On the Tour de Cure
Three College of Medicine and Public Health Flinders University researchers have been awarded Tour de Cure grants. Raj Shrestha has an Early Career Grant for the project, “A drug repurposing approach to target lipid metabolism in prostate cancer” worth $49,976.50, Georgia Bourlotos, has received a PhD Scholarship, for her project “Determining the contribution of the bladder microbiome to BCG-immunotherapy for non-muscular invasive bladder cancer” worth $9,641 and He Lin, has a PhD scholarship for the Flinders Foundation project “Characterising brain cancer-specific circular RNA families as new therapeutic targets” for $10,000 run with Flinders University.
Tour de Cure’s mission has always been to change cancer outcomes for Australians. Funding Australia’s Researchers, Scientists and Clinicians is how we build towards better treatment, diagnosis, prevention, and care.
Two MND grants in 2025
Two Flinders University projects have been successful in the latest round of MND Australia research grants, in support of people living with and impacted by motor neurone disease (MND). Since 1987, MND Australia funds research grants to discover causes, improve care, develop treatments and ultimately find a cure for motor neurone disease.
Professor Peter Catcheside from the College of Medicine and Public Health and a larger team of investigators have won an MND Australia Innovator Grant and been awarded the Eileen Grace Bignall MND Research Grant.
“This project will bring together people living with MND, their carers, clinical care teams, sleep scientists and engineers to refine and test a new mattress sensor device that will measure breathing in more detail that has previously been possible,” says Professor Catcheside.
“This will allow breathing problems and sleep to be routinely assessed in the home without any intrusive worn sensors.”
Co-design and pilot tests through this one year project will accelerate translation into more comprehensive and streamlined respiratory-sleep medical care for people with MND.
Rebecca Francis from the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, along with colleagues Professor Sebastian Doeltgen and Associate Professor Stacie Attrill, has received a MND South Australia MND Research Grant.
The project will work with people with MND and their families to develop ways to understand, talk about and manage cognitive and behavioural changes in MND.
“Research has found that up to 50% of people living with MND may experience cognitive and behavioural changes as part of the disease,” says Ms Francis.
“Currently, we don’t know how families, who are experiencing MND, would prefer to learn about and manage cognitive and behavioural changes. This means that the ways we currently assess for them are inconsistent, or it may even mean that these changes are not detected or discussed at all.”
The research project aims to develop clinical frameworks and educational resources for people with MND, their families and MND clinicians.
These resources will support families to work together with their health care team to navigate cognitive and behavioural changes, in ways that best suit their individual needs and preferences.
More awards for Sleep Revolution
Australia’s Sleep Revolution with Dr. Michael Mosley has won Best Science Program/Content at the World Congress of Science & Factual Producers “Buzzies” Awards in Marrakesh.
The Flinders University Sleep team was acknowledged in the thank you speech delivered by Artermis Media’s Celia Tait, who attended the ceremony alongside Clare Mosley, with Dr Mosley also honoured posthumously with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Green with envy
Congratulations to Professor Colin Raston and PhD candidate Safira Barros who were the recipients of awards at the recent Australian Conference on Green and Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering. Professor Raston won the award for Exemplary Contribution to Green and Sustainable Chemistry, while Safira was recognised with the Outstanding Oral Presentation Award by RACI (Royal Australian Chemical Institute).
Beyond bars
The ‘Beyond Bars’ research project into improving pathways and access to services for people exiting short-term prison terms recently won the prestigious David Biles Correctional Award for Research Excellence from the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology.
The Centre for Social Impact project, by Flinders College of Business, Government and Law academics Jenna Mizzi, Associate Professor Caitlin Hughes, Professor Mark Halsey, Dr Jen Cleary, Dr Simone Deegan and Professor Ian Goodwin-Smith, aims to help stop the ‘revolving door’ for re-offending by helping policy makers to introduce step-down facilities with transitional accommodation, ‘one stop shop’ social services and (mental) health hubs, and wayfinding champions to improve pathways to community reintegration. The South Australian revealed the significant community costs of short prison stays in in regional Australia, underscoring an urgent case for policy change to break the cycle.
Keeping nature sustainable
Professor of Water Economics Sarah Wheeler was one of 31 international experts in a Nature Sustainability perspective. Professor Wheeler also coauthored a Global Water Forum examining the dire need to prepare for and manage global water shortages. This was hot on the heels of the release of a major review of the Murray-Darling Basin reforms, led by colleagues at the ANU and Wentworth Group of experts.