Geelong experts join national battle against infectious diseases

Geelong infectious disease experts will join a national research network designed to strengthen Australia’s response to the growing threat of infectious diseases.

The Geelong Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases (GCEID), a multi-institutional partnership comprising Deakin University, Barwon Health and CSIRO’s Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL), will be one of the organisations in the new Centre for Research Excellence to be led by the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity. The National Health and Medical Research Centre has provided almost $5million to establish the centre.

The Centre for Research Excellence will set up the Australian Partnership for Preparedness Research on Infectious Diseases Emergencies (APPRISE) that will bring together Australia’s leading experts in clinical, laboratory and public health research to address the key components required for a rapid and effective emergency response to infectious disease threats.

Director of GCEID, Professor Soren Alexandersen, said he was very pleased by the announcement that will see organisations like the Peter Doherty Institute, the Marie Bashir Institute, GCEID and other research institutions working together.

“GCEID’s participation in APPRISE provides us with the opportunity to have national impact on Australia’s ‘one-health’ (one-health is a comprehensive look at the health of humans, animals and the environment) approach to understanding and mitigating the risks and impacts caused by infectious diseases,” Professor Alexandersen said.

“I am thrilled that the GCEID partnership will enable us to jointly deliver Geelong’s outstanding collective research infrastructure and capacity in emerging infectious diseases into this nationally coordinated APPRISE program, said Dr Kurt Zuelke, Director of CSIRO’s AAHL. “Together with these other excellent research centres and disciplines across the country we will further improve and strengthen the evidence base used to inform on responses to future infectious disease emergencies.”

Deakin’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Peter Hodgson was equally encouraged by the funding commitment, explaining that a national agenda for responding to infectious disease emergencies reinforced Deakin’s decision to invest in this area as a strategic priority.

“It has always been one of GCEID’s key objectives to build national and international partnerships to increase Australia’s capacity to respond more effectively to the physical, social and economic risks posed by emerging infectious diseases. This funding furthers the collaboration of the nation’s brightest minds in working towards a solution.”

Barwon Health’s Chief Medical Officer, Associate Professor Alastair Mah added: “This is a great outcome. GCEID is located within Barwon Health’s Education and Research precinct and this will strengthen our research enterprise. Geelong is evolving, we are becoming a smart city and this partnership reinforces this shift. It will ultimately be positive for the economy of Geelong, health innovation in our region, and the wellbeing of Australians.”