Monash BDI secures $8.3m in NHMRC Ideas Grants

L-R Top row: Dr Natalie Lister, Dr Bradley Broughton, Prof Ian Smyth (two grants), Bottom row: A/Prof Anne Fletcher, Dr Patricia Illing, Prof Diana Hansen
L-R Top row: Dr Natalie Lister, Dr Bradley Broughton, Prof Ian Smyth (two grants), Bottom row: A/Prof Anne Fletcher, Dr Patricia Illing, Prof Diana Hansen

Researchers from the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) were awarded $8.3 million across seven projects in the highly competitive National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ideas Grant scheme.

The Ideas Grant scheme is designed to support innovative research projects and to provide particular opportunities for early and mid-career researchers.

The Monash BDI projects that were awarded funding include research investigating a new target for men with aggressive prostate cancer; better post-stroke outcomes using bioengineered gels; the pathogenesis of polycystic kidney disease; how binge drinking affects kidney development; T cell suppression in colorectal cancer; antigen sources for influenza immunity; and the impact of persistent asymptomatic malaria.

Monash BDI’s Director, Professor John Carroll, said , “Congratulations to our researchers who were successful in the 2023 Ideas Grant round. Their projects investigate fundamental mechanisms of health and disease across a diverse range of physiological processes."

The Monash BDI researchers who have secured funding to lead projects:

Dr Natalie Lister, Department of Anatomy & Developmental Biology, Cancer Program

  • Defining the role of MYBL2 inhibition in men with aggressive prostate cancer $1,167,940

Dr Bradley Broughton, Department of Pharmacology, Cardiovascular Disease Program

  • Novel bioengineering solution for improving post-stroke outcomes $1,102,304

Professor Ian Smyth, Department of Anatomy & Developmental Biology, Development & Stem Cells Program

  • Unravelling the role of AURKA in Polycystic Kidney Disease $1,168,673
  • Understanding how binge drinking affects kidney development $1,212,256

Associate Professor Anne Fletcher, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Immunity Program

  • COX2-driven T cell suppression in the colorectal cancer microenvironment $1,350,991

Dr Patricia Illing, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Immunity Program

  • Non-canonical antigen sources for cross-strain protective influenza immunity $1,444,450

Professor Diana Hansen, Department of Microbiology, Infection Program

  • Immune responses to asymptomatic malaria: dissecting cellular signatures to overcome immunosuppression and improve vaccination strategies $873,271

Read more about the NHMRC Ideas Grant recipients on the NHMRC media release and Outcomes of funding rounds pages.


About the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Committed to making the discoveries that will relieve the future burden of disease, the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) at Monash University brings together more than 120 internationally-renowned research teams. Spanning seven discovery programs across Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Development and Stem Cells, Infection, Immunity, Metabolism, Diabetes and Obesity, and Neuroscience, Monash BDI is one of the largest biomedical research institutes in Australia. Our researchers are supported by world-class technology and infrastructure, and partner with industry, clinicians and researchers internationally to enhance lives through discovery.