Health researchers awarded $2.4 million

Professor Paul Gorry and his team received nearly $878,000 to conduct research on HIV drug resistance, and to develop the next generation of anti-viral drugs.

"HIV patients who have access to therapy live longer and have a better quality of life than ever before. This is because we have never stopped developing new therapies to combat drug resistance and tolerability issues," Gorry said. 

"This grant will enable us to continue our important work to improve the lives of people living with HIV."

Associate Professor Ross Vlahos and his team receive almost $1.07 million to identify new therapeutic interventions that could help prevent stroke or improve stoke outcomes in patients with chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD).

Associate Professor Sarah Spencer received a Career Development Fellowship worth $470,000 to tackle brain inflammation, a key driver of obesity, an issue which affects more than six in 10 Australians and about one quarter of children.

Executive Dean of RMIT’s School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, Professor Charlie Xue, congratulated each of the recipients on their success.

"These funds will enable RMIT researchers to address some of the most pressing health issues of the day," he said.

Xue noted that grants represented an increase of around 50 per cent on last year’s funding, reflecting RMIT’s growing reputation for groundbreaking health and biomedical science research.

"Recently, the school has focused on research team formation and collaboration to build capacity in key research areas that are aligned with our vision and research priorities," he said.

Recipients for the 2016 NHMRC grants were selected by panels of independent experts, who assessed applications across a wide range of fields.

Story: Jane Rennie