Compound Culture Media To Improve Human IVF Pregnancies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$254,340.00
Summary
In Australia 1 in 6 couples require IVF to conceive. Although pregnancy rates have improved over the last 10 years the live birth rate in Australia per cycle is only 17%. This project will assess a new method for the culture of embryos for the ability to maintain embryo vitality and produce healthy babies.
Protecting The Endothelial Glycocalyx To Improve Transplant Rates And Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$725,180.00
Summary
A tiny, previously overlooked, structure called the endothelial glycocalyx (EG) is now known to ‘waterproof’ blood vessels. This grant extends our exciting preliminary data in the field of lung transplantation, where we have shown that EG loss is the main cause of a poorly functioning organ, to develop new tests of lung and kidney function, as well as treatments to resuscitate marginal organs outside the body, so improving access to and the safety of transplantation.
The Impact Of The Identification And Inclusion Of Acceptable HLA-mismatches On The Transplant Potential Of Highly-sensitised Renal Transplant Candidates.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$100,323.00
Summary
In Australia, allocation of donor kidneys are currently weighted largely on the degree of donor-recipient HLA compatibility. However, not all HLA mismatches leads to negative outcomes. Acceptable HLA-mismatches are antigen mismatches that can be considered compatible at a structural and functional level and have been applied to circumvent the problem of difficulty finding suitable donors for highly-sensitised transplant candidates. We apply this concept to the Australian kidney transplant popula ....In Australia, allocation of donor kidneys are currently weighted largely on the degree of donor-recipient HLA compatibility. However, not all HLA mismatches leads to negative outcomes. Acceptable HLA-mismatches are antigen mismatches that can be considered compatible at a structural and functional level and have been applied to circumvent the problem of difficulty finding suitable donors for highly-sensitised transplant candidates. We apply this concept to the Australian kidney transplant population.Read moreRead less
The Dead Heart Project: When Is A 'dead' Heart Truly Dead?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,672,053.00
Summary
Best practice treatment for end-stage heart failure is heart transplantation, yet donor heart availability is deficient and limited by current practices. Using extensive basic and clinical research approaches, this project aims to increase donor heart quantity and quality by profiling current and novel donor heart sources, and extending donor heart storage time and quality using a novel transport device and therapeutic agents - thus increasing the number of successful transplant recipients.
Reappraisal Of The Mechanisms Underlying Implantation Success Or Failure
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$750,755.00
Summary
Infertility affects 1:6 Australian couples; these seek help. However, for each IVF cycle, there is only ~18.5% chance of a live birth, significantly due to failure of embryo implantation. We discovered nano-vesicles in the uterine cavity, that are released from the womb lining and taken up by the pre-implantation embryo to improve its implantation potential. We will determine how this extracellular environment can enhance implantation success and circumvent/management of infertility.
Genetic testing of IVF embryos promises to improve success but shows no effect of live-birth rates. Many embryos are mosaic: containing cells with correct and incorrect chromosome numbers. Current testing is an invasive biopsy which fails to diagnose how many cells are abnormal in the cells that develop into the baby. Here we will use imaging to determine the ratio of abnormal:normal cells resulting in a non-invasive diagnostic that will improve IVF success.