Professor Polglase - a long-standing CSAR Collaborator Awarded Two Major Australian Research Grants

We are pleased to share that our long-standing collaborator Professor Graeme Polglase from the Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Monash University (Melbourne, Australia) has been awarded funding through two highly competitive Australian grant schemes. These awards underscore the strength of our long-standing international collaborations, and we are honoured to continue working closely with Professor Polglase and his team, including ongoing CSAR participation in Australia over the coming years as these studies progress.

Heart Foundation Australia – Vanguard Grant

Research Funding Recipients 2025 | Projects commencing 2026

Professor Polglase and colleagues have been awarded a Heart Foundation Australia Vanguard Grant for the project:

Optimising vasopressor therapy during cardiopulmonary resuscitation of asphyxiated newborns

This Vanguard Grant will examine vasopressin as an alternative to epinephrine during cardiopulmonary resuscitation in asphyxiated newborns, addressing a critical evidence gap in neonatal resuscitation. The project builds directly on several years of foundational and collaborative work by Professor Polglase and CSAR, which has explored the physiological rationale, feasibility, and potential advantages of vasopressin over epinephrine in this setting.

Importantly, CSAR is currently conducting the first pilot randomized controlled trial comparing vasopressin with epinephrine in neonatal resuscitation. The Vanguard-funded work will complement and extend this program by generating additional mechanistic and feasibility data, helping to inform the design of larger, definitive studies in the future.

National Health and Medical Research Council Ideas Grant

In addition, Professor Polglase has been awarded an NHMRC Ideas Grant for the project:

Reducing Cerebrovascular Injury in Extremely Preterm Infants

The NHMRC Ideas Grant scheme supports innovative and creative research that addresses clearly defined scientific questions across the continuum of health and medical research. This project focuses on reducing cerebrovascular injury in extremely preterm infants by advancing mechanistic understanding of cerebral vulnerability during the critical transition from fetal to neonatal life.

As part of this work, the Ideas Grant will build on Professor Polglase’s long-standing research on brain injury in preterm infants, together with CSAR’s complementary work on brain injury at birth. The grant will examine how umbilical cord management, oxygen strategies, and ventilation influence cerebral perfusion using advanced synchrotron imaging. This approach enables high-resolution, real-time assessment of cerebral physiology and provides insights that are not achievable with conventional clinical methodologies.

The project exemplifies the intent of the Ideas Grant scheme by prioritizing innovation, investigator leadership, and high-impact discovery science addressing fundamental questions that are not yet suited for large-scale clinical trials but have strong potential to inform future interventions and improve long-term neuro-developmental outcomes.

These awards highlight the strength of international collaboration and a shared commitment to advancing neonatal and perinatal care through physiology-driven, translational research. We congratulate Professor Polglase and the entire research team on these outstanding achievements and look forward to continued collaboration as these projects move forward.