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2021 Round 2 Seed Funding Recipients

The Wesfarmers Centre is pleased to announce the successful recipients for the 2021 Round 2 Seed Funding Grants. Julie Hibbert | Validating a

2017 Round 2 Seed Funding Recipients

The Wesfarmers Centre is pleased to announce the successful applications for the 2017 Round 2 Wesfarmers Centre Seed Funding. The Wesfarmers Centre

2017 Round 1 Seed Funding Recipients

Congratulations goes to Dr Asha Bowen and Dr Ruth Thornton for being the successful first round recipients of the WCVID.

2016 Round 2 Seed Funding Recipients

The Wesfarmers Centre is pleased to announce the successful applications for the 2016 Round 2 Wesfarmers Centre Seed Funding.

2015 Seed Funding Recipients

Eight applicants were successful, and were awarded $15,000 each for activities supporting subsequent research grant applications.

2014 Seed Funding Recipients

In 2014, the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines & Infectious Diseases put out a first call for seed funding proposals.

Spritz-OM

Preventing over half of the world’s ear infections with a therapy such as Spritz-OM will significantly improve health and educational outcomes on a global scale.

Research

Molecular diagnosis of scabies using a novel probe-based polymerase chain reaction assay targeting high-copy number repetitive sequences in the sarcoptes scabiei genome

The suboptimal sensitivity and specificity of available diagnostic methods for scabies hampers clinical management, trials of new therapies and epidemiologic studies. Additionally, parasitologic diagnosis by microscopic examination of skin scrapings requires sample collection with a sharp scalpel blade, causing discomfort to patients and difficulty in children. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnostic assays, combined with non-invasive sampling methods, represent an attractive approach.

Research

DETECT Schools Study Protocol: A Prospective Observational Cohort Surveillance Study Investigating the Impact of COVID-19 in Western Australian Schools

Amidst the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, understanding the transmission dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is key to providing peace of mind for the community and informing policy-making decisions. While available data suggest that school-aged children are not significant spreaders of SARS-CoV-2, the possibility of transmission in schools remains an ongoing concern, especially among an aging teaching workforce. Even in low-prevalence settings, communities must balance the potential risk of transmission with the need for students' ongoing education.

Research

COVID-19 in Ethiopia: A geospatial analysis of vulnerability to infection, case severity and death

COVID-19 has caused a global public health crisis affecting most countries, including Ethiopia, in various ways. This study maps the vulnerability to infection, case severity and likelihood of death from COVID-19 in Ethiopia. Thirty-eight potential indicators of vulnerability to COVID-19 infection, case severity and likelihood of death, identified based on a literature review and the availability of nationally representative data at a low geographic scale, were assembled from multiple sources for geospatial analysis. Geospatial analysis techniques were applied to produce maps showing the vulnerability to infection, case severity and likelihood of death in Ethiopia at a spatial resolution of 1 km×1 km.