2019/20 WA Child Research Fund recipients

The request for applications in December 2019 generated a great amount of interest and resulted in over 70 applications being received for the 2019/20 WA Child Research Fund (WACRF).

Following a panel review process, a total of $3.9 million was awarded for sixteen projects with grants ranging from $217,000 to $250,000.

The recipients and their project titles are listed below, together with the administering institution.

Coordinating Principal Investigator	Institution	Project
Dr Gail Alvares	Telethon Kids Institute on behalf of the Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia	Preventative mental healthcare for young children with autism.
Dr Timothy Barnett	Telethon Kids Institute on behalf of the Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia	Could an intracellular bacterial reservoir in the tonsils account for recurrent episodes of Strep throat and rheumatic fever?
Professor Meredith Borland	Perth Children's Hospital	PEAChY (Pharmacological Emergency management of Agitation in Children and Young people) trial.
Professor Meredith Borland	Perth Children's Hospital	How Can We Accurately Predict Cervical Spine Injuries in Children? Study Of Neck Injury Imaging in Children (SONIIC).
A/Professor Asha Bowen	Telethon Kids Institute on behalf of the Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia	From Bush & Bench to Policy & Practice: Evidence to inform the primary prevention of Rheumatic Heart Disease in WA Aboriginal children.
Dr Vanessa Fear	Telethon Kids Institute on behalf of the Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia	Rapid and reliable rare disease diagnosis: developing a new diagnostic pipeline for children with rare diseases.
Dr Amelia Harray	Telethon Kids Institute	Quality or Quantity: The Role of Carbohydrate in the Health of Children with Diabetes.
Professor Terrance Johns	Telethon Kids Institute on behalf of the Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia	Development of a new therapy against Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma.
Dr Lea-Ann Kirkham	Telethon Kids Institute on behalf of the Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia	A bacterial therapy to prevent otitis media - preparing for first-in-human studies.
Dr Ingrid Laing	Telethon Kids Institute on behalf of the Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia	Unlocking mechanisms of age-relationships in rhinovirus-induced wheezing attacks; the key to identifying biomarkers of recurrent exacerbations in early life.
Dr David Martino	Telethon Kids Institute on behalf of the Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia	DNA Methylation Biomarkers of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: Informing FASD diagnosis.
Dr Michael O'Sullivan	Child and Adolescent Health Service	Early peanut immunotherapy in children (EPIC).
Professor Jane Pillow	Telethon Kids Institute on behalf of the Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia	Cognitive Improvement through early Restoration of cirCADian rhythms in very preterm Infants via Environmental Modification: The CIRCA DIEM Study.
Clin. Assoc Professor Mary Sharp	Telethon Kids Institute on behalf of the Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia	Developing new approaches to predicting in-flight hypoxia in infants born preterm.
Ms Tarryn Sharp	Murdoch University/WA Country Health Service	Baby Coming You Ready?' Wheatbelt Regional Pilot.
Dr Jason Waithman	Telethon Kids Institute on behalf of the Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia	Developing next generation 'armoured' NK cells to treat leukaemia.