New research at The George
The George Institute has been awarded funding by Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for a major program to combat heart attack and stroke in Australia. The council also awarded funding to several key research projects - including funding for work on kidney disease, child road injury and back pain treatments.
Combating cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and heart attack are the leading causes of death and disease in Australia and the world. While there are many established treatment and prevention strategies, there remains great potential for further advances to avoid large numbers of death and disabling outcomes from these conditions. The Institute has been awarded a $12 million NHMRC Program Grant which will generate evidence for new strategies to combat cardiovascular diseases.
The overall aim of this program is to inform and influence health care providers and policy-makers in their decisions about optimal strategies for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The program will address a broad range of key management issues from risk assessment through service delivery.
The program will see the group playing a major role in the cardiovascular component of the next cycle of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) project with the World Health Organization, which provides a comprehensive description of the burden of diseases and the risk factors that cause them. The program will also include a number of clinical trials and meta-analyses to identify new treatment strategies. The team will also look to specifically assess the evidence-treatment gap. The research will help guide new treatment and prevention strategies for millions in Australia and hundreds of millions worldwide.
Treatment for kidney disease
The Institute will receive over $1.2 million for a trial to test the outcomes of increasing the duration of dialysis treatments for people with kidney disease. The trial aims to assess whether increased duration of dialysis improves life expectancy and quality of life for affected patients.
Child road injury research
Despite overwhelming evidence that child restraints dramatically reduce the risk of death and injury, there are currently a large number of children globally who either do not use appropriate child restraints, or misuse them, contributing to the overwhelming burden of road traffic injury in children. The Institute received a NHMRC project grant to support a project that will assess the effectiveness of feasible, evidence-based interventions aimed at increased, correct use of appropriate restraints.
Improving long-term movement and preventing falls after hip fracture
Up to 20,000 older Australians suffer hip fractures each year. Many people do not fully recover. The Institute has been awarded funding to trial a self-management training program which incorporates individualised exercise prescription. The Institute will conduct a randomised controlled trial to test the effects of this program on disability, falls and hospital re-admissions.
The first placebo-controlled trial of paracetamol for back pain
Each year in Australia over $1 billion is spent on treatments for low back pain. Yet, despite this expenditure, symptoms persist in about 10% of patients. An important approach to solving this problem is to evaluate back pain treatments that are readily available, safe, cheap and effective. Previous work by Institute researchers suggests that regular paracetamol may be such a treatment.
A promising new treatment for chronic whiplash
Following a whiplash injury, about one third of people develop persisting pain and disability. In a series of pilot trials, Institute researchers have developed a new physiotherapy treatment for chronic whiplash. Initial results are very promising and the Institute will now definitively establish the effectiveness of this new treatment in a large clinical trial.
Investigating the causes of debilitating muscle contractures
Muscle contracture, or abnormal stiffening of muscles, can be very disabling. The mechanisms of muscle contracture are poorly understood. This project will gain an understanding of the mechanical causes of contractures of calf muscles in people with stroke, spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis.