Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0561229
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$518,427.00
Summary
Establishment of a Multiphoton Microscope Imaging Platform for Live Cell and Tissue, and Optical Imaging. This proposal seeks to establish a multidisciplinary multiphoton imaging laboratory, expanding the imaging capabilities of a Core Regional Imaging Facility. This Facility supports researchers across all Monash campuses and hospital-based research Schools, as well as outside research groups in the Victorian region. Furthermore, this equipment will support significant fiber optic research at V ....Establishment of a Multiphoton Microscope Imaging Platform for Live Cell and Tissue, and Optical Imaging. This proposal seeks to establish a multidisciplinary multiphoton imaging laboratory, expanding the imaging capabilities of a Core Regional Imaging Facility. This Facility supports researchers across all Monash campuses and hospital-based research Schools, as well as outside research groups in the Victorian region. Furthermore, this equipment will support significant fiber optic research at Victoria University for the development of communication and endoscopic technology. The instrument design will allow multiple use of the lightsource and choice of specific imaging devices (microscopes) to ensure that applications in biocellular imaging, intravital microscopy and fiber optic design and imaging are individually optimised.Read moreRead less
Impaired Bone Remodelling Leads To Failure Of Orthopaedic Prostheses
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$515,917.00
Summary
The failure of bone prostheses is becoming a major health problem. More than 26,000 hip, and an equal number of knee, replacements were performed in Australia in 2002 with the number increasing between 5%-10% each year for the previous 10 years. Disturbingly, the incidence of revision hip surgery in Australia is now more than 15%, meaning that, despite the impressive success of joint replacement surgery, a significant number of arthroplasties fail. It is becoming more common for young, active in ....The failure of bone prostheses is becoming a major health problem. More than 26,000 hip, and an equal number of knee, replacements were performed in Australia in 2002 with the number increasing between 5%-10% each year for the previous 10 years. Disturbingly, the incidence of revision hip surgery in Australia is now more than 15%, meaning that, despite the impressive success of joint replacement surgery, a significant number of arthroplasties fail. It is becoming more common for young, active individuals to receive joint replacement surgery to improve their quality of life. This, combined with increasing life expectancy, and the known higher rate of failure of joint replacements in younger patients, means that the morbidity of a failed replacement, and the mobidity and associated mortality of revision surgery, will become an increasingly important health issue, with a major impact upon health budgets. The overwhelming majority of hip and knee prostheses have metal or ceramic on polyethylene bearing surfaces. It is now apparent that most implants fail due to bone loss around them leading to loosening, and evidence is accumulating that polyethylene wear particles are a major contributing factor to this process. It is therefore vital that we obtain better understanding of the causes of implant failure in order to extend the life of these implants and this project is designed to do so.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989226
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$340,000.00
Summary
Multi-photon imaging for infection, immunity, and self recognition. This proposal will address a gap in our imaging capabilities, allowing us to visualise the movement of immune cells and infectious agents such as bacteria and viruses within living tissues. This will immensely improve our capacity to understand interactions between the immune system, invading organisms and the rest of our body. The intravital imaging system will provide novel insights into how the immune system works, which will ....Multi-photon imaging for infection, immunity, and self recognition. This proposal will address a gap in our imaging capabilities, allowing us to visualise the movement of immune cells and infectious agents such as bacteria and viruses within living tissues. This will immensely improve our capacity to understand interactions between the immune system, invading organisms and the rest of our body. The intravital imaging system will provide novel insights into how the immune system works, which will benefit the design of vaccines, the treatment of cancer, and our understanding of allergy. This state-of-the-art facility will also provide vital training in an emerging technology that will have application in many areas of biology.
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Would more highly-qualified teachers and trainers help to address quality problems in the Australian vocational education and training system? This project examines whether and how higher-level qualifications for vocational education and training (VET) teachers would improve quality in the VET system. Government documents and public commentary indicate that the VET sector suffers from some fairly serious quality problems. This is significant because VET provides training that underpins all Austr ....Would more highly-qualified teachers and trainers help to address quality problems in the Australian vocational education and training system? This project examines whether and how higher-level qualifications for vocational education and training (VET) teachers would improve quality in the VET system. Government documents and public commentary indicate that the VET sector suffers from some fairly serious quality problems. This is significant because VET provides training that underpins all Australian industries. Most VET teachers are qualified only to a Certificate IV level. A more highly qualified VET teaching workforce is likely to lead to improvements in quality; however there is currently no firm evidence to establish this link, as the 2011 Productivity Commission report on the VET workforce pointed out. This project aims to provide much-needed evidence to guide policy.Read moreRead less
Pursuing equity in high poverty rural schools: improving learning through rich accountabilities. Poor performance of students in schools located in high poverty communities is a pressing educational problem for Australia, with educational disadvantage in poor rural communities in particular demanding amelioration. The evidence suggests the equity and quality of schooling outcomes are centrally important to the nation's economic future, the strength of Australian democracy, social inclusion and a ....Pursuing equity in high poverty rural schools: improving learning through rich accountabilities. Poor performance of students in schools located in high poverty communities is a pressing educational problem for Australia, with educational disadvantage in poor rural communities in particular demanding amelioration. The evidence suggests the equity and quality of schooling outcomes are centrally important to the nation's economic future, the strength of Australian democracy, social inclusion and a unified nation. In strengthening policy and practice knowledge about educative usage of performance data and the development of rich forms of accountability, the research will advance the academic literature and provide an evidence base for success of the national partnership on low socio-economic status schools.Read moreRead less
Novel Methods For Promoting Organ Development And Growth
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,203.00
Summary
A revolutionary new therapy for treatment of growth restricted fetuses and premature babies is being developed through the administration of Colony Stimulating Factor (CSF-1). We have evidence that CSF-1 therapy can promote kidneys and lungs to continue development and maturation after birth. This exciting new finding allows for the application of CSF-1 therapy for both the treatment of premature babies and unborn babies with kidney defects.
Identifying The Critical Pathways Which Regulate Vertebrate Craniofacial Development
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$552,131.00
Summary
Understanding the genes which underlie human birth defects is of immense clinical importance. Our laboratory is a world-leader investigating a gene responsible for facial skeleton development, Grhl2. With our wide range of models, we will discover how Grhl2 works to ensure the face and skull develop properly during birth.
Using lasers to prime the immune system. This project aims to detail the precise effects that lasers have on eye cells, cell populations and the body as a whole. Laser treatments for sight problems are increasing but the effects of these laser applications on the unique immune systems of the eye and brain are unknown. Previous work of the researchers has shown that a novel nanosecond laser when targeted to the eye can alter cells in the lasered eye and in the unlasered eye and the brain. This kn ....Using lasers to prime the immune system. This project aims to detail the precise effects that lasers have on eye cells, cell populations and the body as a whole. Laser treatments for sight problems are increasing but the effects of these laser applications on the unique immune systems of the eye and brain are unknown. Previous work of the researchers has shown that a novel nanosecond laser when targeted to the eye can alter cells in the lasered eye and in the unlasered eye and the brain. This knowledge may be crucial for enhancing our understanding of the immune privileged state of the eye. In addition, it seeks to guide the development of future low energy lasers as important successful treatments.Read moreRead less
Understanding The Causes Of Childhood Congenital Anomalies Of The Kidney And Urinary Tract
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$609,748.00
Summary
Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) is a common cause of renal failure in children. The majority of patients with CAKUT do not know the underlying cause of their renal anomalies. In this proposal we will characterise the developmental events that are perturbed in three mouse models of CAKUT and identify the causal gene responsible in each mouse model. We will translate this information to the clinic by screening patients with CAKUT for mutations in these newly identified ....Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) is a common cause of renal failure in children. The majority of patients with CAKUT do not know the underlying cause of their renal anomalies. In this proposal we will characterise the developmental events that are perturbed in three mouse models of CAKUT and identify the causal gene responsible in each mouse model. We will translate this information to the clinic by screening patients with CAKUT for mutations in these newly identified genes.Read moreRead less
Improving student outcomes: coaching teachers in the power of feedback. This project aims to investigate how student outcomes can be augmented through coaching teachers in effective feedback practice. The project addresses a critical problem of stagnating levels of student achievement in Australian schools with the innovative research design combining evidence-based, pedagogies of feedback, formative assessment and instructional coaching to improve teacher practice and ultimately raise student a ....Improving student outcomes: coaching teachers in the power of feedback. This project aims to investigate how student outcomes can be augmented through coaching teachers in effective feedback practice. The project addresses a critical problem of stagnating levels of student achievement in Australian schools with the innovative research design combining evidence-based, pedagogies of feedback, formative assessment and instructional coaching to improve teacher practice and ultimately raise student achievement levels. The project aims to guide policy implementation in pedagogy to raise the quality of teaching standards and to improve learning outcomes for Australian students. Ultimately, outcomes from the research will help close the gap for low achieving students, and challenge and extend those who may already be meeting required benchmarks. Read moreRead less