Early cancer detection research awarded $3.7m in NHMRC funding

A total of 237 leading researchers across Australia will receive five-year Investigator Grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). In the latest funding announcement on 20 May 2020, Minister for Health Greg Hunt committed almost $400 million to health and medical research projects.

Scientia Professor Justin Gooding, Co-Director at NSSN and Co-Director at the Australian Centre for NanoMedicine, has been awarded the most funding nationally. Professor Gooding will receive $3.76 million to research biomarkers released from cancer cells that will assist in early cancer detection and better cancer treatment.

“We are really excited about this project which focusses on developing in vitro models of cancers and using advanced nanosensors to detect the release of biomarkers from the cancer models,” said Professor Gooding.

“This is important to allow us to better understand how to use liquid biopsy biomarkers to help guide treatments and understand the efficacy of the treatments.”

The team will use lab-based models of cancer, generated with a 3D bioprinter, to learn what biomarkers reveal about cancer type and response to drugs.

"The bioprinter is used to generate the in vitro cancer models with unprecedented control and to make these in high throughout so we acquire statistically relevant data,” Professor Gooding said.

New South Wales research institutions were awarded $119.8 million in research funding for 83 projects with UNSW and the University of Sydney researchers receiving $33 million and $62 million respectively. 

A full list of grant recipients is available on the NHMRC website.

Learn more about the bioprinter here.

Media: Shahrzad Abbasi  0466548145