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• QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Image: The QIMR Bergofer building in Brisbane

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QIMR Berghofer is one of Australia’s largest and most successful medical research institutes. Our researchers are investigating the genetic and environmental causes of some of the world’s deadliest diseases as well as developing new diagnostics, better treatments and prevention strategies. The Institute’s diverse research program extends from tropical diseases to cancers to Indigenous health, mental health, and infectious diseases.

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• Infectious diseases
• Mental health & complex disorders

Image caption: The QIMR Berghofer building in Brisbane, Queensland.

Image credit: QIMR Berghofer

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• Cardiovascular
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• Indigenous health
• Kidney health
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UQmedicine magazine out now

Working together to improve health and empower communities through medical education and research..

The University of Queensland Medical School is a leading provider of medical education and research in Queensland, with an internationally renowned medical degree program, and with leading mental health and skin cancer programs. We're committed to pushing back the boundaries of knowledge, translating research into clinical practice and educating future generations.

• Link between childhood maltreatment and adult substance abuse 23 April 2024
• Patients benefit from deep relationships with GPs 16 January 2024
• Medical graduate preaches rural medicine as the key to balance 15 December 2023

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• Queensland’s research capability
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Health and medical science

Professor Chamindie Punyadeera, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery – Leading researcher in saliva diagnostics, proteomics, and cortisol

• Over 100 employees health and medical research centres
• 3 times global average cited for AI-enabled healthcare
• 9 research hospitals across Queensland
• 361 million private manufacturing R&D investment annually

Queensland has an advanced research-informed healthcare system with world class health professionals, renowned researchers and state of the art facilities. Recent testaments to our highly collaborative, innovative, and well supported environment for conducting leading health and medical research include the development of the world’s first human papilloma virus vaccine, the mRNA vaccine and molecular clamp technology, and at-home non-prescription diagnostic kits for COVID-19. While many Queensland health and medical researchers re-prioritised their research on potential vaccines, treatments and other medical interventions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, other researchers have applied their expertise to other impacts of the pandemic upon our economy and other aspects of society.

AI-enabled healthcare includes analysis of the large volumes of personal and system-wide clinical data, management of electronic medical records, use of wearable devices, diagnostic imaging and genomics. In AI-enabled healthcare alone, Queensland researchers produced over 89,000 publications between 2017 and 2021, and the most recent of these (in 2020) were cited 3 times the global average (citation rate of attributable publications), with more than 1200 of these linked to patent publications. Queensland AI-enabled healthcare researchers collaborate most frequently with the USA (33%); the UK (25%); China (18%); Canada (12%), and Germany (11%).

Queensland has a network of infectious disease scientists and clinicians recognised internationally for research excellence that is supported by world-class infrastructure. The Queensland Infectious Disease Research Capabilities (PDF, 799.9KB) document provides comprehensive audit of infectious disease research capabilities across the Griffith University, QIMR Berghofer, University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, Bond University, University of the Sunshine Coast, James Cook University and the Translational Research Institute.

Queensland has world-leading researchers in areas such as:

• viral, bacterial and parasitic infection
• vaccine research and drug discovery
• genomics and personalised medicine
• digital and AI-enabled healthcare
• imaging and imaging technology
• cellular and molecular neuroscience
• advanced therapies for cancer

and has one the world’s leading high-risk pregnancy units.

Five out of Queensland’s nine universities have been rated ‘above’ or ‘well above’ world standards for medical and health sciences by the Australian Research Council.

Queensland boasts a critical mass of leading health and medical research precincts, institutes, and centres and over 140 research organisations involved in health and medical research. Queensland has nine universities – including three of Australia’s largest – all with strong research linkages with Queensland’s research hospitals and dedicated world-class research institutes and centres.

Leading health and medical research centres

All health and medical research centres

Industry-research collaboration and commercialisation

Vaccine development.

Millions of lives will be saved from cervical cancer by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil® that was developed at the University of Queensland by Professor Ian Frazer and the late Dr Jian Zhou to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer. Now produced by Merck Vaccines Gardasil® has led to a 90% decrease in the prevalence of HPV.

Diagnostic imaging

Most of the MRI scanners in the world use magnetic resonance technology research by Queensland Centre for Advanced Imaging . The Translational Research Institute (TRI) collaboration with the Siemens Healthineers enables researchers and clinicians to use advanced medical imaging without the need for invasive testing.

A universal vaccine for Malaria – a disease that annually causes over 200 million clinical episodes and more than 600,000 deaths has been developed by JCU’s Australian Institute for Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM), is in clinical development in a project led by AITHM in collaboration with Townsville University Hospital , DMTC Ltd and Pfizer .

AI-enabled healthcare

In a project aimed at using AI and whole-genome sequencing to predict patient outcomes of cancer treatment, the QIMR Berghofer have partnered with Brisbane-based AI technology company, Max Kelsen , precision analytics firm, genomiQa , genome sequencing company, BGI Australia , and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital .

Personalised medicine

Fast-tracking of research into potential new lung cancer drug treatments has begun at the Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health in a partnership with Janssen Pharmaceutica NV that provides access to their Jump-stARTer Compound Library.

An acute-care bed dashboard to visualise unit bed capacity, patient status and care trajectory has been developed by Datarwe , a public-private collaboration with Griffith University , Gold Coast University Hospital , Queensland AI Hub and other healthcare providers and leading healthcare ecosystem partners.

Medical devices

The easily stored and administered needle-free vaccine delivery technology developed by researchers at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology has been commercialised by UQ spin-off company Vaxxas into their Nanopatch™ High-Density Microarray Patch (HD-MAP).

Working to identify cancer-causing genetic mutations for better cancer survival rates, the Australian Translational Genomics Centre is a partnership between QUT, Metro South Hospital and Health Service , and Pathology Queensland , and is one of the largest genomic diagnostic and research DNA sequencing services of its kind in Australasia.

Medical technology

Global medical technology group Stryker has established its first Australian research and development facility at the Herston Health Precinct in collaboration with The University of Queensland , Queensland University of Technology, Metro North Hospital and Health Service and the Queensland Government.

Contact the commercial partnership offices of Queensland universities and research institutes for details of their research-industry collaboration or investment opportunities.

Support for the health and medical industry in Queensland

Queensland’s health system.

The Department of Health is the lead government agency the state’s health system. It works in collaboration with 16 Hospital and Health Services (HHS) statutory bodies. Under the auspices of the Clinical Excellence Queensland , the Queensland Clinical Networks are formally recognised groups, established to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare across 25 areas of care.

Sustained investment

Several of the HHS operate major tertiary research hospitals in close partnership with the many specialised research centres and health faculties of Queensland’s universities and research institutes such as the Translational Research Institute (TRI), QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute , Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine and the Menzies Health Institute Queensland .

Successive Queensland Governments have developed several of these research hospitals and institutes over the last two decades. In 2022, further funding was announced for a new 150-bed Queensland Cancer Centre (A$750M) to be built within the Herston Health Precinct at Brisbane’s Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in partnership with the University of Queensland – Herston , Queensland University of Technology and QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute . Also funded by the Queensland Government in 2022, is a medical manufacturing facility TM at TRI (A$60M of A$80M full cost) to be built in Brisbane. The facility will be equipped to produce promising drugs and vaccines for clinical trials.

UQ Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology – Illustration of blood clotting process

Photo credit: Dr Alexandr Kakinen

Biomedical industry

Queensland biomedical enterprises include biopharmaceuticals; generic pharmaceuticals; medical devices and point-of-care diagnostics; several multinational biomedical manufacturing businesses; and a thriving complementary medicines industry. The Queensland Biomedical 10-Year Roadmap and Action Plan released in June 2017 supports the continuing development the Queensland biomedical sector in the global value chain. The roadmap is supported by the Queensland Industry Partnership Program (2021–2025) that is investing A$350 million in several priority industry sectors including biomedical.

Institute for Molecular Bioscience investigates the stinging nettles of the world’s most venomous plants - the gympie-gympie tree

Photo credit: Darren Brown

Clinical trials

Queensland is a destination of choice for clinical trials, where it is far cheaper than the USA for early-phase clinical trials (28% cheaper before tax incentives and 60% after). Registered on the Queensland Clinical Trials Portal , one in five Australian clinical trials take place in Queensland across over 130 clinical trial sites.

CQUniversity Centre for Indigenous Health Equity Research co-design research projects with First Nations organisations

Research and innovation support

Advance Queensland is the key Queensland Government initiative (A$755 million allocated as of July 2022) delivered by nine government agencies, to develop entrepreneurial and research talent and to support start-ups and businesses. There are several funding programs , including the Industry Research Fellowships program that is.

The Department of Health’s HEALTHQ32 Research Strategy 2032 promotes partnerships between industry, research organisations and government to invest in innovative research. The searchable Database of Research Activity covers all human research undertaken in the Department of Health and includes research funded under the Advancing Clinical Research Fellowships , the Nursing and Midwifery Research Fellowships and other funding programs .

The majority of health and medical research in Australia is funded by two independent statutory agencies, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Australian Research Council (ARC) .

Talent pipeline for health and medical R&D

All of Queensland’s universities offer under and postgraduate courses and units in health and medicine and partner with Queensland’s research hospitals. Most of the universities host major research institutes and specialised research centres supporting post-graduate and dedicated researcher.

From their earliest years students in Queensland engage with STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) under the strategy for STEM in Queensland state schools and teachers access resources via the STEM Hub and the Queensland STEM Education Network provided by Queensland universities.

High school students can be industry-ready under the Gateway to Industry Schools Health (external link) program. This is long-term program to support the development of a highly-skilled workforce is delivered by CheckUP .

Queensland Life Sciences – Globally Competitive 04:47

Find out why top researchers and industry leaders are saying Queensland is one of the best places in the world for life science research.

View Queensland life sciences video with Chinese subtitles 昆士兰生命科学 – 全球领先”视频（附中文字幕）

The Department commissioned two reports to support emerging science-based industries:

• A New Chapter: opportunities to seed new industries for Queensland over the coming decade (2021) (PDF, 7.7MB)
• New Smarts Supporting Queensland’s knowledge-intensive industries through science, research and innovation (2019) (PDF, 11.9MB) .

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QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Established in 1945 by the Queensland Government, the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute (formerly the Queensland Institute of Medical Research) is a world leading translational research institute focused on cancer, infectious diseases, mental health and a range of complex diseases. Working in close collaboration with clinicians and other research institutes, our aim is to improve health by developing new diagnostics, better treatments and prevention strategies.

QIMR Berghofer is home to more than 700 scientists, students and support staff in six research departments (in over 50 separate laboratories) and a support division.

• Visit qimrberghofer.edu.au/
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Displaying all articles

Summer’s over, so how much sun can (and should) I get?

Katie Lee , The University of Queensland and Rachel Neale , QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Our mood usually lifts in spring. But after early heatwaves and bushfires, this year may be different

Tara Crandon , QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Emotional abuse is a pattern of hurtful messages – building parenting skills could help prevent it

Divna Haslam , Queensland University of Technology ; Alina Morawska , The University of Queensland , and James Graham Scott , QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Is ‘climate anxiety’ a clinical diagnosis? Should it be?

Fiona Charlson , The University of Queensland and Tara Crandon , QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

I’m at home with COVID. When do I need to see a doctor? And what treatments are available?

Tari Turner , Monash University ; Bridget Barber , QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute ; Josh Davis , University of Newcastle , and Steven McGloughlin , The National Trauma Research Institute

‘Got no friends? Sit on the buddy bench.’ Untested anti-bullying programs may be missing the mark

Karyn Healy , QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

There’s no single gene for left-handedness . At least 41 regions of DNA are involved

David Evans , The University of Queensland and Sarah Medland , QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

You’re not the only one feeling helpless. Eco-anxiety can reach far beyond bushfire communities

Fiona Charlson , The University of Queensland and James Graham Scott , QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Is social media damaging to children and teens? We asked five experts

Alexandra Hansen , The Conversation

Why do many people with Parkinson’s disease develop an addiction? We built a virtual casino to find out

Philip Mosley , QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

For people with a mental illness, loved ones who care are as important as formal supports

Emily Hielscher , The University of Queensland ; James Graham Scott , QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute , and Sandra Diminic , The University of Queensland

It’s perfectly legal for doctors to charge huge amounts for surgery, but should it be allowed?

Louisa Collins , QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Origines de l’asthme : ce que l’on sait, ce que l’on suspecte

Simon Phipps , QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and Md. Al Amin Sikder , The University of Queensland

What causes asthma? What we know, don’t know and suspect

Why does Australia have so much skin cancer? (Hint: it’s not because of an ozone hole)

Terry Slevin , Cancer Council Australia and David Whiteman , QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

New online tool can predict your melanoma risk

Phoebe Roth, The Conversation

Research Check: do most melanoma patients have fewer than 20 moles?

H. Peter Soyer , The University of Queensland and Richard Sturm , The University of Queensland

Interactive body map: what really gives you cancer?

Emil Jeyaratnam, The Conversation and Sasha Petrova, The Conversation

Nobel Prize in Chemistry highlights how our bodies can repair our fragile DNA

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Associate Professor, infectious diseases, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Senior Research Officer, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Professor and Group Leader at the Cancer Control Group, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Team Head, Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Honorary Professor and Consultant Psychiatrist, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Research scientist, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Professor - Health Economics, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Group Leader, Gynaecological Cancers Group, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Research Fellow, Systems Neuroscience Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Principal research fellow, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

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The Queensland Cabinet and Ministerial Directory

World-class medical research institute gets multimillion dollar expansion.

Published Tuesday, 08 June, 2021 at 09:09 AM

JOINT STATEMENT

Premier and Minister for Trade The Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk

Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning The Honourable Dr Steven Miles

Treasurer and Minister for Investment The Honourable Cameron Dick

A world leading Queensland medical research facility will receive a multimillion-dollar investment to ramp up the development and manufacturing of vaccines.

The project is the first to be announced under the Palaszczuk Government’s new flagship $1.84 billion Queensland Jobs Fund.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said her government was investing $20 million towards the development of a new Translational Manufacturing Institute at the existing Translational Research Institute (TRI).

“The $1.84 billion Queensland Jobs Fund is the next evolution of Queensland’s approach to industry development and jobs creation,” the Premier said.

“People and businesses are moving to Queensland in droves because they know it is one of the safest places in the world to live, work and raise a family.

“My government will provide up to $20 million to expand the existing TRI to include a new state-of-the-art Translational Manufacturing Institute called “TMI@TRI”.

“This will accelerate development of one of the State’s most important health-research precincts and ramp up Australia’s capacity to develop our biomedical industry and manufacture vaccines.

“It will also support an estimated 500 jobs over 10 years.”  

The project is the first to be announced as part of the Government’s new $350 million Industry Partnership Program, within the $1.84 billion Queensland Jobs Fund unveiled today.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said Queensland could be a vaccine manufacturing location for the whole country.

“The Queensland Jobs Fund is the government’s next step toward Queensland’s economic recovery,” Mr Miles said.

“What better project to kick it off than an investment in biomedical manufacturing that will create high-skilled jobs in Queensland and could lead to the development of life saving vaccines.  

“I want Queensland to lead the country in vaccine research, development, and manufacturing, and I’ve been talking to leading biomedical experts about how to do this.

“TMI@TRI was one of their strong recommendations.

“We want to keep growing the state’s biomedical sector, which already employs more than 10,000 people across more than 1200 companies.

“From the very start of the pandemic, Queenslanders have shown the world the capability of our biomedical research and development.

“Scaling up manufacturing is the next frontier for us. Imagine Queensland becoming Australia’s leading vaccine manufacturing location, right here at Woolloongabba.”

Treasurer and Minister for Investment, Cameron Dick said that under the $1.84 billion fund, the government is working to supercharge the economic recovery.

“Our strong health response to COVID-19 has enabled us to accelerate the recovery of our economy, which is now larger than what it was pre-pandemic,” the Treasurer said.

“We’re now ready to drive that next phase of economic growth”.

“Queensland’s COVID19 economic recovery plan is unashamedly focused on growing Queensland jobs and our state’s manufacturing base

“The Queensland Jobs Fund will help us unlock private sector investment to achieve this.

“If there is one thing that the pandemic has taught us, it is that we need to manufacture more things in Queensland, by Queenslanders, for Queenslanders.

“This includes manufacturing more medical equipment, personal protective equipment, and vaccines right here in our backyard.

“We want to work with investors on high impact projects will create a new generation of jobs now and well into the future.”

CEO of the Translational Research Institute Scott Bell said that the establishment of the Translational Manufacturing Institute (TMI@TRI) will support the local retention of start-ups to advance the commercialisation of their products, and help this industry realise economic and export opportunities.

“The provision of fully operational Good Manufacturing Practice cleanrooms will also see up to 100 people gain hands-on training in cleanroom processes and advanced manufacturing annually, creating a highly skilled workforce for the medtech industry.”

Professor Ian Frazer AC FRS, co-inventor of the Gardasil vaccine for cervical cancer said because of Australia’s limited manufacturing capability for biological products in the 1970s, the cervical cancer vaccine was unable to be tested and manufactured locally.

“This meant that large-scale clinical trials were conducted overseas. This remains the case today,” he said.

“I’ve recently contributed to the development of two research products, a potential treatment for COVID-19 and an immunotherapy for head and neck cancer.

“These were manufactured overseas, because we lacked the capacity to produce them here. 

“I would like to see Queensland help Australia to develop the capacity and capability to manufacture products like these here and TMI@TRI can help us achieve this.”

TRI has sought Australian Government funding under the Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI) for this expansion at the Princess Alexandra Hospital Precinct.

The Queensland Government is prepared to support the project with up to $20 million, within the boundaries of the MMI funding guidelines, and is encouraging the Australian Government to support TMI@TRI.

The TMI@TRI project aligns with the government’s  Queensland Biomedical 10-Year Roadmap and Action Plan  to make Queensland a globally competitive Asia-Pacific biomedical hub by 2027.

Find out more at www.qld.gov.au/qldjobsfund

Media contact:        Deputy Premier’s Office - Katharine Wright 0428 957 903 Treasurer’s Office - Geoff Breusch 0417 272 875

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Evaluating Pilot Implementation of 'PenCS Flu Topbar' App in Medical Practices to Improve National Immunisation Program-Funded Seasonal Influenza Vaccination in Central Queensland, Australia

Affiliations.

• 1 Central Queensland Public Health Unit, Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.
• 2 Research Division, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.
• 3 Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.
• 4 Herston Biofabrication Institute, Metro North Health, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
• 5 Wide Bay Public Health Unit, Hervey Bay Hospital and Health Service, Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia.
• 6 School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
• 7 School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.
• 8 Research Division, Sanofi Pasteur, Canterbury, New South Wales, Australia.
• 9 Sunshine Coast Public Health Unit, Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service, Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia.
• 10 Rockhampton Business Unit, Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.
• 11 Sydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.
• 12 Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.
• PMID: 38623599
• PMCID: PMC11019295
• DOI: 10.1111/irv.13280

Background: The 'PenCS Flu Topbar' app was deployed in Central Queensland (CQ), Australia, medical practices through a pilot programme in March 2021.

Methods: We evaluated the app's user experience and examined whether the introduction of 'PenCS Flu Topbar' in medical practices could improve the coverage of NIP-funded influenza vaccinations. We conducted a mixed-method study including a qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with key end-users and a quantitative analysis of influenza vaccine administrative data.

Results: 'PenCS Flu Topbar' app users reported positive experiences identifying patients eligible for NIP-funded seasonal influenza vaccination. A total of 3606 NIP-funded influenza vaccinations was administered in the eight intervention practices, 14% higher than the eight control practices. NIP-funded vaccination coverage within practices was significantly higher in the intervention practices (31.2%) than in the control practices (27.3%) (absolute difference: 3.9%; 95% CI: 2.9%-5.0%; p < 0.001). The coverage was substantially higher in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged more than 6 months, pregnant women and children aged 6 months to less than 5 years for the practices where the app was introduced when compared to control practices: incidence rate ratio (IRR) 2.4 (95% CI: 1.8-3.2), IRR 2.7 (95% CI: 1.8-4.2) and IRR 2.3 (1.8-2.9) times higher, respectively.

Conclusions: Our evaluation indicated that the 'PenCS Flu Topbar' app is useful for identifying the patients eligible for NIP-funded influenza vaccination and is likely to increase NIP-funded influenza vaccine coverage in the eligible populations. Future impact evaluation including a greater number of practices and a wider geographical area is essential.

Keywords: application; clinical decision support system; health information technology; influenza; vaccination.

© 2024 The Authors. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

• Australia / epidemiology
• Influenza Vaccines*
• Influenza, Human* / epidemiology
• Influenza, Human* / prevention & control
• Mobile Applications*
• Queensland / epidemiology
• Vaccination
• Influenza Vaccines

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April 24, 2024

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Research show oysters could help clean up the reef through filtration

by James Cook University

Scientists have found oysters could be very useful in gobbling up nutrient pollution from tropical waterways, including the Great Barrier Reef.

James Cook University's Professor Jan Strugnell was co-author of a study that examined the effectiveness of using Blacklip Rock Oysters to remove nitrogen, phosphorous, solids and chlorophyll from waterways. The findings are published in the journal Aquaculture Environment Interactions .

"The problem is the nutrient-rich wastewater (e.g. high in nitrogen and phosphorus) can degrade marine environments and this, in addition to costly water treatment practices, has prompted interest into biological filtration methods," said Professor Strugnell.

She said the organic content of wastewater from aquaculture—such as fecal matter and undigested food—can provide a rich supply of food for oysters and they can also assist in the removal of fine sediments from the water column.

"The tropical Blacklip Rock Oyster has several characteristics that suggest it would be well-suited to bioremediatory applications. These include a large size and fast growth rate, and resilience to fluctuations in temperature and salinity," said Professor Strugnell.

The scientists tested Blacklip Rock Oysters' uptake of waste over different temperature ranges and with different densities of the animal.

"The findings highlight the effectiveness of the oyster is closely linked to temperature, with 32°C returning the highest filtration rate for much of a five hour period.

"Interestingly, the Blacklip Rock Oyster was found to have a filtration rate three to five times higher than other frequently cultured oyster species suggesting that it may be well suited to biofiltration roles," said Professor Strugnell.

She said the findings indicated that 1.20 kg of nitrogen is removed per tonne of harvested oysters.

"In 2020/21 the oyster industry in NSW harvested 5,081 tonnes of oysters . If tropical oyster production in Queensland grew to this scale it would remove approximately 6,098 kg of nitrogen/year and contribute to a 6% reduction in total nitrogen /year from aquaculture farms in the Great Barrier Reef catchment," said Professor Strugnell.

She said the next step would be farm-based trials to build on the findings from the lab studies.

Provided by James Cook University

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• 19 April 2024

Do insects have an inner life? Animal consciousness needs a rethink

• Mariana Lenharo

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Growing evidence indicates that insects such as bees show some forms of consciousness, according to a new scientific statement. Credit: Phil Savoie/Nature Picture Library

Crows , chimps and elephants : these and many other birds and mammals behave in ways that suggest they might be conscious . And the list does not end with vertebrates. Researchers are expanding their investigations of consciousness to a wider range of animals, including octopuses and even bees and flies.

Armed with such research, a coalition of scientists is calling for a rethink in the animal–human relationship . If there’s “a realistic possibility” of “conscious experience in an animal, it is irresponsible to ignore that possibility in decisions affecting that animal”, the researchers write in a document they call The New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness . Issued today during a meeting in New York City, the declaration also says that there is a “realistic possibility of conscious experience” in reptiles, fish, insects and other animals that have not always been considered to have inner lives, and “strong scientific support” for aspects of consciousness in birds and mammals.

As the evidence has accumulated, scientists are “taking the topic seriously, not dismissing it out of hand as a crazy idea in the way they might have in the past”, says Jonathan Birch, a philosopher at the London School of Economics and Political Science and one of the authors of the declaration.

The document, which had around 40 signatories early today, doesn’t state that there are definitive answers about which species are conscious. “What it says is there is sufficient evidence out there such that there’s a realistic possibility of some kinds of conscious experiences in species even quite distinct from humans,” says Anil Seth, director of the Centre for Consciousness Science at the University of Sussex near Brighton, UK, and one of the signatories. The authors hope that others will sign the declaration and that it will stimulate both more research into animal consciousness and more funding for the field.

Blurry line

The definition of consciousness is complex, but the group focuses on an aspect of consciousness called sentience, often defined as the capacity to have subjective experiences, says Birch. For an animal, such experiences would include smelling, tasting, hearing or touching the world around itself, as well as feeling fear, pleasure or pain — in essence, what it is like to be that animal. But subjective experience does not require the capacity to think about one’s experiences.

The consciousness wars: can scientists ever agree on how the mind works?

Non-human animals cannot use words to communicate their inner states. To assess consciousness in these animals, scientists often rely on indirect evidence, looking for certain behaviours that are associated with conscious experiences, Birch says.

One classic experiment is the mirror test , which investigates an animal’s ability to recognize itself in a mirror. In this experiment, scientists apply a sticker or other visual mark on an animal’s body and place the animal in front of a mirror. Some animals — including chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ) 1 , Asian elephants ( Elephas maximus ) 2 and cleaner fishes ( Labroides dimidiatus ) 3 — exhibit curiosity about the mark and even try to remove it. This behaviour suggests the possibility of self-awareness, which might be a sign of consciousness.

In an experiment with crows ( Corvus corone ) 4 , the birds were trained to make a specific head gesture whenever they saw a coloured square on a screen, a task they carried out with high accuracy. While the birds performed the task, scientists measured the activity in a region of their brain associated with high-level cognition. The birds’ brain activity correlated with what the birds were reporting, not with what they were actually shown. This suggests that they were aware of what they were perceiving, another potential marker of consciousness.

Invertebrate inner lives?

Another experiment showed that octopuses ( Octopus bocki ) 5 , when picking between two chambers, avoided one where they had previously received a painful stimulus in favour of one where they were given an anaesthetic. This suggests that they experience and actively avoid pain, which some researchers think indicates conscious experience.

Research shows that octopuses avoid pain, which some scientists take as a sign of consciousness. Credit: Brandon Cole/Nature Picture Library

Investigations of fruit flies ( Drosophila melanogaster ) show that they engage in both deep sleep and ‘active sleep’, in which their brain activity is the same as when they’re awake 6 . “This is perhaps similar to what we call rapid eye movement sleep in humans, which is when we have our most vivid dreams, which we interpret as conscious experiences,” says Bruno van Swinderen, a biologist at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, who studies fruit flies ’ behaviour and who also signed the declaration.

Some suggest that dreams are key components of being conscious, he notes. If flies and other invertebrates have active sleep, “then maybe this is as good a clue as any that they are perhaps conscious”.

Animal minds

Other researchers are more sceptical about the available evidence on animal consciousness. “I don’t think there is basically any decisive evidence so far,” says Hakwan Lau, a neuroscientist at the Riken Center for Brain Science in Wako, Japan.

Lau acknowledges that there is a growing body of work showing sophisticated perceptual behaviour in animals, but he contends that that’s not necessarily indicative of consciousness. In humans, for example, there is both conscious and unconscious perception. The challenge now is to develop methods that can adequately distinguish between the two in non-humans.

Seth responds that, even in the absence of definitive answers, the declaration might still have a positive influence in shaping policies relating to animal ethics and welfare.

For van Swinderen, the time is right to consider whether most animals might be conscious. “We are experiencing an artificial-intelligence revolution where similar questions are being asked about machines. So it behoves us to ask if and how this adaptive quality of the brain might have evolved in nature.”

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