Protect medical research funding
A cabinet leak has confirmed medical research funding may be on the budget chopping block. Any cuts in government funding for medical research could delay promising new ways to diagnose, prevent, treat or even cure all types of diseases.
If you value medical research, please get behind the Discoveries Need Dollars campaign to let Australian politicians know how you feel.
Centenary Institute researchers support this campaign to save this vital lifeline for medical research in Australia.
Professor Mathew Vadas, Executive Director
Medical research is part of the Australian fabric of life. From the pride we take in inventing the bionic ear, the vaccine that prevents cervical cancer, the superb-evidence based medical training that saves lives and does so in cost-effective fashion. All of these owe a debt to medical research, and the devotion, persistence and altruistic life-choice of its many practitioners.
Cuts in the research budget of the NHMRC would not only cause harm in the short term in terminating promising research projects, in removing the optimism needed for our younger researchers to persist in face of difficulties, but also in the long term in depleting a precious work-force that has taken decades to assemble and train.
We try to bring together the best teams at the Centenary Institute to attack the diseases that affect us most – cancer, cardiovascular and infectious diseases – with the promise that our country appreciates their efforts, that they are doing this on behalf of all Australians. I do not want to disappoint them.
Lauren McKnight, PhD Researcher,T Cell Biology
As a patient, I am careful to ensure that my doctors are up to date with the latest in medical research so that I can be sure I am getting the very best in health care. As an expectant mother, I am acutely aware of having the best possible treatments available for any of the diseases that my child may acquire. As a scientist, I know that that advances in medical treatment will grind to a halt without well-funded medical research teams.
For example, my PhD research funded by the NHMRC has looked at the regulation of the immune response in allergic diseases such as asthma. I know that these diseases will never be cured until we find out why they happen, and how the immune system can be manipulated to prevent the allergic response. Without funding this research simply stops, and the hope of finding a cure vanishes. If we are truly committed to improving life for all Australians, it is absolutely essential that we support medical research.
Dr Patrick Bertolino, Head of Liver Immunology
Liver diseases are on the rise as a result of increasing numbers of people chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus. These infections lead to cirrhosis and, ultimately, cancer . The only solution for these patients is to receive a liver transplant but this is not without risks.
I have dedicated almost 20 years to understand how we can alter immune responses in the liver to change this outcome and improve the conditions of people receiving a liver transplant. Our research supported by NHMRC funding is providing new strategies to improve the conditions of patients suffering from these diseases.
Research is one of the major ways by which societies can progress but it requires long-term investments to change the way people think and live. Budget cuts would have a negative impact on the life of our children.
Dr Nick West, Head of Tuberculosis Vaccince Development and Pathogensis
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a health issue in Australia with around 1200 people diagnosed with the disease each year and cases of drug-resistant strains on the rise.
Our research at the Centenary Institute investigates ways to prevent and treat tuberculosis. Globally, two billion people are infected with the TB bacteria and it causes nearly 2 million deaths each year.
Our work has only been possible through the support we receive from the NHMRC. A cut in funding today would result in significant setbacks in our efforts and threaten the progress we have made in the development of new vaccines and drugs. This would considerably delay the time vital therapies become available – delays that can cost lives.
Find out how you can support the Discoveries Need Dollars campaign.
