Biennial Report 2015 - 2017
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ANZAC Research Institute Biennial Report 2015 - 2017 1 Contents Introduction 3 About Us- Vision , Mission 4 Strategic Plan & Aspirations 5 The Organisation Reports 6 Chairman’s Report 7 Director’s Report ANZAC Research Institute Research Groups 9 Adrenal Steroid 10 Andrology 13 Atherosclerosis 14 Biogerontology 15 Bone Biology 17 Burns Research and Reconstructive Surgery 19 Dendritic Cell Research 21 Geriatric Epidemiology 22 Platelet and Thrombosis Research Lab 24 Northcott Neuroscience Laboratory 26 Vascular Biology Our Research Involvement 28 Collaborations: Summary 30 Grants & Contracts 33 Staff & Students 33 Financial Performance 34 Publications 42 Board 46 Donor Honor Roll Annual Financial Report & Independent Audit Reports Annual Financial Reports available at http://www.anzac.edu.au ANZAC Research Biennial Report 2015-17 Institute 2 About Us Vision To provide Leadership and excellence in health and medical research activities throughout Australia, with a focus on aging, to improve the future health and medical care for the Australa- sian community. In so doing, the Foundation will provide a lasting legacy to the veterans and their families who have created the society we have today. Mission To establish and operate a state-of-the-art biomedical research institute on the campus of Concord Hospital that is affiliated with the University of Sydney. To encourage, collaborate in and undertake basic, clinical and epidemiological research, with a particular focus on ageing, that aims to improve health and medical care and is dedicated to the memory of our war veterans and their families. To gain and optimise support from the wider community in order to facilitate our vision. To provide leadership and excellence in biomedical research in national and international arenas. To foster education and training in relevant research and health disciplines. ANZAC Research Biennial Report 2015-17 Institute 3 Strategic Plan & Aspirations The ANZAC Research Institute (ARI) serves to provide state-of-the-art research facilities and services. To create and maintain a research-friendly environment in order to foster, conduct and collaborate in highest quality biomedical research of potential benefit to the health and medical welfare of the Australian and wider general community. At the ARI each research group is headed by a medically qualified clinical scientist and is required to be self-sustaining for their research based primarily on peer-reviewed research funding supplemented by other forms of research funding. This facilitates clinical and translational research by allowing for optimal priority setting for each specific field in balancing basic discovery research with translational of findings into clinical, epidemiologi- cal and public health domains. ARI’s distinctive responsibilities is to provide the best possible environment for conducting top quality biomedical research. Our in-house research services and facilities are an efficient, responsive and sustainable operational format. TRF (Translational Research Facility) has now been completed providing additional capacity for our expanding invivo research facilities. ARI’s plan is geared towards maintaining, and building upon where possible, the underlying research services and facilities which includes laboratory space and research facilities as well as acquiring major specialized scientific equipment. ANZAC Research Biennial Report 2015-17 Institute 4 The Organisation Biennial Report 2015-17 ANZAC 5 Chairman’s Report The ANZAC Medical Research Institute is very focused on delivering relevant and first class research in the ten key areas we support under the ANZAC umbrella. The Boards primary responsibility is to support our scientists and ensure they are well equipped in their endeavors. One of the exciting developments this year has been the building of a new state of the art Transitional Research Facility (TRF) to house our research animals and provide the best means of advancing our knowledge using these means. Working in partnership and sharing of resources key to institutes such as ours. The Sydney Local Health district was central to the final stages of this TRF development which started some years ago with a grant from the Federal Government under Kevin Rudd that included our neighbors the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute. With the support of Teresa Anderson the Chief Executive, a firm supporter of medical research, the project was finally completed. Great news for the future of Concord Hospital and ANZAC Research is the announcement from the NSW Government of some $341million for stage 1 of the redevelopment of the Hospital, including space for ANZAC in the new buildings. One advantage we have is our close proximity to everyday medicine through the Hospital and the ability to address clinical problems. Many of our researchers hold hospital appointments and look to translate their work directly into clinical applications. We also have primary research which often takes a long time to become relevant but is central to the development of scientific knowledge and needs understanding and support. Fundraising to support the purchase of equipment is most important and a never ending challenge. This year we acquired a very advanced microscope capable of looking at live cells thanks to fundraising effects. Other equipment was also purchased to support research grants which never seem to cover all the costs. Alice Kang with the support of the hospital and its public relations department was instrumental in raising over $135,000. Contributions came mainly from local groups such as Rotary and the Lions Clubs as well as dinners and the Opera Night supported by hospital staff and the local community. We have been fortunate in the support we have from the local community and their political representa- tives, not only in our research efforts- the Translational Research Facility for example, but also in convincing Government of the need to continue to develop Concord Hospital. The inclusion of ANZAC in the new development opens new and exciting opportunities and the means to continue our links with the Military in support of Veterans Health. ANZAC Research Biennial Report 2015-17 Institute 6 Director’s Report Welcome to the ANZAC Research Institute’s Biennial Report. As the ANZAC Research Institute closes in on its second decade of operations, it continues to thrive as a leading NSW independent medical research institute. As the Concord Hospital campus’s own medical research Institute it supports the Concord Clinical School, its co-located teaching hospital of the University of Sydney’s Medical School. More widely it is affiliated with Sydney Research, the hub of research organisations centred on the Sydney Local Health District (SLHD), as well as a member of Sydney Health Partners, one of NHMRC’s 1st four Advanced Health Research and Translation Centres (AHRTC), which unifies ANZAC and 7 other Sydney independent medical research Institutes with the 4 surrounding health districts & the University. Beyond our earned reputation for scientific excellence, the Institute aims to maintain a researcher- friendly environment for biomedical scientists to achieve the best they can in making important progress over a wide variety of areas as outlined further in this Report. A major development over the last two years has been the successful campaign by our Board member and SLHD Chief Executive Dr Teresa Anderson to gain NSW government funding for a $341 million expansion of the Concord Repatriation General Hospital. A key element included in those plans was an ANZAC Clinical Research Facility (CRC) which aims to provide a state-of-the-art clinical facility committed to providing research services for clinical trials. This exciting development will fulfill the Institute’s ambition to extend its support of laboratory discovery research to also providing facilities with similar focus for vital clinical research that involves direct interactions with people and patients. Starting from scratch in 2000, the ANZAC now provides a scientific home for 130 scientific staff including nearly 70 graduate (mostly PhD) students working in research groups covering many key disciplines in modern biomedical science. Together they earn over $8 million of external research funding and produce over 130 peer-reviewed research papers per year. From the opening of our main building in 2000, the research laboratory facilities have expanded to include additional research labs (ANZAC2) on the upper floor of the adjacent Bernie Banton Centre building, in which the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute is housed on the ground floor, and the ANZAC3 research laboratories located in the Hospital main building adjacent to and providing laboratory facilities for the future ANZAC Clinical Research Facility located in the new building. Progress in medical research is based on new ideas or new technologies. For new ideas, we rely on attracting the best and brightest scientists in basic discovery, clinical, translational and public health research domains. But our scientists require the state-of-the-art equipment to identify, visualize or quantify new molecules and biological mechanisms at the research frontier. Through this process they discover not only the biological mechanisms that create disease and disability but also opportunities to develop new biomarkers, diagnostic tests and therapeutic targets to prevent, cure and ameliorate disease. It remains our major challenge to equip our scientists with the state-of-the-art