Major grants set to drive new heart disease and cancer research

Multiple SAHMRI-related research projects have secured significant support through the latest round of National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ideas and Development Grants, backing innovative approaches to preventing and treating some of Australia’s most widespread and challenging health conditions.

Professor Christina Bursill has received four years of funding to investigate a new way to deliver the drug diroximel fumarate directly to fatty blockages in the arteries.

Her team has discovered that the drug slows the growth of plaque by boosting antioxidant defences and reducing inflammation, which may help prevent heart attacks.

Professor Bursill says the funding will help refine a nano-based drug delivery system designed to bypass gastrointestinal side effects and ensure the medication reaches the exact site where it is needed.

“Heart disease continues to cause enormous burden in Australia,” Prof Bursill said.

“We want to build on our early findings and create a targeted therapy that treats plaque locally while reducing unwanted side effects for patients.”

Associate Professor Susan Woods and her team have won two grants aimed at exploring new ways to prevent and treat bowel cancer, which remains one of Australia’s most deadly cancers.

The first four-year grant, led by Dr Josephine Wright, will support research into high-risk microbiomes and how changes in gut bacteria contribute to cancer development. The project will also examine whether these microbial changes can improve screening and whether they can be shifted into a healthier state to reduce cancer risk.

Another three-year project will explore a unique treatment approach using engineered probiotics designed to release drugs specifically at tumour sites. The goal is to improve treatment outcomes while reducing side effects that commonly occur with existing therapies.

“We are developing living ‘drug carriers’ that can target tumours while minimising side effects,” A/Prof Woods said.

“This technology could pave the way for more precise and better tolerated treatments.”

These projects highlight the breadth of innovation emerging from SAHMRI and its partners, as researchers work to prevent disease and deliver tailored treatments to help millions of Australians live healthier lives.