The Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM) is an Australian

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

health and

medical research Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as experimental medicine, encompasses a wide array of research, extending from "basic research" (also called ''bench science'' or ''bench research''), – involving fundamental scientif ...

institute An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes can ...

based at

James Cook University James Cook University (JCU) is a public university in North Queensland, Australia. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research institution. The university's main campuses are located in the tropical cities of Cairn ...

(JCU) in

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

and

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. Formerly known as the Australian Institute of Tropical Medicine, AITHM was established at JCU in 2008. AITHM's focus is on the health problems of most importance to tropical Australia and the tropics worldwide, particularly within Australia’s geographical region. This focus is reflective of JCU's strategic commitment to "Creating a brighter future for life in the tropics worldwide through graduates and discoveries that make a difference". The current Director of AITHM is Professor Louis Schofield.

Overview

AITHM aims to contribute to better health for people in the tropics by developing new prevention, diagnosis and treatment options for diseases that are of importance in the tropical world. This is achieved through biomedical, molecular, genomic, epidemiological, entomological and health systems research that is undertaken within an integrated public health framework. Through its research and innovation, and in partnership with key organisations, AITHM aims to bridge the gap between cutting edge research, disease control methodology and scientific expertise; and health service, workforce and policy delivery relevant to tropical populations. In early 2012, AITHM received a commitment of $42.12 million from the Queensland Government to build essential infrastructure and bolster key research projects. This funding has significantly enhanced AITHM’s capacity to underpin Australia’s health security and biosecurity strategies with effective research. The funding is also intended to enhance research to improve health in rural, remote and tropical Australia, in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, and across the tropics regionally and globally. AITHM now has research facilities on both the Townsville and Cairns campuses of James Cook University and on Thursday Island, the main commercial and administrative hub of the Torres Strait.

History

JCU has a long history in tropical health research, with an established focus on infectious diseases and the health of tropical populations through the

Anton Breinl Centre The Anton Breinl Centre for Public Health and Tropical Medicine (Anton Breinl Centre or the ABC) is a constituent discipline of the School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences at James Cook University in Queensland, Austr ...

. AITHM’s research builds on these strong epidemiological and public health foundations. AITHM’s predecessor, The

Australian Institute for Tropical Medicine Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

, was established in Townsville in 1913 and was Australia's first medical research institute. Before it was subsumed into the then Commonwealth Department of Health in 1921, the Institute made a significant contribution to understandings about how Europeans could live in and adapt to tropical Australia.Tropical Health Solutions
Publications from the Australian Institute for Tropical Medicine: 1903-1930
/ref> The Institute's first director was Dr

Anton Breinl Anton Breinl (2 July 1880 – 28 June 1944) was a medical practitioner and medical researcher, who established the Australian Institute of Tropical Medicine in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Early life Anton Breinl was born on 2 July 1 ...

, who had previously worked as a medical scientist at the

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) is a higher education institution with degree awarding powers and registered charity located in Liverpool, United Kingdom. Established in 1898, it was the first institution in the world dedicated ...

Research areas

AITHM’s key research areas include:

Tropical infectious disease

*Infectious diseases and public health research: Surveillance, diagnostics and epidemiology (including multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, and novel, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases). Led by Professor Robyn McDermott, Professor Patricia Graves, Associate Professor Jeffrey Warner, and Professor John McBride. *Infectious diseases and immunopathogenesis (including Q Fever, melioidosis, streptococcal infections, mycobacterial infections, helminth infections, toxoplasmosis, intersections between communicable and non-communicable diseases). Led by Professor Natkunam Ketheesan, Professor Alex Loukas, Dr Brenda Govan, and Professor Nicholas Smith. *Vector-borne diseases and vector management (including dengue fever, encephalitis, lymphatic filariasis and other neglected tropical diseases, malaria). Led by Professor Scott Ritchie, Professor Tom Burkot, and Associate Professor Patrick Schaeffer. The

and the Centre for Biosecurity and Tropical Infectious Diseases enhance the organisational capacity of these research areas.

Chronic disorders with high prevalence in the tropics

*Peripheral Vascular Disease (a Centre of Research Excellence funded by the

National Health and Medical Research Council The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is the main statutory authority of the Australian Government responsible for medical research. It was the eighth largest research funding body in the world in 2016, and NHMRC-funded rese ...

). Led by Professor Jonathan Golledge. *Chronic disease epidemiology and health transition, particularly involving diabetes via the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Care (a collaboration between the University of South Australia, James Cook University, the Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia, Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council and the Royal Flying Doctor Service with funding provided by the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute CRE program). Led by Professor Robyn McDermott. *Skin cancer research group. Led by Dr Simone Harrison. *Mental health. Led by Professor Kim Usher, Associate Professor Zoltan Sarnyai, and Dr Craig Bennett. *Accident and emergency response and prevention. Led by Associate Professor Richard Franklin, Professor Geoffrey Dobson, and Associate Professor Jamie Seymour. *Substance abuse research group. Led by Associate Professor Alan Clough.

Development of diagnostics and therapeutics

*Molecular development of new therapies from bioactive compounds derived from tropical organisms, through the Centre for Biodiscovery and Molecular Development of Therapeutics.James Cook University
Centre for Biodiscovery and Molecular Development of Therapeutics
/ref> Led by Professor Alex Loukas, Professor Nicholas Smith, and Associate Professor Jamie Seymour *Diagnostics for influenza, melioidosis, multiple sclerosis, type 1 (childhood) diabetes, lupus and gastritis; and molecular characterisation of allergenic proteins and their effect on the immune system, leading to the development of advanced strategies of detecting and treating allergies (through the Comparative Genomics Centre).James Cook University
Comparative Genomics Centre
/ref> Led by Professor Alan Baxter, Associate Professor Patrick Schaeffer, and Associate Professor Andreas Lopata.

Genetic diseases

Comparative genomics Comparative genomics is a field of biological research in which the genomic features of different organisms are compared. The genomic features may include the DNA sequence, genes, gene order, regulatory sequences, and other genomic structural lan ...

, through the Comparative Genomics Centre (including lupus, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, allergies and birth defects). Led by Professor Alan Baxter. *Genetic susceptibility to infections. Led by Professor Louis Schofield.

Health services in tropical, regional, rural and remote communities

*Health systems research (focussed on workforce development and health service delivery particularly in rural, remote, and indigenous populations in tropical Australia and the Pacific). Led by Professor Sabina Knight, Associate Professor Sarah Larkins, Associate Professor Jacinta Elston, and Associate Professor Jane Mills *Translation of research evidence into public health and healthcare practice. Led by Professor Robyn McDermott and Professor John McBride *Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) research (focussed on the mining and agricultural workforce in tropical and regional Australia). Led by Associate Professor Gunther Paul

Location

AITHM is headquartered at the JCU campus in Townsville, with research facilities in Townsville, Cairns, and the

Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost extremity of the Australian mai ...

Key positions

The inaugural Director of AITHM is Professor Louis Schofield.

References

External links

* {{authority control Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine Tropical medicine organizations 2008 establishments in Australia James Cook University Research institutes established in 2008 Townsville