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The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) in Australia will receive a $5 million federal grant to launch a pioneering research team for children’s health.
The grant was announced at MCRI’s 40th anniversary gala in Melbourne on Saturday night.
“For 40 years, MCRI has been a global leader in children’s health research,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told guests at the gala, which was attended by 300 of Australia’s most esteemed medical experts, political leaders, philanthropists and sports luminaries.
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“My government is proud to partner with MCRI, so our world-leading researchers have the best opportunities to support healthier childhoods for Australians now and into the future.”
The $5 million will directly support medical research aimed at preventing numerous childhood conditions, including obesity, heart disease, mental health issues and disabilities.
Also announced at the gala, a lead donation from Sarah and Lachlan Murdoch will launch the Horizon Fund — a permanent endowment for MCRI aimed at funding long-term children’s health research and future medical breakthroughs.
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The goal is for the fund to raise between $50 million and $100 million in its first year and to reach $200 million within five years.
The fund is designed to back researchers’ immediate priorities while safeguarding long-term capital for future medical breakthroughs in children’s health.
In 2020, the Murdochs donated $5 million to establish a perpetual fellowship supporting leading researchers in fields including stem cell technology and genomic precision medicine.
Co-founded in 1986 by philanthropist and child health advocate Dame Elisabeth Murdoch and pediatrician and genetics pioneer Professor David Danks, MCRI comprises 1,800 scientists, researchers and clinicians.
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“Dame Elisabeth’s leadership, along with her values, shaped both the direction and the ethos of the Institute we were to become – for all children to live a healthy and fulfilled life,” said Sarah Murdoch, who is Dame Elisabeth Murdoch’s granddaughter-in-law and MCRI’s global ambassador and board co-chair.
“Behind every breakthrough is a child – a family desperate for answers.”
“With the generosity of a remarkable group of founding donors alongside the Murdoch family – Sir Jack Brockhoff, the Miller family, and The Scobie and Claire Mackinnon Trust – the foundations were laid for an Institute designed to bring our brightest minds, to serve all children, not only in that moment, but for generations to come,” Ms. Murdoch added.
“I see what is possible when foresight, science, commitment, collaboration and heartfelt generosity come together,” she emphasized.
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“Because behind every breakthrough is a child — a family desperate for answers. A future changed because of the commitment by so many.”
MCRI Director Kathryn North expressed appreciation at the gala to the prime minister for the $5 million grant.
“From the beginning, MCRI has been guided by a simple but powerful purpose: to give all children the opportunity to live a healthy and fulfilled life,” North said.
“It reflects a belief that good health is the foundation for a full life, and that opportunity should never be limited by circumstance.”
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Professor North mentioned the Institute’s focus on developing therapies for previously incurable diseases.
“We are harnessing the power of human stem cell technologies to grow heart patches, functional mini kidneys, blood and immune cells … to better understand disease, and to develop regenerative therapies using a patient’s own stem cells to replace organ transplants and the risk of rejection,” she said.
The Institute’s next challenge, North said, is to address chronic conditions like asthma, obesity, allergies and mental health conditions that can persist for decades.
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“These are big problems that will require significant and ongoing support,” she said. “Through our work globally, we are helping communities raise their expectations to both deliver and receive the sort of healthcare we take for granted.”
“Our ambition now is to translate these partnerships into population-scale solutions that improve the lives of millions of children worldwide,” North added. “This is not simply the next chapter for MCRI – it is the work of building the future of children’s health.”
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