2025/26 WA Child Research Fund recipients
2025/26 WA Child Research Fund recipients
A total of $4.08 million has been awarded to seven Western Australian researchers to support research that leads to better health outcomes for children and adolescents in WA.
The WA Department of Health in conjunction with the Channel 7 Telethon Trust established the WA Child Research Fund to provide funding for research activities that focus on child and adolescent health in WA.
The request for expressions of interest at the start of the year generated the largest amount of interest in the program’s history with 80 submissions received and a select few invited to register a full application in June.
Following a competitive review process, more than $4 million was awarded across seven projects. The activity leads and activity titles are listed below, along with the responsible entity:
| Recipient |
Responsible entity |
Activity title |
Funding awarded |
|
Prof Christopher Brennan-Jones |
Curtin University |
The Earflo Study: an adaptive randomised controlled trial of a Eustachian tube autoinflation device to improve the resolution of otitis media with effusion in children |
$596,293 |
|
Dr Omar Elaskalani |
University of Western Australia |
When less is more: a gentler immunotherapy that helps children's immune cells fight cancer longer without burning out |
$597,761 |
|
Prof Fenella Gill |
Curtin University |
Strengthening partnerships – Aboriginal families raising concerns about clinical deterioration in their children |
$599,109 |
|
A/Prof Willem Lesterhuis |
University of Western Australia |
Developing safe and effective immunotherapy for children with sarcoma |
$595,597 |
|
Dr Sebastien Malinge |
University of Western Australia |
Accelerating the development of Immunotherapies (AIM) for children with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML): AIM-AML |
$597,277 |
|
Prof Peter Richmond |
University of Western Australia |
Optimising maternal pertussis immunisation for infants - the PertaMUM trial
|
$600,000 |
|
Prof Britta von Ungern-Sternberg |
University of Western Australia |
BELUGA: A multicentre, international randomised controlled trial to assess whether exchanging an EndoTrachealTube (ETT) for Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA) helps to reduce breathing problems in children after surgery |
$497,337 |
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