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Severe pregnancy complications and heightened vulnerability to viral infections significantly impact maternal and infant health worldwide. Although poor health outcomes and deaths are increasingly linked to immune dysregulations and excessive inflammation, the underlying causes are still unknown.

Thanks to a $5 million National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Synergy Grant, a multidisciplinary team of experts led by the University of Melbourne’s Professor Katherine Kedzierska, Laboratory Head at the Doherty Institute, will tackle this issue head-on, aiming to better understand immune regulations in major complications of pregnancy to transform detection and treatment.  

This is one of 11 projects funded through the $55 million National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Synergy Grants scheme this year. 

Expressing gratitude for the funding, Professor Kedzierska said the NHMRC Synergy Grant represents an unprecedented opportunity to address one of the most significant challenges in maternal health. 

“The mechanisms behind severe pregnancy complications are still not well understood, and there’s an urgent need for better therapies to control the excessive inflammation that drives them,” said Professor Kedzierska.  

“By understanding the impact of viral infections and the role of natural killer cells, we hope to improve pregnancy outcomes and survival of mothers and babies around the world.” 

“This grant allows us to explore why some pregnancies develop serious complications like preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction”, said Professor Natalie Hannan, pregnancy expert from the University of Melbourne’s Medical School and Chief Investigator on the Synergy Grant. 

The project will draw on Australian as well as global pregnancy cohorts, ensuring the research reflects diverse populations and global health needs. 

“Our findings will inform the development of new biomarkers, diagnostics and treatment strategies to transform pregnancy care for generations to come,” added Professor Kedzierska. 

“I look forward to working with our amazing Synergy Team over the next five years to advance immune discoveries in pregnancy complications.” 

The chief investigator team also includes Professor Jamie Rossjohn from Monash University, Professor Lisa Hui from the University of Melbourne, Mercy Hospital for Women and Northern Health, and Professor Andrew Brooks, Head of Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne, and Dr Louise Rowntree, Senior Research Fellow, both from the Doherty Institute.  

Congratulations also to the University of Melbourne’s Professor James McCarthy, Director of the Victorian Infectious Diseases Service at the Doherty Institute and the University of Melbourne’s Professor Laura Mackay, Laboratory Head and Immunology Theme Leader at The Doherty Institute, co-investigators on two other projects: 

A gene drive to control malaria | $5 million 
CI list:
CIA – Professor Geoffrey McFadden  
CIB – Professor James McCarthy  
CIC – Associate Professor Angela Devine  
CID – Associate Professor Euzebiusz Jamrozik  
CIE – Professor James McCaw  
CIF – Doctor Maria Ome-Kaius 

Unravelling metastasis-specific immune niches to transform cancer treatment | $5 million 
CI list: 
CIA – Professor Belinda Parker  
CIB – Professor Sherene Loi  
CIC – Associate Professor Paul Beavis  
CID – Professor Laura Mackay  
CIE – Doctor Ian Parish  
CIF – Professor Declan Murphy
CIG – Professor Ivan Marusic 

NHMRC CEO Professor Steve Wesselingh said, “Synergy Grants empower exceptional multidisciplinary teams to tackle significant questions in human health, and it is a true testament to the power of working together.”