ABOUT US
WHO WE ARE
The PA Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to financially supporting cutting edge health and medical research conducted on the Princess Alexandra Hospital Campus.
Our Mission is to raise funds for health and medical research for better health ouctomes,
treatment, prevention and cure of disease.
Our Vission is to be the principal provider of funds for world-class translational research,
fostering and sustaining the next generation of science and clinical researchers.
Since its humble beginnings in 1984, the PA Foundation has raised and distributed millions of dollars to research programs that have led to providing better health outcomes, diagnoses and saving lives worldwide.
There are over 600 people that make up the research staff from Queensland Health and affiliated universities including The University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology and Griffith University all of whom sharing a common purpose - to find cures, treatments and preventions for a variety of diseases such as:
- Cancer - Immunology - Transplantation
- Diabetes - Cardiovascular disease - Kidney disease
- Liver disease - Arthritis - Therapeutics Research
PA Foundation funded researchers are among the world's leading medical scientists who are constantly developing breakthrough medications and treatments. The funds donated to and earned by the PA Foundation are awarded annually by an independent team of health professionals, clinicians and scientists.
Supporting health and medical research is an ongoing process and a costly undertaking. The PA Foundation are fortunate to receive donations from the general public, the business community, bequests and the thousands of patients and their families who have benefited from the medical treatment provided by the PA Hospital. There are also many hospital staff who donate a percentage of their salary through the foundation's Workplace Giving Program.
LATEST RESEARCH UPDATE
August 2008
Associate Professor Devinder Gill and Dr Nigel McMillan have made groundbreaking discoveries which could ultimately lead to a better treatment of the world's most common form of Leukaemia - Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL).
The breakthroughs include being able to keep CLL cells alive for up to 3 months in culture flasks. The research on this disease had been hindered because the cells were difficult to keep alive once removed from the body. During this process, a second breakthrough was made when two new growth factors were identified as responsible for enhancing the survival of the cells.
"By knowing what makes the cells grow, we can now attempt to block these growth factors so that the cells die. This will ultimately lead to more targeted therapies being developed which will have the ability to stop the cancer " Prof Gill said.
March 2008
Professor Ranjeny Thomas has discovered a simple test that may predict whether a child is at risk of developing Type 1 Diabetes. Currently available tests pick up this risk rather late.
OTHER HEALTH AND MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
The development of a vaccine for Cervical Cancer was publicly released in 2006. It is now administered to 12 year old girls who will never need to undergo pap-smear tests. Researchers are now working on a cure (as opposed to a preventative vaccine) for those who already have the disease.
Progress towards Rheumatoid Arthritis vaccine - early but promising work in the area of auto-immune response could also have application to other allergy-based diseases.
Human phase trials in relation to Spinal Cord Regeneration - where nasal cells are being used in an attempt to regrow a damaged or severed central nervous column.
Researching the link between Obesity, Diabetes and Heart Disease. The Australian Centre of Research Excellence for Cardiovascular Disease and Metabolic Disorders is based at the Princess Alexandra Hospital.