The history of the Florey Medical Research Fund

The Florey Medical Research Fund is named in honour of the Adelaide Medical Schoolís most brilliant graduate. Howard Florey, recognised as Australian of the Century, won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his development of penicillin to clinical use, changing the course of medicine and human history.

Millions of lives are now saved every year through the availability and use of antibiotics, first developed by him, whilst wondrous operations that are now everyday miracles are only possible because of such antibiotics.

Funding for high quality and innovative medical research has always been restricted and far too reliant on government and political considerations. The Florey Medical Research Fundís Strategic Plan aims at developing a capital base that will independently provide a significant part of the necessary annual funding for future research programmes conducted within the Adelaide Medical School and its major teaching hospitals and research centres.

Research in this wide area base covers all factors and human conditions: cancers, heart diseases, arthritis, bone metabolism, infectious diseases etc, and related issues such as pain management, psychological and age-related problems and development of treatment, healing and recovery processes. All grants must meet strict standards based on merit and relevance at an international level. In addition to this, the Fundís objects provide for postgraduate assistance and general practitioner education to benefit patients.

Established only a few years ago, the Fund has recently commenced its first Capital Appeal, the Howard Florey Centenary Capital Fund. Details of this Appeal, which is seeking participating donors now, are included in this report. The Florey Medical Research Fund has already committed budget funding of over $250,000 towards several important projects. In 1999, $100,000 was given to a team led by Professor John Hopwood to establish a Lysosomal Diseases Research Unit within the Adelaide Womenís & Childrenís Hospital. This project, a world-first innovation, is establishing early detection of lysosomal disorders in children, leading to better treatment options and improved quality of life for them and their families. For the year 2000, The Florey Medical Research Fund committed funding of $100,000 for one of the most exciting and potentially far-reaching medical research projects yet undertaken here or elsewhere: ìSearching for the Genes that cause Leukaemiaî. A brilliant internationally recognised team headed by Associate Professor Tom Gonda is now conducting this project, under the direction of Adelaide Universityís Faculty of Health Sciences, in the Immunology Department at the Institute of Medical & Veterinary Scienceís Hanson Centre. 

In addition to research grants the Fund now provides the basic travel and accommodation costs related to the visit annually of a distinguished professor to deliver the annual Florey Lecture and assist the growth of medical knowledge in the school.

Travel Grants are also given to outstanding students to further their knowledge and skills at the specialist institutions overseas.