Metro South Health (MSH) clinician-researchers were among the recipients of new Translational Research Institute (TRI) grants and fellowships announced this week.
The Leading Innovations through New Collaborations (LINC) grants and TRI Translation Fellowships aim to accelerate research discoveries into better patient care.
Five grants – funded jointly by TRI and Metro South Health – were awarded to MSH clinician-researcher teams working across cancer, neurological and gastrointestinal disease, along with a sixth grant funded by the TRI Foundation:
- Dr Philip Rowell (PAH orthopaedic surgeon) and Dr Behnam Rashidieh (Mater Research) will investigate ways to prevent dormant breast cancer cells in bone from reactivating.
- Dr Tamara Sanchez (PAH neurologist) and Dr Kunal Bhatt (QUT) will study early immune signatures of Parkinson’s disease in people at risk, aiming to enable earlier detection and intervention.
- Dr Ayesha Shah (PAH gastroenterologist) and Dr James Volmer (QUT) will explore pathways to more targeted therapies for inflammatory bowel disease.
- Dr Fiona Swain (PAH haematologist) and Dr Soi Law (Mater) will track cells to improve outcomes for patients with relapsed lymphoma.
- Dr Camille Savoia (PAH lymphoma fellow) and Dr Zhian Chen (UQ) will develop predictive biomarkers to guide T cell therapy in lymphoma.
- Dr Vladimir Andelkovic (PAH oncologist) and Dr Jacqui McGovern (QUT) were awarded a TRI Foundation Paediatric Research Grant for their work to overcome chemotherapy resistance in osteosarcoma.
Metro South Health staff also achieved success in securing fellowships:
- Dr Urska Arnautovska (Addiction and Mental Health) was awarded Translation Fellowship
- Dr Matthew Tunbridge (PAH nephrologist) and Dr Ayesha Shah (PAH gastroenterologist) were awarded Associate Fellowships.
The LINC program brings new clinician-researcher partnerships to life, using grants of up to $50,000 to generate proof of concept data, positioning projects for larger competitive funding and clinical translation. The program also includes structured networking opportunities throughout the year.
The Translation Fellowships provide six months of tailored translation coaching to support early- and mid-career researchers, and clinician-researchers, as they advance real world translational projects.
These successes highlight the strength of Metro South Health’s research partnerships and the impact of clinician-led innovation across the organisation.