New institute to lead way in regenerative medicine

Published in Monash Memo, 5 April 2006

Source: www.monash.edu.au/news/monashmemo/stories/20060405/regenerative-institute.html

Monash will establish a new regenerative medicine institute as part of a multimillion dollar program of capital investment in its biomedical research capabilities.

The new Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute will lead national initiatives into one of the most promising areas of medical science.

The project received $35 million in funding from the State Government yesterday as part of the $230 million Healthy Futures initiative.

It will bring together Monash's expertise in stem cell and biomedical science and engineering and provide world-class training for young scientists in the field of regenerative medicine through the Future Scientific Leaders Program.

The institute, to be based at the Science Technology Research and Innovation Precinct (STRIP) at Clayton campus, will focus on healthy ageing, heart disease, kidney disease, immune disease, diabetes and cancer.

The institute will integrate world-class regenerative research in Victoria and build on key links with centres around the world.

The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Professor Edward Byrne, said regenerative medicine was an area of enormous importance and one of the most likely approaches to developing effective treatments for incurable diseases at all ages but particularly in the ageing population.

"This is one of the most exciting areas in the development of potential new treatments in patients with incurable diseases," he said.

"Healthy ageing depends, in part, on improving the ability of tissues to regenerate. Clearly, understanding and being able to modify the regeneration of tissues and organs is of vital importance to our ability to treat and prevent disease.

"This institute will develop platform technologies to improve our understanding of the processes and intervention for regeneration."

More News