Sri Lanka and Australia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Sri Lankan Presidential Task-force for Prevention of Chronic Kidney Disease and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) on a Cooperative Programme on Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Aetiology on Monday in Canberra.
Mr. J.C. Weliamuna, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka and Dr Adrian Paterson, the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO), signed the MOU at the High Commission of Sri Lanka.
Steve MacIntosh, Senior Manager, Government & International Affairs of ANSTO; Lalita Kapur, Director and Dananthi Galapitage, Assistant Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) and Mr. Asela Iddawela, Project Director, Presidential Taskforce on Prevention of Chronic Kidney Disease attended the event.
The MoU affirms the continued collaboration between Sri Lanka and Australia to address Chronic Kidney Disease prevalent in some provinces of Sri Lanka.
MoU allows Sri Lanka to make use of ANSTO’s scientific infrastructure and methods to support further research in to CKDu.
Areas of focus for collaboration under the terms of this MoU include: Establishing a baseline for normal kidney function in Sri Lanka; Studying nutritional transfer and environmental exposure in mothers and infants; completing a comprehensive study of drinking water from domestic wells in CKDu – affected communities and Contributing to the training and development of Sri Lankan students and early career researchers.
The first MoU between these two parties with regard to CKDu was signed in May 2017.
