Type 2 Immunity: A Regulator Of Physiology, Tissue Repair And Metabolism
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$640,210.00
Summary
Intestinal helminths (worms) have evolved together with humans and induce strong type 2 immune responses effective at eradicating the parasite, mediating tissue repair and modulating the gut microbiota. My research aims to decipher the roles of type 2 immunity in regulating intestinal health and promoting tissue repair. I also plan to determine how worm infection and type 2 immunity modulate the microbiota the impact of this on health, particularly obesity.
DNA damage response pathways play important roles in preventing the onset of cancer and regulating the clinical response to chemotherapeutics, and some of the relevant proteins have additional functions during normal development. This fellowship will study new a human protein with key roles in the formation of the lung, and its roles in preventing devastating consequences of normal oxidative damage to DNA, as well as additional fundamental mechanisms involved in preventing genome mutations.
Assessment Of The Properties Of Mesenchymal Stem Cells And Their Role In Skeletal Tissue Repair And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$751,854.00
Summary
There is currently a steady increase in surgical intervention and rehabilitation therapy for bone related fractures due to trauma or osteoporosis as a consequence of an aging population. Bone regeneration involves the coordinated participation of skeletal precursor cells, blood vessels and immune cells recruited from the surrounding tissues. This proposal examines the mechanisms mediating the maintenance and recruitment of skeletal precursor cells to sites of bone damage.
Axonal Regeneration And Degeneration: Cellular And Molecular Mechanisms
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$622,655.00
Summary
Understanding how to repair of nerve damage following a traumatic injury, a vascular accident, or a degenerative condition, is essential to develop novel effective treatments. We have identified, in a simple genetic model system, the molecular mechanisms that allow a transected nerve to be repaired by reattachment of its two separated fragments. This 'axonal fusion' process is a highly promising innovative approach that can be exploited to restore the original neuronal circuit.
New genomic technologies are revolutionizing biological research. RNA-seq is a recently developed high-throughput sequencing technology that provides scientists with much more detail how genes are regulated and expressed than any earlier technology. New tools developed by Professor Gordon Smyth are allowing researchers to use RNA-Seq technology to more accurately determine which genes are genuinely changing in the development of cancers and in response to cancer treatments.
Neuronal Genome Mosaicism: A Molecular Component Of Cognition?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$687,975.00
Summary
The brain is a complex and dynamic organ tasked with interpreting and responding to the world around us. My recent work has shown that mobile genetic elements, or 'jumping genes', cause changes in the DNA of brain cells, potentially altering how they work. During the course of this fellowship, I will examine how and when during life these DNA changes occur, whether they play a role in memory formation, and whether they contribute to neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions.
Wounds and burn injuries are frequent injuries which can lead to deformity, disfigurement and loss of movement. The cytoskeleton is integral to the wound healing process and we have shown that a specific cytoskeletal protein, Flightless I (Flii), is an important regulator of wound repair. During the course of this fellowship I plan to further my investigations into the function and regulation of Flii in wounds and aim to develop new therapies for treating wounds and reducing scar formation.
Regulation Of Mitochondrial Gene Expression In Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$697,209.00
Summary
Mitochondria are microscopic powerplants that produce most of the energy in cells. Genes that make mitochondrial proteins must work properly to make the energy our bodies require for health. Defects in the expression of mitochondrial genes cause debilitating diseases for which there are no cures currently. A/Prof Filipovska will use new technologies to understand how these mutations cause disease and develop therapeutics for treatments of diseases caused by defects in mitochondrial genes.
Development of normal brain function requires information transfer and integration from outside and within the brain. Normal brain wiring is guided by genetic and environmental cues, whose relative contributions remain controversial. This project investigates the physiological and behavioural consequences of abnormal brain wiring, and the potential for controlled environments and targeted interventions to overcome the deficits. Relevance includes neurotrauma as well as mental illnesses.
Defining Genomic Mechanisms Associated With Treatment Response, Drug Resistance And Early Blast Crisis In Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$631,370.00
Summary
Chronic myeloid leukaemia is a fatal disease if untreated. Most patients now survive with new drugs, but some still rapidly die. I aim to understand these differences by investigating the genetic makeup of patients at diagnosis. Some may have gene mutations that prevent drugs from working effectively. Mutations will be detected using technology that can search more than 30,000 genes at the same time. This work could lead to improved survival for more patients by finding new targets for therapy.