Mater teams up with Scouts to tackle childhood obesity

A $226,792 grant will allow the Mater Children's Hospital (MCH) to conduct a study to help fight childhood obesity.

With up to 30 per cent of children in our society classified as overweight or obese, Australia is facing a national health crisis as these individuals are more susceptible to further health complications as adolescents or young adults.

The project, named the KOALA research program, will involve the MCH joining forces with a community-based sustainable network including Scouts Queensland exercise camps to investigate ways to overcome the issue of childhood obesity.

Queensland-first lab to grow skin for burn victims

A $227,272 grant will be put toward the establishment and clinical trial of a skin culture service in Queensland to help "grow" skin for transplantation onto burns victims.

The Queensland University of Technology is pioneering the skin culture service which is currently not available to Queenslanders and will substantially lower the cost of artificial skin for a single burns patient from $80,000-plus to less than $5,000.

Mothers & babies to benefit from study into maternal obesity

Maternal obesity currently affects one in three pregnancies in Australia, and can lead to many health complications for both mothers and their babies.

A $213,580 grant awarded to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital will buy equipment to assist a study to find how best to improve outcomes for obese women and their babies. The project, which assesses the feasibility of an exercise program, will provide researchers with information and insights not previously reported.

World-first study to improve the care of mental health nurses and their patients

The world-first study into mental health service provision in Queensland will be conducted by The University of Sunshine Coast after being awarded a grant of $225,192.

The study will trial the concept of Clinical Supervision. It will focus not only on the outcomes for individual mental health nurses, but will also examine the quality of care they provide and the effect of both on patient outcomes.

First-ever study to find immune response for incurable cancer gets off the ground

Multiple Myeloma is an incurable progressive malignant disease, characterised by blood and bone marrow abnormalities.

The Mater Medical Research Institute will use the $227,272 awarded by the Golden Casket Foundation to undertake a study to find whether bone marrow can be used to develop responses that may help control this cancer.

$94,027 gives boost to breast cancer research in Queensland

Breast cancer remains the most common cancer to affect women and the $94,027 grant made to the Queensland Health Pathology Service will be used to purchase a Semi Automated Tissue Microarrayer. This Microarrayer will be used to help determine whether the primary tumours in women with early breast cancer can help predict their axillary nodal status before surgery occurs.

2005 Recipients

• Sir Albert Sakzewski Virus Research Centre was awarded $201,250 to create new vaccines against a wide range of diseases such as childhood respiratory infections and Epstein-Barr virus associated lymphoma.
• Princess Alexandra Hospital was awarded $104,315 that went towards developing a method to optimise detection of curable hypertension (high blood pressure).
• Queensland Institute of Medical Research was awarded $250,000 to purchase new equipment to further understand various forms of cancer.
• Queensland Cancer Fund was awarded $230,000 toward a cancer research project.
• Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital was awarded $195,045 toward an Australian-first study into inflammatory bowel disease.