Westmead. Eureka Prize finalists

Associate Professor David Booth, Professor Jacob George and Professor Graeme Stewart, at the Westmead Millennium Institute, are finalists in the Australian Museum Eureka Prize. Treatment for hepatitis C is very expensive and unpleasant, requiring frequent injections, but clears the virus in only 50 per cent of cases. Associate Professor David Booth’s team has identified a gene test to predict who will best respond to treatment, saving many patients from current treatments that may not work. The winners will be announced on August 28. This is the second time WMI researchers have been selected as Eureka Prize finalists.

Westmead. NHMRC awards four grants

The Westmead Millennium Institute’s research team at the Storr Liver Unit has secured four project grants, from the National Health and Medical Research Council, for work focused on treatments for liver disease, including liver cancer and hepatitis C. is celebrating a major success following the announcement of grants for 2011. Working on the project will be Mark Douglas, a specialist who runs the viral hepatitis service at Blacktown Hospital. In other projects, led by Dr Lionel Hebbard, Dr Jianhua Wang and Associate Professor David Booth, researchers will investigate the underlying mechanisms for the development of liver cancer, liver scarring and liver disease in hepatitis C.

Westmead. Tavern for sale

The Westmead Tavern and Shopping Centre, opposite one of CityRail’s busiest stations, is for sale. The property, with and area 1708 square metres and development potential, includes 12 separate tenancies, with on-site parking.

Westmead. Rapidly growing job destination

Westmead, one of Australia’s largest health and medical precincts, is emerging as a world-class health, bio-technological and R&D centre, and is forecast to accommodate up to 25,000 jobs by 2031, according to a government-funded report. “The growth of health and medical facilities at Westmead may encourage spin-offs to the Parramatta CBD itself in such areas as health insurance and health administration’, The North-West and West-Central Sydney Employment Strategies, prepared by the Parramatta-based UWS Urban Research Centre for WSROC, and funded by the Department of Planning

Westmead. Consultations on LEP

Parramatta City Council will consult with local business owners and residents, major stakeholders and users of services in and around the Westmead business centre regarding likely changes to the Westmead Local Environmental Plan. Council has begun consultations with the business community on what the main issues are in the area, which includes the Westmead hospital precinct, several high schools, a UWS site, and a commercial and professional sector.