The Centre for Cancer Biology (CCB) and aligned research in Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Clinical Sciences and Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences have all earned the highest possible world-class rating in the 2015 the latest Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) results.
The rating places research work at the CCB and research concentrations across the University’s Division of Health and Sansom Institute in an elite field of world-class research in the vital area of cancer, including a wide range of specific cancers such as leukaemia and bone cancer and also a range of other serious diseases such as diabetes and epilepsy.
In total, UniSA achieved the top “5” rating for research excellence that is “well above world standard” in 16 research fields, an eightfold improvement in 5 ratings since the last time evaluation was performed in 2012.
UniSA Deputy Vice Chancellor: Research, Professor Tanya Monro says the remarkable improvement is evidence that UniSA is attracting and nurturing outstanding researchers and research leaders in its areas of strength.
“Our distinctive approach is to establish critical mass with excellence in research fields that are also areas of vital importance to the nation and to do so in partnership with the end-users of our research so that there is a pathway to impact,” Prof Monro says.
“We know that innovation in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer is a huge priority for the health sector because it is one of the leading causes of death in the nation.
“Innovation in this space has opened up a great wealth of knowledge and thanks to research, we now understand that cancer is not a single disease but one that has many variations.
“The kinds of personalised medicine UniSA researchers are developing will be vital in beating cancer but also in understanding and fighting other illnesses.
“UniSA’s research in this space is broad – everything from developing ingestible drugs that are more effectively absorbed by the gut, right through to unlocking the DNA origins of inheritable conditions such as epilepsy, or devising systems for drug delivery at a cellular level.
“We are committed to strengthening our research so that it is not only world-class, but is always focussed on supporting leading edge industry research and on bringing real benefits to people.”
