Landmark Wellcome contract launches new global resource to transform mental health research
L-R: A/Prof Rachel Hill, Prof Suresh Sundram
The School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health is pleased to share that Associate Professor Rachel Hill and Professor Suresh Sundram from the Department of Psychiatry have been awarded a major Wellcome contract to develop a brand new online library of animal models for psychiatric conditions.
Animal models remain a critical tool in mental health research, allowing scientists to uncover new insights and develop treatments for complex psychiatric conditions. Selecting the appropriate model can be extremely challenging due to the diversity of options available, and the inherent complexity of human mental health conditions, but is an essential part of bridging the gap between laboratory discoveries and real-world treatments. This challenge has historically been a significant barrier to progress in understanding and treating mental disorders.
Creating this comprehensive library of animal models for psychiatric conditions will address this challenge, and offer a global platform that supports rigorous, transparent, and ethical research in mental health.
The new online library will categorise and evaluate existing animal models, providing researchers with critical information about each model's validity, reliability, and relevance to specific mental health conditions. This systematic approach will help streamline research processes, enhancing reproducibility and potentially accelerating the development of new treatments for conditions that affect millions worldwide.
"This awarded contract provides international recognition that our program is world-leading and will generate a significant shift in progressing our understanding of causal pathways in mental illness," said A/Professor Hill.
The project represents a collaborative effort between Monash University, RMIT University (with Professor Falk Scholer), and technology partner Thoughtworks. It will be developed under the auspices of the Consortium for Preclinical Psychiatric Research, founded and chaired by A/Professor Hill.
Congratulations to A/Professor Hill and Professor Sundram on this achievement. We look forward to seeing this project take shape.
About Monash University
Monash University is Australia’s largest university with more than 80,000 students. In the 60 years since its foundation, it has developed a reputation for world-leading high-impact research, quality teaching, and inspiring innovation.
With four campuses in Australia and a presence in Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia and Italy, it is one of the most internationalised Australian universities.
As a leading international medical research university with the largest medical faculty in Australia and integration with leading Australian teaching hospitals, we consistently rank in the top 50 universities worldwide for clinical, pre-clinical and health sciences.
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