Australia punches well above its weight in terms of research outcomes, a habit highlighted by the release of the Ten of the Best Research Projects 2013 report.

The paper details the finest efforts over the last twelve months from the numerous cutting-edge institutions and projects in Australia.

It has celebrated achievements from the last year including new and improved vaccines to counter devastating infectious diseases, ways to lessen the side effects of chemotherapy and the ability to manipulate the body’s immune system to fight off disease.

Ten of the Best Research Projects 2013 has been released by the National Health and Medical Research Council, showing Australia continues to play a key role in discoveries that change the world.

“These projects are just some of the important and wonderful research work that is being carried out across our country,” said Minister for Health Peter Dutton.

“Imagine the massive benefits of a new vaccine to halt the impacts of malaria that is now at the human-trial stage of development or of the improvement to another vaccine which will see fewer indigenous children hospitalised with life-threatening diarrhoea caused by rotavirus.

“Cancer impacts so many lives and our researchers are working on many different aspects of the disease and its treatments to help those fighting this terrible disease. Ten of Best shows us just some of this incredible research.

“It reveals the pursuit of new drug treatments to prevent brain cells dying after injury or stroke and of a study of how we could eventually manipulate the human immune system,” the Health Minister said.

NHMRC Chief Executive Officer Professor Warwick Anderson said: “The Ten of the Best research projects had been selected on the significance of research outcomes and the strength of the science.”

The complete publication is available at the MHMRC website.