeks to better connect the diverse communities around health enterprise to more effectively address the changing needs of biomedical research and society. It capitalises on existing institutional strengths to build increased research and translation capacity in identified areas of socio-economic health burden. These include cardiovascular diseases, insulin resistance and diabetes, obesity, arthritis, mental health disease and stroke.

The research

The HIRi brings together key researchers and groups from a range of Schools at RMIT involved in the following discipline areas: applied physics, biotechnology, cell biology, chemistry, exercise metabolism, biomedical engineering, herbal medicine, nanotechnology, physiology and pharmaceutical sciences. Interdisciplinary and cross-institutional research programs will be coordinated with industry partners and other stakeholders. We seek to achieve a deeper understanding of the pathophysiology of diseases and to develop new ways to treat the changes that occur as these diseases progress.

The four research programs that bring together a growing team of over 100 researchers and their collaborators are:

Metabolism, exercise and disease
Program Leader: Prof. Phil Poronnik
Electromagnetism: biophysical modulators
Program Leader: Prof. Irena Cosic
Traditional and complementary medicine
Program Leader: Prof. Charlie Xue
Ion channels and transporters as therapeutic targets
Program Leader: Prof. David Adams

HIRi will also provide a platform for state-of-the-art infrastructure and technologies to enable virtual research and development capabilities to be shared with research and industry partners.

A community institute

As an integral part of RMIT University and the College of Science, Engineering and Health, with linkages in the Colleges of Business and Design and Social Context, HIRi is also an institute for the broader community. In addition to research and teaching, HIRi is developing outreach initiatives that include public lectures and tours, “discover science” workshops for the public, a “scientist in the classroom” project, extensive exercise and health programs as well as professional development courses for teachers and health professionals. In conjunction with the Schools of Art and Creative Media, we are also developing artist- and writer-in residence projects that will explore the creative aspects of biomedical research.

Contact

Director, Research Institute Professor David Adams	Tel: (03) 9925 6606 david.adams@rmit.edu.au
Manager, Research Institute Rachael Dunstan	Tel: (03) 9925 6682 rachael.dunstan@rmit.edu.au