The Feeney Way
Throughout the 2000s, The Atlantic Philanthropies (founded by American philanthropist Chuck Feeney) gave more than $100 million to UQ to help establish the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, the Queensland Brain Institute, the Centre for Clinical Research and the Translational Research Institute.
This remarkable investment fundamentally shifted Queensland’s research ranking, increasing the number of researchers in the state from 8,000 to 18,000 between 1998 and 2011.
Chuck and Helga Feeney. Image: supplied
Chuck and Helga Feeney. Image: supplied
Alongside this transformative investment, the Atlantic Philanthropies also helped establish the UQ Centre and a new home for the UQ Art Museum.
Here are five ways Chuck and Helga Feeney’s philanthropy is making a difference.
1. Institute for Molecular Bioscience – using venom to save lives
IMB’s research outputs and global partnerships have made Queensland a global destination for drug discovery and development and positioned The University of Queensland in the world's top 50 universities.
IMB is harnessing nature to cure disease and houses the largest venom collection in the world.
57,000 Australians have a heart attack every year – causing permanent damage to the heart and leading to lifelong disability and even death.
Research from IMB’s Professor Glenn King and Dr Nathan Palpant have identified a drug candidate, Hi1a, developed from a molecule found in the venom of the Fraser Island (K’gari) funnel web spider which could be a gamechanger for heart disease sufferers around the world.
Professor Glenn King with a K'gari funnel web spider. Image: Institute for Molecular Bioscience
Professor Glenn King with a K'gari funnel web spider. Image: Institute for Molecular Bioscience
Emeritus Professor Perry Bartlett and Dr Jing Zhao. Image: Queensland Brain Institute
Emeritus Professor Perry Bartlett and Dr Jing Zhao. Image: Queensland Brain Institute
2. Queensland Brain Institute – delivering vital treatments for MND
QBI is a leading neuroscience institute devoted to the fundamental understanding of how the brain works, from its smallest components through to the integrated networks that underpin human thought and behaviour.
Around 2000 Australians are living with the neurological disorder motor neurone disease (MND), and each day another two people will be diagnosed and two will die.
The average life expectancy from diagnosis is 27 months.
QBI researchers have discovered molecules that regulate motor neuron development and survival and application to MND treatment.
Emeritus Professor Perry Bartlett, the inaugural QBI Director, and his colleagues Emeritus Professor Andrew Boyd and Dr Jing Zhao are translating their research discoveries to human clinical trials using a drug candidate EpHA4, a protein blocker to prevent the progression of MND.
3. University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research – fighting antibiotic resistance around the world
Focused on improving people's lives through patient-orientated research, UQCCR offers state-of-the-art facilities, located at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and brings together leading health professionals, clinicians, and scientists from around the globe.
The research is ‘patient-orientated', which means research it is conducted in response to questions that arise at the bedside. This provides better treatment and results for patients, as well as adding to the body of knowledge about diseases or problems.
Sub-optimal use of antibiotics for severe infections contributes to the high number of deaths from bacteria that are resistant to many standard antibiotics (>50,000 per year). Research undertaken at UQCCR has enabled doctors around the world to identify the dose of antibiotic needed to cure patients of their bacterial infections.
Led by Professor Jason Roberts, UQCCR’s therapeutic drug monitoring is now used in hospitals in more than 12 countries worldwide and supports the care of over 4000 patients in more than 30 Australian hospitals, resulting in improved cure and survival.
Research with one antibiotic is now used in more than 30% of intensive care units globally. UQCCR’s work also contributed to 19 treatment guidelines used by all Australian hospitals and more than 50% of all GPs.
4. The Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology – revolutionising vaccine delivery
Urgent solutions are needed for the way the global community generates and uses energy, engages with our environment, and deals with serious health issues and AIBN is working on the answers.
The approach – merging bioengineering and nanoscience – is purposely disruptive which allows researchers to look at things differently and solve problems in a way that others can't.
The 400-strong team works closely with industry to translate cutting-edge science into practical solutions to help shift global reliance on fossil fuels; create healthier communities; build stronger, more sustainable economies, and create a more sustainable footprint overall.
AIBN has been at the forefront of vaccine development develop vaccine candidates for potentially devastating diseases including Hendra, MERS, and more recently COVID-19.
A new, easy, non-invasive way to administer vaccines is set to revolutionise the health industry around the world, due to the development of needle-free technology at AIBN.
The needle-free technology, discovered at the AIBN, administers vaccines with a single pain-free ‘click’ from a pocket-sized applicator – like applying a patch.
There is real potential for Nanopatch to dramatically assist global vaccine rollout efforts, particularly for billions of vulnerable people in low and middle-income countries.
Image: Joe Vittorio
Image: Australian Cancer Research Foundation Australian Centre of Excellence in Melanoma Imaging and Diagnosis
Image: Australian Cancer Research Foundation Australian Centre of Excellence in Melanoma Imaging and Diagnosis
5. University of Queensland Diamantina Institute – using 3D scanning to catch melanoma
UQDI turns scientific discoveries into better treatments.
The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute (UQDI) is a modern research facility where clinical and basic science converge in the translational research of cancer, immunology, and genomic medicine.
The Institute is host to over 300 researchers, students, and support staff and lays claim to global, world-changing discoveries such as the world’s first cervical cancer vaccine.
Based at the Translational Research Institute beside the Princess Alexandra Hospital, UQDI has strong clinical interactions and world-class facilities that enable researchers to be at the forefront of their fields.
Australia has the highest melanoma rates in the world and is often referred to as ‘Australia’s national cancer’.
An estimated 16,800 Australians will be diagnosed with melanoma and 1300 will die this year alone.
Professor H. Peter Soyer leads the Dermatology Research Centre, which is revolutionising the way skin cancers and other skin conditions are diagnosed and monitored.
The research has led to the development of a skin microbiopsy device that takes tissue samples smaller than 0.5mm in diameter, allowing dermatologists to rapidly collect samples of skin without local anaesthetic or sutures.
The team is also using 3D state-of-the-art scanning technology that takes an image in milliseconds enabling skin cancers to be diagnosed remotely, even from the other side of the country.
It’s part of the world’s largest melanoma imaging trial.
Media: communications@uq.edu.au; +61 429 056 139
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