Four new COVID-19 research projects are to be funded under the Department of Health’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) as part of a $2.6 million investment boost.
Minister for Health, Greg Hunt said that one of the projects given the green light would investigate the development of a new simpler Australian COVID-19 pathology test that would give an accurate result within 30 minutes of testing.
“This new methodology would enable a result within 30 minutes of receipt of a specimen with minimal manual handling,” Mr Hunt said.
“We are investing more than $2.6 million in cutting-edge diagnostics research at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, to tackle the evolving novel coronavirus health emergency.”
He said a second project would examine the development of new testing protocols to enable more individuals to be tested simultaneously, while a third would look at a deployment framework for newly approved COVID-19 serology tests.
Mr Hunt said a fourth project would further a post-market assessment of new COVID-19 rapid screening tests to inform their best use.
The Minister said all four projects would increase Australia’s ability to conduct widespread testing for the diagnosis and clearance of COVID-19.
“These labs will provide the critical support needed to increase coronavirus testing capability in Australia,” Mr Hunt said.
“These grant opportunities are funded from the MRFF, the Government’s $20 billion investment to support vital health and medical research that we can use to react swiftly to emerging health issues,” he said.
