2014 Annual Report
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Robinson Research Institute Annual Report 2014 Our vision is to achieve life-time health for all children and families, through research excellence Our mission is to deliver world-class advances in knowledge of human reproduction, pregnancy and child health, and to inform clinical care, policy and practice that will improve health across generations and global communities. Contents Who we are 1 Community and Sector Engagement 24 RRI at a glance 2 Science Stories 27 Message from the Deputy Media Impact 28 Vice-Chancellor Research 3 Research Groups 29 Message from the Chair 3 Advisory Board 4 Fertility and Conception 31 Pregnancy and Birth 40 Message from the Director 5 Early Origins of Health 45 Executive Committee 6 Child and Adolescent Health 50 Research Highlights 9 Fostering Research Excellence 58 2014 Discovery Highlights 10 Core Facilities 58 Funding Highlights 12 Investing in People and Building Capacity 59 Fellowships and Awards 13 Financials 14 Robinson Research Foundation 63 Key Collaborations 16 Robinson Research Institute Member List 64 International Visitor Spotlight 18 Publications 66 Support us 79 Clinical translation 19 Commercial Development 22 Who we are The Robinson Research Institute is a collective of internationally renowned researchers in human reproduction, pregnancy and child health at the University of Adelaide. We focus on the early stages of life to improve the health and well-being of children and families over the life course and across generations, in Australia and around the world. We seek to enable a healthy start through fertility choices and mindful conception, nurturing the baby during pregnancy and birth, strengthening the brain and body in early life, and advancing child and adolescent health to treat and prevent disease. The Robinson Research Institute Structure University of Adelaide Vice-Chancellor & President Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Advisory Board Director Deputy Director Executive Committee Professional Research Themes Core Facilities Research Support > Fertility & > Adelaide Research > Management / Conception Assay Facility (ARAF) Finance > Pr egnancy & Birth > Bioinformatics > Reputation & > Early Origins > Biostatistics Communication Robinson of Health > Research Funding Foundation > Cohort & Committee > Child & Adolescent Intergenerational & Support Health Studies (CIS) > Executive > Gene Silencing & Assistance & Expression (GSEx) Administration > SA Genome Editing (SAGE) Annual Report 2014 1 RRI at a glance $16.5m+ 4 370+ funding in 2014 Research Themes publications $34,000+ 10 Embedded in raised for the Robinson Research Priorities SA hospitals Research Foundation 5 48 100+ Affiliations the School of Paediatrics Research Leaders PhD students and Reproductive Health 400+ 20+ Collaborations multiple national and Members Honours students international 2 Robinson Research Institute Message from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research The University of Adelaide is committed to expanding and further investing into strategic research. Our goal is to deliver world-class research and and bridging the gap between research discoveries to translate our research findings to bring about and clinical practice. improvements in people’s lives. Our five research As you read through the stories within this report you institutes are set-up to address national, state and will appreciate the great breadth and depth of the global priorities, focussing on the key challenges of research being undertaken at The Institute. critical value to society. One of those challenges is I would personally like to commend the members of securing a healthier future for our children. This is the Institute for their commitment and drive to solving closely aligned with one of the highest-level objectives major health burdens that impact upon society across of the South Australian State Government in the globe. I am confident they will continue to bring to recognising that ‘good health is everything’ and that light new discoveries, and make major contributions we are ‘giving our children every chance to achieve toward the transformation of clinical care and policy their potential in life’. for the health of all children and families. The Robinson Research Institute aims to uncover the factors that influence health across our lifetime and Professor Mike Brooks across generations. With over 400 talented scientists Deputy Vice-Chancellor and and clinicians, the Institute is advancing knowledge Vice-President Research Message from the Chair 2014 was a year of consolidation, enhanced collaboration and preparation for the future. As members embrace the model of collaboration, I government and the community on the importance am witnessing a renewed vitality and an emerging of investing in and raising funds for health, medical appetite to challenge the boundaries of research, tackle research and infrastructure. new areas and to develop diverse partnerships to I wish to acknowledge and thank each of the enable this. following: The Institute continues to lead the way and build > RRI Board Members for their commitment, on past strengths. It remains proactive in reviewing considered contributions and general ‘value-add’ and adapting to the dynamic environment in which to the Institute it operates. This year has seen investments in > RRI Members who have again made many great research funding programs re-focused and refined strides in their research work to deliver increased value to the research efforts and competitive standing of members. > RRI Director – Professor Sarah Robertson, she has shown great leadership, tenacity and insight Financial support for medical research continues in progressing and implementing fundamental to be a significant challenge. In 2014, the Federal initiatives that are serving the interests of the Government announced it would establish a Medical Institute well, both now and into the future Research Future Fund valued at $20 billion by 2020. The deregulation of University fee structures The Institute has much to celebrate and much to look is another key policy on the drawing board. At the forward to in 2015. It will be exciting. It will be challenging. time of writing this message the government reforms remain unresolved. We must keep the conversation Professor Jock Findlay alive and build broad understanding across Chair Annual Report 2014 3 Advisory Board Prof Jock Findlay AO (Chair) Prof Mike Brooks Prof Alastair Burt A/Prof Naomi Dwyer Prof Julie Owens Prof Sarah Robertson Prof Paul Rolan Prof Andrew Zannettino 4 Robinson Research Institute Message from the Director My first year as Director of the Robinson Research Institute has been a remarkable one. The breadth and talent of science and research we deliver, and the dedication and talent of our wonderful people – the Research Leaders and their staff and students - is extraordinary. Its been inspiring to get to better know many In 2014 we were committed to refining our In 2015 we will work towards establishing of our 400 people, and to devise concrete Institute goals and to develop mechanisms our new home in the Adelaide Nursing ways the Institute can support and enable and programs to support delivery and Medical Schools building in the West their important work. of the best possible outcomes. We now have End precinct. We look forward to reaping To discover, to understand, and to direct a defined series of initiatives that assist the benefits of new facilities, improved the benefit of new knowledge to improving researchers to develop large scale funding infrastructure and equipment, and greater the health and quality of life for children and applications, to increase project competitiveness opportunity to interact with other medical families is our shared ambition. We have some for national funding support, to provide researchers in Adelaide’s consolidated of the most innovative and skilled researchers seed funding and mentoring schemes to medical research precinct. The synergies in the country. Our capacity to bring our encourage our early career researchers, as and efficiencies to be realised will assist us collective abilities to bear on major questions well as a wide range of opportunities to help in dealing with a difficult economic climate, spanning reproduction, pregnancy and researchers communicate their research and a contracting medical research funding childhood is unparalleled. The Institute affords outcomes, publish in the best journals, and base. With new partnerships there will be us the vehicle to work collaboratively to tackle better engage with media. even better opportunities to strengthen our the important and difficult research questions These programs build on the Institute’s team-based approach to issues that have that are beyond our scope as individual research investment in core facilities to underpin the global significance. groups, but tractable if we pull together. research effort across all of the four Research The Institute is proud to foster and develop Tackling the earliest phase of life is the Themes. We are now delivering advanced Adelaide’s historic leadership in reproductive key to solving many of the major health capability in gene manipulation through the science and medicine. I am grateful to the conditions affecting Australians and people GSEx Facility, in large-scale data analysis in University leadership for their investment in across the globe. Focussing our efforts the Bioinformatics Facility, in measuring a our research and confidence in our research on conception, pregnancy, and the infant