Research Platforms' Performance Reports TMB 2015-2017 | 页面 3

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report covers the activities and the evolution of the Tropical
Medicine and Biology (TMB) Multidisciplinary Platform over
the period of 2015 to 2017. The TMB was started in 2013.
From the start its research focus has been closely aligned with
the UN Sustainable Development Goals and national priorities
in food, medicine and the environment.
The research of the TMB is grouped into clusters; the initial
clusters were called Genomics, Telemedicine, Infection and
Immunity and Tropical Biology Education. In 2017 the TMB
consisted of Genomics, Food Security and Biodiversity, Health
and Infectious Diseases, Human Genetics, Systems Biology
of Viral Infections, Clinical Medicine and Telemedicine. The
research in Telemedicine will be absorbed elsewhere this year.
The period from 2015-2017 has seen a sustained increase
in the scientific productivity of the TMB and a renewed focus
on areas of particular interest to our region. The Genomics
cluster produced the first draft sequence in the world of
the Arowana, building on other work on aquatic organisms.
The Food Security and Biodiversity group investigates rice,
microbes and tropical organisms. The Health and Infectious
Diseases group takes a lab-to-community approach to viral
diseases, particularly dengue and chikungunya, and works
across the whole spectrum to protect the community. Human
Genetics is a new cluster and builds on the stellar work on
indigenous groups in our region. Systems Biology of Viral
Infections is also a new cluster and is based on a deep
understanding of the host-cell interactions following influenza
infection. The Clinical Medicine Cluster seeks to link Monash
capabilities in the hospital with its capabilities in the laboratory.
The Telemedicine cluster forges cutting-edge links between
healthcare and IT through its research and meetings. In
addition, the TMB supports seed research in the expectation
that some these projects will lead to excellence and either be
merged into one of the existing clusters or be the nucleus of a
new cluster in the future.
Activity highlights of the TMB platform are to be found in
this report.
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