The University of Queensland has received a US$100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The grant will support an innovative global health research project conducted by Professor Paul Young, entitled "An altruistic vaccine for mosquito transmitted pathogens."
Professor Young's project is one of 81 grants announced by the Gates Foundation in the second funding round of Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative to help scientists around the world explore bold and largely unproven ways to improve health in developing countries.
The grants were provided to scientists in 17 countries on six continents. The initiative is highly competitive, receiving more than 3000 proposals in this round.
To receive funding, Professor Young showed in a two-page application how his idea falls outside current scientific paradigms and might lead to significant advances in global health.
"Mosquito transmitted pathogens such as dengue and malaria are a significant disease burden on society, particularly in the developing world," said Professor Young, from UQ's School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences.
He aims to develop a novel vaccine approach based on blocking mosquito transmission of a wide range of diseases rather than the traditional approach of inducing pathogen-specific immunity.
Professor Young's laboratory has been involved in dengue research for over 25 years and has made significant contributions to our understanding of the biology of this mosquito-transmitted agent, as well as to disease control strategies and improved diagnosis.
"I am thrilled to have received this grant as it will allow us to kick start a new and untested strategy for disease control," Professor Young said.
"The winners of these grants are doing truly exciting and innovative work," said Dr Tachi Yamada, president of the Gates Foundation's Global Health Program.
"I'm optimistic that some of these exploratory projects will lead to life-saving breakthroughs for people in the world's poorest countries."
About Grand Challenges Explorations
Grand Challenges Explorations is a five-year, $100 million initiative of the Gates Foundation to promote innovation in global health. The program uses an agile, streamlined grant process – applications are limited to two pages, and preliminary data are not required. Proposals are reviewed and selected by a committee of foundation staff and external experts, and grant decisions are made within approximately three months of the close of the funding round.
Applications for the next round of Grand Challenges Explorations are being accepted through to May 28, 2009. Grant application instructions, including the list of topic areas in which proposals are currently being accepted, are available at the Grand Challenges Explorations website.
About UQ's Faculty of Science
UQ's Faculty of Science is recognised as a powerhouse of teaching and research that unites the disciplines of biomedical and biological sciences, chemistry, earth sciences, geographical planning, maths and physics, and marine and environmental science. The development of alternative sources of fuel, better treatment for illness, eradication of disease and rehabilitation of the environment are just some of the projects UQ scientists and graduates are working on today.
Media Contact: Professor Paul Young Phone +61 7 3365 4646, email p.young@uq.edu.au or Travis Taylor, phone +61 7 3365 8598, email t.taylor1@uq.edu.au
