Improving The Health Of People With Problematic Drug Use: Hepatitis C And Drug Dependence
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$9,060,140.00
Summary
Problematic drug use is the major risk factor to health among Australians aged 15-49 years. The dual harms of drug dependence and hepatitis C virus (HCV) faced by people who use drugs compel improved drug dependence management and HCV prevention and treatment. This Program Grant will improve the lives of people with problematic drug use by investigating health impacts of drug use and evaluating new strategies for managing drug dependence and eliminating HCV among people who use drugs.
Development And Evaluation Of An Internet-based Clinic For Stuttering.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$6,200,965.00
Summary
Stuttering is a prevalent disorder of speech production. The program of research will establish the world’s first Internet-based stuttering clinic to service all the clinical needs of child, adolescent and adult patients. The Internet-based clinic model will provide economical, scalable and translatable stuttering treatments that will, for the first time, provide a means to adequately manage the public health problem of stuttering.
Translating Genetic Determinants Of Glaucoma Into Better Diagnosis And Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$9,466,000.00
Summary
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. By 2020, it will affect 80 million people, and in Australia over the next decade, the overall cost of glaucoma will reach $4.3 billion per annum. This Program will use genetic advances to personalise treatment. Blindness will be prevented in individuals at highest risk, new ways to treat patients will be developed, and better outcomes for patients will result from less treatment and monitoring of low risk cases.
Molecular Determinants Of Susceptibility And Progression In Breast Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$6,006,551.00
Summary
Breast cancer is heterogeneous, making management a challenge. High-grade cancers including the ‘basal’ type are aggressive, often found in young women and have a propensity for distant spread. They are also associated with a BRCA1 gene mutation. We will study mechanisms that predispose some women to develop breast cancer, the process that allows cancers to grow at distant sites such as the brain and lungs, and how DNA repair proteins are implicated. This will allow development of new diagnostic ....Breast cancer is heterogeneous, making management a challenge. High-grade cancers including the ‘basal’ type are aggressive, often found in young women and have a propensity for distant spread. They are also associated with a BRCA1 gene mutation. We will study mechanisms that predispose some women to develop breast cancer, the process that allows cancers to grow at distant sites such as the brain and lungs, and how DNA repair proteins are implicated. This will allow development of new diagnostic tools and treatments.Read moreRead less
The Elimination Of Hepatitis C As A Global Public Health Threat
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$7,001,475.00
Summary
In Australia over 230,000 people live with chronic HCV infection, with an estimated annual health care cost of over > $6.5 billion if left untreated. New highly effective HCV medications - direct acting antivirals (DAAs) have a cure rate of > 90%. DAAs will revolutionise HCV care - we can now stop HCV related deaths and transmission making HCV elimination possible. This Program Grant will directly contribute to the global response to HCV elimination and Australia achieving elimination by 2 ....In Australia over 230,000 people live with chronic HCV infection, with an estimated annual health care cost of over > $6.5 billion if left untreated. New highly effective HCV medications - direct acting antivirals (DAAs) have a cure rate of > 90%. DAAs will revolutionise HCV care - we can now stop HCV related deaths and transmission making HCV elimination possible. This Program Grant will directly contribute to the global response to HCV elimination and Australia achieving elimination by 2030.Read moreRead less
More Effective Therapeutic Targeting Of High Risk Childhood Cancer: Neuroblastoma As A Model
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$6,601,220.00
Summary
Cancer is the commonest cause of death from disease in Australian children. Childhood neuroblastoma is a particularly aggressive cancer, for which new treatment approaches are urgently needed. The team aims to discover better safer therapies for children with this cancer, conducting clinical trials using new drugs and novel drug combinations. We will also investigate novel ways of targeting neuroblastoma cells and identify therapeutic targets in neuroblastoma-initiating cells.
This Program studies the mechanisms that control blood cell formation and how abnormalities play a role in leukaemia, a significant health problem worldwide. Despite some improvements, two major problems remain: controlling progression of leukaemia and relapse. The Program tackles these two major issues with the combination of studies of normal blood and leukaemia cell function, drug design and clinical trials ensuring a direct pathway from discovery to patient benefit.
Understanding The Major Class Of Cell Surface Drug Targets
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$7,595,840.00
Summary
G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) form the largest family of receptors and drug targets in living organisms. Currently, the major reason that new drugs fail to reach the clinic is lack of appropriate drug effect (approx. 30%). Thus, we need a better understanding of how GPCRs work and how this relates to disease. Our Program addresses this knowledge gap, using GPCR models that are relevant to treatment of metabolic, inflammatory, cardiovascular and central nervous system disease.
Apoptosis And Stem/Progenitor Cells In The Development And Treatment Of Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$21,809,604.00
Summary
To improve cancer therapy, we are studying two cancer hallmarks. The first is excessive cell survival. To combat this, we are developing drugs with commercial partners that directly activate the cell's death machinery. The second hallmark is inexorable proliferation, akin to that of stem cells, which can generate entire tissues, as we showed for the breast. ‘Rogue’ stem-like cells may initiate certain cancers. We hope to advance cancer therapy by identifying such cells and drugs that kill them.
Frontotemporal Dementia And Motor Neurodegenerative Syndromes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$17,069,580.00
Summary
Frontotemporal degeneration of the brain is a leading cause of morbidity due to a pathologically heterogeneous, rapidly-progressive group of disorders with behavioural, language and motor deficits. Our internationally recognized team will continue to develop the necessary tools and therapies to effectively diagnose, manage and treat these disorders. Our focus in this program is to understand the unusual genetics underpinning these disorders, and to fast track any potential treatments.