GRIDD joins peak medical research body

The Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery(GRIDD), oneof Australia’sleadingearly-stage and pre-clinical drug discoveryresearch institutes, hasjustbeen announced asanewmember of the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI).

AAMRI is the peak body for medical research institutes across Australia. Member organisations work on a broad spectrum of human health issues such as preventive health, chronic disease, mental health, immunology and Indigenous health.

GRIDD, based at Griffith University’s Nathan campus,is delighted to join AAMRI, according to GRIDD Director Professor Kathy Andrews.

“We’re very excited by the opportunities this new partnership brings, enablingadditional engagement with other research institutes throughout Australiaandleading tothe possibility ofnew collaborations andresearchbreakthroughs in the future.”

AAMRI’s primary role is to represent its member organisations with a central focus on health and medical research through advocacy, information provision, relationship building and member services.

Members’ research ranges from fundamental biomedical discovery through to clinical research and the translation of research findings from the laboratory bench to the patient’s bedside.

GRIDDscientistsare currently working ina number ofresearch areas,ranging fromspinal cord injury repair,drug discoveryfor cancers such as brain cancer,treatments forneurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease as well as infectious diseases like malaria.

In late February, GRIDD received a $5.7 million funding boost from the Queensland Government for the development of cell-based therapies for treating spinal cord injuries.

GRIDD is home to NatureBank, a unique drug discovery library of natural product extracts and fractions derived from Australian plants, fungi and marine invertebrates, as well as Compounds Australia, Australia’sindustry standard compound curation facility,enablingresearchers to store and manage their chemical compounds.

This newAAMRImembership announcement reinforces the strength of research institutes at Griffith University.Griffith University is placed in the top 2% of universities worldwide and is renowned for excellence in world-class biomedical research, expert knowledge and industry connections.