The inaugural CEO of the National Health and Medical Research Council has brought his expertise to the Illawarra’s independent health and medical research institute. LISA WACHSMUTH talks to Professor Alan Pettigrew.
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Antibiotic resistance, mental health, obesity and chronic disease - these are some of the biggest challenges facing medical science today.
Funding the medical research to solve these and other pressing health concerns is also a major challenge according to Professor Alan Pettigrew, the new chairman of the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI).
Professor Pettigrew, an advisor to the Chief Scientist of Australia, says the golden era of federal funding that kicked in at the turn of the century is over, with researchers now left to compete for a static pool of cash.
With Prime Minister Tony Abbott yet to gain Senate support for his government's revamped Medicare co-payment plan, the medical research fund set to be funded by the measure is also in jeopardy.
The time has come, Professor Pettigrew says, for researchers and institutes to look at new ways to fund vital research - to partner more with business and industry and increasingly to seek out international collaborations.
Because the more we learn about medical science, the more we need to find out.
"When I was a student, for instance, our understanding of genetics was such that everyone thought that one disease was caused by one gene," Professor Pettigrew says.
"Now we know that any particular disease condition might involve hundreds, if not thousands, of genes - and that pattern changes during the course of the disease - so it's a bigger challenge than we ever could have imagined.
"So while the significant federal government growth in funding from 2001 to 2011 resulted in a far higher level of activity and interest in medical research, it also uncovered the complexity of many conditions and the need for further research."
There have, of course, been many medical breakthroughs in the past 10 years, including a better knowledge of the human genome, which has led to quicker, and cheaper, genetic analysis.
Today - thanks to extensive laboratory and clinical research - we also know more about the brain and mental illness; we can better treat critical incidents such as stroke and we have developed surgical techniques that are less invasive.
Yet there's more - much more - to be done.
"Every member of the community knows someone who is unwell," Professor Pettigrew says.
"It's not just the high-profile diseases like diabetes and cancer that researchers want to try and solve, it's the lesser-known diseases that are very difficult to understand and treat but have such a debilitating effect on an individual.
"We need more knowledge and understanding about these diseases before we can deal with the challenges that they present."
Professor Pettigrew has an impressive CV - having held senior executive appointments at the universities of Sydney, Queensland, New South Wales and New England. He's also served on many government and independent committees as well as his stint as chief executive of the NHMRC.
He brings that wealth of experience to IHMRI, which was established in 2008 as a joint initiative of the University of Wollongong and the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District.
Now an independent institute, its goal remains to foster, support and develop health and medical research in the region by connecting and supporting researchers and clinicians.
Current research projects at IHMRI include the Illawarra Born study, which will track the health and well-being of three generations of families to learn more about health and disease in the region.
Illawarra-based researchers are also coming up with solutions to global problems - for instance one researcher is developing a lymph sleeve to relieve the symptoms of breast cancer-related lymphoedema while other scientists are looking at the effect of mobile phone radiation on children.
"The establishment of the institute has been a terrific initiative of the university and the local health district," Professor Pettigrew says. "That partnership is essential for modern ways of medical research.
"It's great for the whole region as the institute is attracting top researchers from all over the world, as well as locally, who are putting all their intellect into solving medical problems in the community and beyond."
Professor Pettigrew says the institute has attracted a high level of support from the state government, particularly from NSW Minister for Health and Medical Research Jillian Skinner.
"However with the static level in government funding in general - and the increased costs of research - the competition for grants has become critical," he said. "The institute needs to be looking at diversifying its investment base. It can't simply rely on government funding, charities and philanthropy any more."
Nationally, the bulk of medical research continues to be conducted at tertiary institutions, with a relatively low number of researchers working in business and industry.
Professor Pettigrew says Australia could learn a lot from the experience of Scandinavian countries, which have a strong research presence in the business sector. Smaller countries like Denmark, Sweden and Finland invest far more in research, and as a result attract far more foreign investment to support their activities.
"How well are Australian universities promoting the opportunities for research students to participate in industry-related activities?" Professor Pettigrew asks.
"Australia needs to change its attitude towards higher degree training to engage in industries and set up projects suitable for PhDs.
"There's opportunities for co-operative research with business and industry to happen - we need more of it."
Professor Pettigrew says that proposed changes to federal funding for universities could also affect medical research, with the cost of postgraduate degrees set to rise.
"If universities are able to charge their own fees for postgraduate research, and those fees rise as a result, it will be a significant disincentive for those wanting to advance their research career," he says.
Ultimately, he stresses, not investing in research would come at a high cost to the nation.
"The costs of somebody not working because they are unwell or have a debilitating disease go far beyond the cost of their care," Professor Pettigrew says.
"If medical research can help get people back into the workforce it has a massive flow-on effect, not just to the individual and their families, but comes at significant economic benefit to the whole community."