Dr Mridul Johari from the Perkins Rare Disease Genetics and Functional Genomics Group has been awarded a prestigious Raine Priming Grant from the Raine Medical Research Foundation.
Dr Johari’s project, From Coding to Cryptic – Exploring the RNA World of Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM), has secured $247,815.63 in funding to support this critical research.
Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM) is the most common late-onset muscle disease, characterised by progressive muscle weakness and difficulty swallowing, significantly impacting the quality of life of those affected.
With no effective treatments available, Dr Johari’s research aims to fill the critical knowledge gaps by uncovering the molecular mechanisms driving this debilitating disease.
“It is an absolute honour to receive this recognition and support from the Raine Medical Research Foundation. This funding will allow us to explore the untapped potential of regulatory RNAs in IBM and could pave the way for transformative treatments,” said Dr Johari.
“By focusing on the molecular triggers of disease progression, we hope to provide new insights that will ultimately improve the lives of patients and their families.”
Dr Johari’s innovative project delves into the roles of cryptic RNAs and peptides in IBM, which are often overlooked in standard studies but could hold the key to understanding the disease’s complex interplay between immune system abnormalities and muscle degeneration.
Using cutting-edge technologies such as total RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, and proteomics, the research will map interactions between RNAs and proteins within affected muscle tissues.
Head of the Rare Disease Genetics and Functional Genomics Group at the Perkins, A/Professor Gina Ravenscroft congratulated Dr Johari on the achievement.
“It is wonderful that Dr Johari has secured this funding from the Raine Foundation to further his research into mechanisms underlying this debilitating and poorly understood muscle disease,” A/Professor Ravenscroft said.
“We are incredibly grateful to Mary Raine (a woman ahead of her times who understood the value of medical research) and the Foundation for the support of medical research in WA and within our research team.”
The Raine Medical Research Foundation, established in 1957, has a long-standing history of advancing health and medical research in Western Australia.
To date, the Foundation has contributed over $60 million to foster innovations that improve community health outcomes.
In the 2024 grant round, the Foundation has awarded over $2.85 million to support cutting-edge medical research projects commencing in 2025.
Dr Johari’s project stands out among the six Raine Priming Grants awarded, selected from a competitive pool of 59 eligible applications.
Dr Johari’s research is further strengthened through collaborations with leading experts, including Professor Merrilee Needham (from Fiona Stanley Hospital), A/Professor Andreas Roos (Proteomics, University of Duisburg-Essen) and Prof Alistair Forrest (Spatial Transcriptomics, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research), Neuropathology WA and The Myositis Association of Australia.
Together, they aim to unlock new diagnostic and therapeutic pathways for IBM, bringing hope to those living with this challenging condition.
