The discovery of the cause of cervical cancer and subsequent development of a vaccine, which has received US Food and Drug Administration approval and has just been released for sale in Australia, is expected to remain one of the most significant medical discoveries of the 21st century.
Professor Ian Frazer, based at the University of Queensland and undertaking research within the Princess Alexandra (PA) Hospital, has developed the vaccine against cervical cancer, a disease which currently kills around 270 000 women each year. Professor Ian Frazer has been awarded the inaugural 2006 Smart State Premier’s Fellowship Award and has also been made 2006 Australian of the Year.
As a Premier’s Fellow, Professor Frazer recieves $250 000 each year for five years which will be matched by an equivalent sum from the University of Queensland.
To support the further development of Professor Frazer’s research and develop strong linkages between eminent researchers in Queensland, the Queensland Government has committed up to $100 million to establish a new high-tech Translational Research Institute at the PA Hospital. This initiative will see the relocation of the Mater Medical Research Institute to the PA Hospital, combining the expertise of both research facilities into a world-class facility and partnering with various Queensland universities. The new institute will specialise in translational research – taking discoveries from the lab into clinical trial, and will include eminent researcher Professor Derek Hart who broke new ground in researching prostate cancer.
This funding is part of a new $145 million commitment to medical research infrastructure that will build a health research powerhouse in Queensland. It also includes up to $35 million allocated for a new Smart State Medical Research Centre at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research(QIMR) at Herston and a further $10 million to expand clinical research at the Wesley Research Institute. The $37 million Wesley facility will involve a number of partners including the Queensland University of Technology, the University of Queensland and CSIRO.
 |
 |
 |
The Institute of Health and Biomedical InnovationThe Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI) is the largest research institute of the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and is based in a state-of-the-art facility at Kelvin Grove Urban Village, Brisbane.
In 2001, the Queensland Government allocated $22.5 million under the Smart State Research Facilities Fund to support the establishment of this $70 million facility, which was completed in 2006.
IHBI research encompasses three broad areas of human health research: prevention, mind and body health and recovery.
With more than 700 members, IHBI draws from a wide base of leading health and biomedical researchers including engineers, physicians, molecular biologists, infectious disease specialists, nurses, psychologists, public health experts, vision scientists, movement physiologists and statisticians.
IHBI has ongoing links with local and interstate hospitals, medical researchers worldwide, clinical specialists and industry professionals. IHBI will also benefit from QUT’s highly successful track record in commercial partnerships and sustainable biotech companies.
By working with a broad network of health and medical professionals, IHBI will bridge the gap between scientists and better health for everyone.
The Australian Institute of Bioengineering and NanotechnologyThe University of Queensland’s Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) is Australia’s first fully integrated research institute to take a multidisciplinary approach to understanding and exploiting nanostructures, the genetic basis of cell activity and opportunities at the interface between bioengineering and nanotechnology.
With internationally recognised researchers, AIBN merges the skills of engineers, chemists, biologists and computational scientists to focus research and development efforts, leading to new products and devices for improving human health and quality of life.
The AIBN has one of the most significant representations of scientists and engineers working in the areas of bioengineering and nanotechnology in Australia. This unique combination of scientists and engineers undertakes research in four main areas: nanotechnology for energy and the environment, cell and tissue engineering, systems biotechnology, and bimolecular nanotechnology and devices.
With its innovative technologies, cutting-edge capabilities and acknowledged research leaders, AIBN enables the progression of ideas and products through partnering and contract research.
The University of Queensland is constructing a $70 million complex to house the AIBN, with the Queensland Government investing $20 million from the first round of the Smart State Research Facilities Fund and a further $6.5 million under Round One of the Innovation Building Fund to establish the Bionano-products Development Facility at AIBN.
Funding innovation skills for QueenslandThe first Round winners of the four Smart State Senior Fellowships, each receiving $100 000 per year for three years, funded by the Innovation Skills Fund were:
Professor Zee Upton (Queensland University of Technology) to examine the controlled delivery of wound healing agents via biodegradable materials and to translate the technology to the global market.
Queensland Government - Smithsonian Institution Memorandum of UnderstandingIn 2000, the Queensland Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Smithsonian Institution in the USA, the world’s largest museum and research complex. This is the only time such an agreement has been signed with a government outside the USA and in 2005 the MOU was extended for a further five years.
The agreement provides for ongoing collaboration over a five-year period on mutually beneficial projects that advance research, disseminate knowledge and promote social and cultural development.
This collaboration has enhanced Queensland’s knowledge and capabilities in a diverse range of fields, expanded international networks, alliances and collaborations, and promoted Queensland’s expertise and leading international role in fields such as rainforest research.
Global recognition of Queensland’s research community is demonstrated through the increasing number of significant external grants being attracted into Queensland from philanthropic and other organisations. Recent examples include the following:
In addition, Queensland researchers are increasing their share of Commonwealth grant funding for research from the Australian Research Council and from the National Health and Medical Research Council, including funding for the establishment of a number of Cooperative Research Centres and Australian Centres of Excellence.
 |
 |
 |
Last reviewed 19 June 2007