MRFF funding for Australia-first research infrastructure project

MSPS and SBS collaboration nets close to $16M of funding from MRFF and partners for Australia-first Research Infrastructure project.

^{Pictured: Professor Olivia Carter}

The Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences’ Professor Olivia Carter and Dr Julian Simmons, working in close collaboration with Professor Malcolm McConville and other researchers from the School of Biomedical Sciences, Melbourne Dental School, Faculty of Science and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, have been awarded $15.83M. The funding will support the development of a world-leading multi-omics platform for integrated proteomics, lipidomics and metabolomics analysis of biological samples within a NATA accredited environment. The platform, termed OMIX3, will build critical national capability at the University, expanding existing NCRIS-funded infrastructure and leverage outstanding collaborative networks of researchers, clinicians and commercial partners from around Melbourne’s biomedical precinct and beyond.

The award includes close to $7m of funding from an Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), as well as $8.83M co-investment from partners – including Thermo Fischer Scientific, Bioplatforms Australia and Australian Biocommons – and the University of Melbourne, through support from the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, the School of Biomedical Science and the University of Melbourne Infrastructure Enablement fund.

This project represents the phenomenal potential of interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration. OMIX3 will arm the University with world-leading capability in medical research, that will enable AI driven discovery into the complex determinants of health and wellbeing.

– Professor Olivia Carter

The ability of the OMIX3 platform to address unmet clinical needs through new discovery and diagnostic capability will be demonstrated through four flagship projects. These include:

• An ambitious inter-generational longitudinal cohort project, Px4 Health, to accelerate biomarker identification and causal associations between multi-omics, lifestyle and environmental factors in determinants of disease vs healthy aging
• Using ultra-rapid functional multi-omics to increase the diagnostic yield of patients with rare genetic diseases
• The identification of predictive biomarkers for infectious diseases
• Aiding the identification of children at high risk of severe dental disease.