MRFF projects improving the health and well-being of Australians

The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) is a $20 billion long-term investment supporting Australian health and medical research.

Murdoch Children's Research Institute researchers are grateful to have received MRFF funding to investigate child and adolescent health questions spanning mental health and neurodevelopmental disorders, asthma and allergy treatments, concussion management and rare genetic conditions to name a few.

We are highlighting some of these ground-breaking research projects and clinical trials in a new series of short #MRFFinaMinute videos to be released on #MRFFMondays. Murdoch Children’s Director Professor Kathryn North introduces the series and outlines how important the MRFF is to improving the health and well-being of Australians.

This series we are featuring: 

Professor Melissa Little’s research into engineering stem cells in the lab to model the cells of inherited kidney disease to test drugs and discovering new treatments.

Professor David Tingay’s trial investigating the right amount of pressure to give pre-term babies at birth to help with their breathing, delivering important guidance around the best clinical care for our most vulnerable babies. 

Vanessa Rausa’s studies looking to advance child concussion treatment, improve access to timely, accurate diagnosis and develop a simple blood test that will help predict the risk of lingering symptoms. 

Associate Professor David Elliott’s research aiming to reduce the harmful impact of cancer-fighting drugs on children’s hearts by engineering stem cells in the lab to model heart disease cells to help identify protecting drugs.