Dr Richard Head, Flagship Director

We are entering a world where health costs will challenge economies.

We are entering a world where scientific innovation will be vital to face that challenge, to ensure Australians are able to experience more years of good health; to increase active participation in society by an ageing population; and enhanced independence and autonomy.

That’s where the research in the Preventative Health National Research Flagship is focussed.

In this edition of the Preventative Health Flagship UPDATE, we introduce you to some of the Flagship faces working on these challenges.

We also share some of the global activities with which we’ve been involved, from exploring the role of genes in nutrition in Singapore, to Canberra, where we’ve been briefing our federal parliamentarians on the application of maths in cancer research.

The Flagship has been involved in an exciting collaboration with the Institute of Life Sciences International Southeast Asia Region, involving a ground-breaking conference on the emerging area of nutrigenomics in Singapore in December which attracted 420 delegates from 33 countries. CSIRO also hosted a post-conference workshop to further explore collaboration opportunities in gut health.

This year will see a continuation of that effort, along with ongoing developments across our portfolio of projects, which are focussed on developing and validating preventative and earlier diagnostic strategies to help prevent or delay the onset of chronic diseases that are significant in Australia as well as globally. 

Colorectal cancer, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, and health data information and linkage are the main focus areas for the Preventative Health’s integrated and multidisciplinary research program. A new research theme on gut health also is being explored.

As this year gathers momentum, we look forward to progressing this work toward our ultimate goal of improving the health and wellbeing of Australians.

Dr Richard Head
Director, Preventative Health Flagship
 

UPDATE Home

Message from the Director

Applying maths to cancer research gets results

CSIRO makes connections in Southeast Asia

Unique initiatives aims to develop tomorrow's scientists

Australian expert joins International Semantic Web Group

Preventative Health Presentations for October 2005 to January 2006

Meet the Flagship Fellow

About this email

The Preventative Health Flagship is a CSIRO initiative and part of the National Research Flagships program that aims to deliver scientific solutions to advance Australia's most important national objectives. One of the largest scientific initiatives ever mounted in Australia, it aligns closely with the Federal Government's National Research Priorities. The initiative brings together our national research resources to deliver breakthroughs in fields ranging from healthcare to light metals and the environment.

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