248 innovative research projects will receive a share of $239 million from the Morrison Government to help advance our understanding of a wide range of health and medical issues faced by Australians.

Funded through the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ideas Grant scheme, the research undertaken by the 248 projects will deliver important discoveries to improve the health of Australians.

Projects include research by Dr Melissa Call at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) who is leading a project to manipulate human immune cells to develop new and improved CAR-T cell cancer treatments that train a patient’s own immune cells to kill tumours. This grant will support the development of these new treatments.

The projects also include a research to improve the reliability of cochlear implants led by the University of Western Australia, by determining if anti-fibrotic drugs can reduce the formation of scar tissue caused around the electrode;  Study of the cause of endometriosis led by Professor Guiying Nie at RMIT University, to explore new diagnostic and therapeutic options for women with this disorder; An investigation of the uptake and transport of the SARS-CoV-2 virus led by the University of Queensland to understand the long-term consequences of potential virus interactions with brain cells and find ways to block infection.