Benefits of blood pressure lowering to combat cardiovascular disease. Stroke and heart attack are the commonest causes of death and adult disability. In Australia, approximately 50,000 people die from cardiovascular disease each year. This project will attempt to prevent stroke/heart attack and to improve quality of life by exploring better management of high blood pressure.
Towards a healthier food supply: achieving policy change and industry action. This research aims to identify mechanisms by which to improve the quality of the Australian food supply. The findings will have the potential to inform government and industry policies on healthier foods with the aim of decreasing chronic disease.
Mapping, recovery and remediation of arm coordination deficits after stroke. Coordination of arm movement is a significant problem after a stroke. This innovative project will underpin new treatments by focusing on what type of stroke causes difficulty in coordinating arm movement, describing the coordination difficulties in detail and investigating mechanisms of recovery and treatment.
Determining how calcium regulates mitochondrial function in models of cardiomyopathy. Heart failure is the leading cause of death in Australia. This project will determine the mechanisms by which the failing heart is associated with disorganisation of the cell and poor energy supply so that interventions aimed at reducing the development of heart failure can be developed.
Breathing disturbances and reflexes in sleep and effects on sleep and daytime function. This project will investigate protective reflexes in sleep and the impact of breathing disturbances and frequent arousal on markers of brain functioning and health. This will also significantly advance the understanding of key mechanisms promoting unstable breathing in sleep and ill health and functioning from disturbed sleep.
Using high performance computing to probe the genesis of cardiac arrhythmias. Disturbances to the normal rhythm of the heart beat cause approximately 15 per cent of deaths in Australia. The project aims to understand how electrical signals in the heart can become chaotic. The project will use computer models of heart rhythm disturbances to help us understand when and how arrhythmias occur.
Assessing a model of the physiological changes at arousal from sleep. Arousals from sleep are common in the elderly and have adverse consequences. This project will investigate a model of the changes in bodily processes (muscle, brain and cardiovascular activation) that occur when humans awaken from sleep.
Stress-sensing and cytoprotection in ageing and disease. This project aims to unravel the mechanisms responsible for age- and disease-related responses to heart attacks and the efficacy of therapeutic approaches, while deepening our understanding of a novel, potent protective modality effective in aged hearts. This program will provide valuable basic knowledge, leading to more efficacious therapies.