Novel Approaches For Targeted Sleep Apnoea Treatment And Management
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,090,576.00
Summary
>1million Australian adults have obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). OSA has several causes. Untreated OSA is associated with major health consequences. <50% of OSA patients tolerate the main therapy, continuous positive airway pressure. New treatments are urgently required. This proposal aims to use and develop novel approaches to identify the causes of OSA on a per patient basis, improve current therapies and management approaches and test if new targeted therapies can be used to treat OSA.
Targeting The Immune Cells Of The Brain To Develop Novel Treatments For Neurodevelopmental And Mental Health Problems In Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,800,000.00
Summary
Neurodevelopmental and mental health problems are common in children and cause major impairment and cost to society. This research will define how the maternal immune system while pregnant can affect the baby brain. Using patient studies and laboratory research, this research will result in novel ways to reduce the prevalence and severity of developmental and mental health problems in children and adults, by targeting the immune cells resident in the brain.
Optimizing The Management Of Osteoarthritis Through Research And Innovation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,889,164.00
Summary
I will test new treatments aimed at slowing disease progression and reducing pain in osteoarthritis (OA) by targeting specific disease pathways (metabolic factors and inflammation). I will undertake work examining the causes of hip OA where little is known. All required methodologies and resources to undertake this work are available and the trials underpinned by strong scientific rationale. This research program has high potential for translation and for reducing the burden and cost of OA.
Inflammation is essential to help fight infection and repair tissues. However when overactive it causes diseases such as psoriasis, arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. Less well known, inflammation also helps drive development of cancers. My research aims to understand inflammatory signalling at the molecular and organism level. Experience has shown that this knowledge can be translated to improve existing therapies or generate new ones, and that is the ultimate aim of my research.
Controlling The Haematopoietic System To Treat Cardiovascular Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,163,220.00
Summary
The Murphy laboratory studies how the body makes blood. In people with heart disease too much blood is made that quickens the progression of heart disease. Slowing the production of blood back to normal seems to slow this progression. In this project, they will discover how and why more blood is made and ways to limit this.
Next Generation Of Medical Devices And Diagnostics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,738,220.00
Summary
This Investigator Project will deliver innovative technologies that improve patient wellbeing, make significant economic impact and contribute to answering complex biological questions. This will happen via delivering breakthrough technologies to prevent infections and diagnose diseases – two area that currently require substantial technological advances. In addition to helping patients and clinicians, the project will also deliver solid body of new knowledge that is currently missing.
Developing Novel Therapeutic Approaches To Treat Chronic Kidney Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,173,545.00
Summary
Progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) to endstage is characterised by inflammation and fibrosis. No current treatment effectively halts CKD progression. We are using protective immune cells to treat CKD and have invented a genetically-engineered immune cell which uses damaging inflammatory signals to switch them into protective cells which reverse inflammation and fibrosis where they occur, to prevent progression of CKD and other diseases, such as those of heart, lung and liver.
Reprogramming Innate Immunity To Combat Inflammatory And Infectious Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,788,220.00
Summary
Our immune system protects us from infection, but also drives cancer, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases and many other conditions. Innate immunity, a key component of our immune system, mediates the pathology that is associated with these diseases. This research program aims to define innate immune mechanisms that combat infection and/or drive inflammation-mediated diseases. It also aims to deliver novel anti-infective and anti-inflammatory strategies.
HIV incidence remains exceptionally high in young South African women. I will leverage samples collected during two funded clinical studies in South Africa to investigate the relationships between female reproductive tract inflammation, microbiome communities and function, contraceptive use and HIV acquisition. This study will improve our understanding of the factors that influence HIV infection in this key population, as well as HIV incidence globally.