The Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation (CRF) have announced the awarded projects for 2018. Five projects were awarded funding for Flinders researchers, including an Early Career Researcher. The CRF aims to build capability in South Australia by attracting and retaining local research talent; specifically, by fostering early career researchers, advancing 'proof of concept' research, supporting specific research programs and providing seed funding for early stage research and researchers where other grant funding is unavailable.

The Flinders projects will provide crucial information of eating disorder risk during adolescence, aim to minimise lung injury during resuscitation of preterm infants, find a non-invasive test for paediatric celiac disease, see if a small protein can help minimise the damage to developing lungs, and help create effective mindfulness programs for schools aimed at specifically for youths.

Can school based mindfulness programs prevent mental health problems in adolescents? by Professor Tracey Wade has been funded for $75,000.
Given one in four Australians aged 16-24 have a mental health condition, schools are investing millions of dollars in programs that may enhance mental health (The Australian, 9.1.17, Schools invest in ‘wellness’ centres). However, current program developers of mindfulness are “flying blind” in trying to modify the robustly successful adult curricula to youth. This research will make a world-first contribution in identifying key ingredients needed for effective youth versions of mindfulness. This will assist schools in choosing evidence based programs matched to appropriate ages.

An investigation into eating and anxiety disorder risk factors and genetic architecture in adolescent twin girls by Dr Kate Fairweather-Schmidt has been funded for $74,906.
This project will provide crucial information of eating disorder risk during its greatest incidence period of adolescence, both at a diagnostic and symptom level, of pertinence to clinical and public health applications. Findings will (1) generate knowledge pertaining to observed co-occurrence of eating disorders and anxiety, including overlap between genetic and environmental risk factors; and, (2) identify strategic and specific targets that can maximise the success of interventions for prevention and treatment of eating and anxiety disorders.

A New Breath Test for Paediatric Celiac Disease by Dr Roger Yazbek has been funded for $74,406.
Almost 1% of Australian children suffer with celiac disease, with a large number still going undiagnosed. Current methods for the detection of celiac disease are costly and invasive, leading to delays in diagnosis. New tests are needed that are non-invasive, rapid, and more suitable for a paediatric setting. We have developed a new, stable-isotope breath test that may detect the intestines ability to break down gluten. We will conduct a pilot study of this breath test in children with and without celiac disease to provide proof-of-concept data for future, large scale clinical studies.

A therapeutic for infant acute lung injury: minimising immune-mediated damage to developing lungs during respiratory infection by Miss Elena Cavallaro (a Flinders Early Career Researcher) has been funded for $34,874.
Bronchiolitis and pneumonia are leading causes of infant hospitalisation in Australia. The exaggerated immunological insult stemming from these infections on developing lungs is associated with early-childhood asthma development. We have used a small protein, feG, to reduce the consequences of acute lung injury in various adult animal models, by dampening the immune response. We aim to assess feG efficacy in reducing the short and long-term effects of bronchiolitis and pneumonia during infancy, where feG may be an ideal candidate for returning the balance of the immune response in the airways.

Warming and humidifying inspiratory gases to minimise lung injury during resuscitation of extremely preterm infants by Dr Scott Morris has been funded for $31,350.
Extremely preterm babies have a high risk of lung damage leading to chronic lung disease. The cold and dry medical gases routinely used when resuscitating very small babies may damage the airway lining and contribute to chronic lung disease. Using warm and humid gases for resuscitation could be a very simple way to reduce damage to the lung. In this study we will compare cold dry gas with warm humid gas when resuscitating extremely preterm babies. If warm humid gas is less damaging, then an immediate benefit in health outcomes could be achieved with a change in clinical practice.