Using the eye as a window to the central nervous system for improved drug testing. The annual cost of treating brain illnesses is US$250 billion. Each new drug costs about US$900 million to develop. This research will give Pfizer Pty Ltd, the project’s industry partner, a more efficient and direct way of testing whether drugs can get into and affect the brain. This will reduce the cost of drug development, which ultimately means cheaper drugs. The project will develop new technologies to put Aus ....Using the eye as a window to the central nervous system for improved drug testing. The annual cost of treating brain illnesses is US$250 billion. Each new drug costs about US$900 million to develop. This research will give Pfizer Pty Ltd, the project’s industry partner, a more efficient and direct way of testing whether drugs can get into and affect the brain. This will reduce the cost of drug development, which ultimately means cheaper drugs. The project will develop new technologies to put Australia at the forefront of neuropharmaceutical and neuroscience research. A new research platform will foster collaborations with the pharmaceutical industry both within Australia and overseas. This industrial link will promote a unique post-graduate experience by providing exposure to academic and industrial environments for Australian scientists.Read moreRead less
Understanding progressive vision loss in the eye disease glaucoma. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of irreversible vision loss in elderly Australians, although determining treatment failure is currently very dif?cult. This project will radically improve the measurement of glaucoma progression and treatment failure. We will also address fundamental questions regarding how glaucoma destroys vision.