Research for a Cure
We support medical research projects that raise hope for people living with mental illness.
If we do nothing, nothing will change.
Why funding is key
Investment in medical research for physical health conditions has led to some extraordinary breakthroughs. But for those suffering mental ill health, severe underfunding has resulted in very little progress.
Many current diagnoses and treatments for mental illness are outdated and ineffective. And accessing professional help can take months or years — and in some cases is never achieved.
Sadly, people suffering mental ill health who are untreated or undertreated are at greater risk of suicide than any other group.
Science has the answers
Improving awareness of mental ill health is important, but it’s not enough. We need to better understand how the brain works to find cures for mental illness.
Most treatments for mental illness work to reduce symptoms without addressing underlying causes.
One in Five aims to fund research that seeks to explain mental illness and unlocks new scientific knowledge. We hope that one day, people living with mental illness will have easy access to personalised, targeted treatments that improve their lives — and the lives of those around them.
Current Projects Supported by One in Five
Impact of COVID-19 on brain development
Funding $40,000 over 12 months
Certain infections during pregnancy may influence neonatal brain development and create mental illness biomarkers. This project led by Associate Professor Rachel Hill, seeks to understand the link and if affected children are more at risk of complex mental illness.
McIver Research Fellowship, Florey Institute
Funding $600,000 over 3 years
Associate Professor Jess Nithianantharajah is working to understand the connections between brain cells and what happens when these are faulty. Her research aims to deliver precision medicine and individualised treatments for cognitive disorders such as schizophrenia and anxiety.
Understanding the role of ARX in psychiatric disorders
Funding $20,000 over 12 months
This project arose from a recent breakthrough in Associate Professor Rachel Hill's laboratory. A patient with schizophrenia was identified to have a new mutation in a gene called ARX. The team is working to understand the functional consequence of this mutation.
Funding research. Finding hope.
Cutting-edge science can help us transform One in Five to None in Five.
Lead Researchers
Associate Professor Jess Nithianantharajah
Head of the Synapse Biology and Cognition Laboratory, Florey Institute
Professor Jayashri Kulkarni AM FAHMS
Director of HER Centre Australia, Professor of Psychiatry, Alfred Health and Monash University
Our Research Partners
One in Five is proud to partner with the following Australian medical research facilities, all striving to transform the lives of people with mental illness.
Monash University - Psychiatry-Psychology
The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
HER Centre Australia