The Translational Research Institute (TRI) is Australia's first

translational Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...

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 scienti ...

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 ca ...

dedicated to translating scientific discoveries into applications for medical practice. Located in , in inner-city

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

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 , establishe ...

, TRI is supported by a grant from the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Governmen ...

($140 million); and funding from the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended f ...

($107 million);

Queensland University of Technology Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The unive ...

($25 million); and

The University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = Br ...

($10 million) to combine clinical and translational research to advance progress from laboratory discovery to application in patient care. TRI is a Pty Ltd. company with four shareholders: Queensland Health, the Queensland University of Technology, The University of Queensland and Mater Medical Research.

History

In 2004 a proposal was submitted to the Queensland Government for the development and construction of TRI. In 2007 this progressed to project design. Five years on and 354 million in funding from the Australian and Queensland Governments, UQ and QUT, TRI became operational and four institutes came together. TRI was established in January 2013 and officially opened in October of the same year by the

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

Dame Quentin Bryce.

Research

Over 800 researchers and clinicians from TRI’s four shareholders undertake medical research and clinical studies into

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

; inflammation and

infection An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable di ...

;

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's ...

and

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

; kidney disease and

liver disease Liver disease, or hepatic disease, is any of many diseases of the liver. If long-lasting it is termed chronic liver disease. Although the diseases differ in detail, liver diseases often have features in common. Signs and symptoms Some of the si ...

; and bone and joint disorders. TRI research aims to: * prevent

disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

and provide protection against

, * understand diseases to improve early detection,

diagnosis Diagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of a certain phenomenon. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines, with variations in the use of logic, analytics, and experience, to determine " cause and effect". In systems engin ...

, treatment and

recovery Recovery or Recover may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * ''Recovery'' (novel), a Star Wars e-book * Recovery Version, a translation of the Bible with footnotes published by Living Stream Ministry Film and television * ''Recovery'' (fil ...

, * reduce the risk of disease spreading, * relieve symptoms and better manage chronic diseases and trauma.

Researchers

Some of TRI's researchers include: * Professor

Ian Frazer Ian Hector Frazer (born 6 January 1953) is a Scottish-born Australian immunologist, the founding CEO and Director of Research of the Translational Research Institute (Australia). Frazer and Jian Zhou developed and patented the basic technolo ...

- known for the development of the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer. * Associate Professor Glenda Gobe - Co-director, renal atrophy and regeneration, fibrosis, immunity and inflammation, and kidney cancer. * Professor Judith Clements - known for Kallikrein proteases in prostate and ovarian cancers. * Professor Josephine Forbes - specialises in the study of glycation and diabetes. * Professor David Johnson – known for kidney treatments and transplants. * Professor

Scott Bell Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Sask ...

- Current TRI CEO, renowned respiratory specialist.

Facilities

Located on the Princess Alexandra (PA) Hospital campus, the seven-story TRI building incorporates four floors of laboratories; and facilities for research support, administration and teaching. TRI’s core facilities include: * Clinical Research Facilities * Cytometry Core Facility * Histology Core Facility * Microscopy Core Facility * Proteomics Facility Co-located with TRI are the following facilities: * Patheon Biologics, the first major biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Australia. * The Pharmacy Australian Centre of Excellence (PACE) * Brisbane Diamantina Health Partners, an academic health science system

The TRI building

The TRI building was designed by

Wilson Architects Wilson Architects is one of Australia's the oldest architectural practices in Australia. The firm specialises in the design of educational and laboratory spaces and facilities. History Wilson Architects was founded in 1884 by Alexander Brown Wi ...

+ Donovan Hill and was built by Watpac, completed in 2012 at the total cost of $354 million. The facility features eight levels: four levels of laboratories, administration and teaching facilities, an auditorium and conference rooms, staff amenities and an "outdoor room" atrium area. TRI is a building. It stands on the grounds of the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane on the former site of the

Vision Australia Vision Australia is a not-for-profit organisation and Australia's largest provider of services for people with blindness and low vision. Background Vision Australia was created in 2004 through the merger of 4 smaller blindness organisations: t ...

building, of which the red clay bricks were salvaged and reused as the base of TRI. The building received several architectural and design awards.

References