The James N Kirby Foundation was established by the late Sir James Kirby in 1967. Today, overseen by the third generation of Kirbys, it has a significant impact on the lives of Australians across the areas of education and technology, the environment, health, social welfare and the arts.
The James N Kirby Foundation has been a long-term supporter of HRI, in particular with investment in research that has the future potential to transform lives, but is not yet competitive for larger, governmental grants. In particular, the James N Kirby Foundation was the first organisation to support our Applied Materials Group’s multi-functional nanomedicine platform. The funding enabled us to take this blue-sky idea to a point where we proved the safety of our nanoparticles in the laboratory and combined them with an agent to target inflammation as a potential treatment for peripheral artery disease (the reason people with diabetes often suffer limb loss). We are also developing treatments for a range of other major diseases including heart attack, breast cancer and type 1 diabetes.
Dr Steven Wise, Applied Materials Group Leader, contributed to the James N Kirby Foundation’s 2018 annual review, which can be accessed here. Dr Wise’s contribution can be read on page 7.