Australia does a lot of great science, but has a poor record of translating that science into benefits for society. At least, that’s what the education minister has been telling us. This week we talk to an eminent Australian scientist to hear about a home-grown translational medicine success story — and to find out what barriers still stand between basic research and commercial applications.
We talked to Prof Bob Graham of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, a specialist in molecular cardiology and cardiac regeneration. He and his team have discovered a way to convert the venom of the Australian funnel-web spider into a drug that can reduce brain damage after strokes and improve heart recovery after heart attacks. An amino acid peptide derived from this venom may one day be injected into stroke and heart attack victims in the ambulance before they even reach the hospital.
How important is basic science for medical research? Why does basic science have to be done here, in Australia? Why can’t we just rely on science done overseas for applications in Australia? What’s the difference between commercialisation and translational medicine? Our regular host Salvatore Babones will be asking Prof Graham these questions and more as we hear the story of an incredible medical discovery and learn why basic science in the public interest.
Bob Graham is the Des Renford Professor of Medicine at UNSW and was the inaugural director of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute. He spent a substantial portion of his career in the United States, where he rose to become the Robert C. Tarazi Chairman of the Department of Molecular Cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and a Foreign Member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters.