WA Child Research Fund receives almost $4 million funding boost ahead of Telethon 2025 for seven studies
Groundbreaking medical research aimed at improving the lives of children in Western Australia has received a major funding boost, with almost $4 million awarded to seven cutting-edge projects across the state.
The Cook Government and Channel 7 Telethon Trust have contributed funding to support research into a range of critical health issues affecting Western Australian young people, from improving treatment for high-risk childhood leukemia to better managing diabetes-related complications.
Selected from a pool of 57 applications, successful projects will each receive awards of up to $600,000 over three years. Funding is distributed equally between the Government and Telethon.
Minister for Medical Research Stephen Dawson said the initiative was about harnessing WA’s world-class research power and turning them into tangible results for local communities.
“This investment builds on our commitment to supporting research that matters – research that will deliver real benefits to Western Australian children and families,” Mr Dawson said.
With the annual Telethon fundraiser fast approaching, Premier Roger Cook said the funding announcement was a timely reminder of why the weekend is so important to Western Australians.
“Telethon weekend is one of the most exciting weekends on the Perth calendar,” he said.
“But this is also an opportunity to remind ourselves how important the services we provide to sick children are.
“Medical research is also important to ensure that children of the future receive better healthcare.”
Among the projects to receive funding is an innovative study by Professor Chandrakumar Balaratnasingam from the Lions Eye Institute.
His team will use non-invasive retinal imaging to investigate whether early signs of damage in children with diabetes can be detected through the eyes; This is a potential game changer in early detection and prevention of organ complications.
Curtin University Associate Professor Laurence Cheung will lead another study aimed at improving the effectiveness of immunotherapy in children with high-risk leukemia.
“The funding will allow us to test a new treatment that will make immunotherapy more effective for children with high-risk leukemia,” Mr Cheung said.
“Leukemia is the most common cancer in children, so this will be a huge benefit.”
Meanwhile, Dr. from the Children’s Research Institute. Bernadette Ricciardo will lead an initiative to embed Aboriginal Health Practitioners into inpatient settings to assess and improve skin health in Aboriginal children.
The projects cover both metropolitan and regional WA and reflect the importance of providing benefits to families regardless of where they live.
The funding announcement is part of the WA Children’s Research Fund 2024-25, which supports high-impact work focusing on the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents.
This comes at a time when investment in child health research is increasingly vital and there is growing recognition of how early interventions can provide lifelong benefits.
