University of Melbourne researchers awarded NHMRC Development Grants

Stephen O'Leary, seated with a nurse and a patient wearing a cochlear implant device, points at a laptop on a table in his office.
The funding will enable researchers including Professor O'Leary (pictured) to improve clinical care.

Four researchers from the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (MDHS) have received a combined $4.6 million as part of the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) Development Grants scheme.

Professor Stephen O’Leary, who works across the University of Melbourne and the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, is leading two of the funded projects focused on improving cochlear implant care.

His Hear Alert project will continuously monitor a patient’s cochlear implant electrodes for changes that signal a drop in hearing performance. When intervention is needed, the system triggers a clinic visit.

“Clinics will run more efficiently, improving their viability and increasing their capacity,” Professor O’Leary said.

“With Hear Alert, cochlear implant clinics should have the resources to help more people with hearing impairment.”

Health Minister Mark Butler, in announcing the grants, said that funding for Professor O’Leary’s projects will drive innovation that benefits patients and strengthens the health system.

“Hear Alert is a great example of what this investment delivers - a breakthrough technology that will help people with cochlear implants access care when they need it, reducing unnecessary visits and freeing up clinic capacity,” he said.

Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences Acting Dean, Professor Mike McGuckin, said newly announced grants will support promising medical research projects to progress from discovery to practical applications that improve health and medical care.

“Every medical researcher’s goal is to put their knowledge and discoveries to use in helping others. These grants will undoubtedly lead to better health outcomes for our communities."

Projects funded by the scheme include:

  • Associate Professor Fiona Brownfoot, Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health and Mercy Hospital for Women, Novel nanosensor for real-time foetal monitoring in labour: towards safer births worldwide
  • Professor Christopher McDevitt, Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Doherty Institute, Translational development of an antibiotic potentiator for bacterial pneumonia
  • Professor Stephen O'Leary, Department of Surgery and Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, DaWinCI - Cochlear drug delivery for flexible treatment of inner ear disease
  • Professor Stephen O'Leary, Department of Surgery and Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Hear Alert: ensuring high-value clinical review after cochlear implantation
  • Professor Alastair Stewart, Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Optimising delivery of inhaled agents for chronic respiratory diseases    

For more details on the Development Grants, visit the NHMRC website.