Encephalitis lethargica in the 1920s (and afterwards): the forgotten epidemic. An unusually aggressive encephalitis epidemic swept the globe between 1915 and 1925. Two-thirds of victims survived the initial phase, but most developed severe neurological syndromes, especially parkinsonism, which crippled them for the remainder of their lives. The cause of this catastrophe, largely forgotten despite huge costs in both human and economic terms, has never been established, and its return cannot be ex ....Encephalitis lethargica in the 1920s (and afterwards): the forgotten epidemic. An unusually aggressive encephalitis epidemic swept the globe between 1915 and 1925. Two-thirds of victims survived the initial phase, but most developed severe neurological syndromes, especially parkinsonism, which crippled them for the remainder of their lives. The cause of this catastrophe, largely forgotten despite huge costs in both human and economic terms, has never been established, and its return cannot be excluded. Medicohistorical techniques, current neurological awareness and social analysis will be employed to produce the first history of the epidemic, whereby insights into both its nature and into parkinsonism, one of the most frequent neurological disorders in our ageing population, are expected.Read moreRead less
Improved identification of patients 'at risk' of depression, and optimal targeting of rehabilitation post-stroke through novel brain imaging and biomarkers. Use of novel brain imaging and biomarkers for identification of stroke survivors at risk of depression and recurrent stroke will permit early access to preventative and effective treatments for depression and improve capacity to benefit from rehabilitation. Development of predictive models to guide selection of most optimal rehabilitation st ....Improved identification of patients 'at risk' of depression, and optimal targeting of rehabilitation post-stroke through novel brain imaging and biomarkers. Use of novel brain imaging and biomarkers for identification of stroke survivors at risk of depression and recurrent stroke will permit early access to preventative and effective treatments for depression and improve capacity to benefit from rehabilitation. Development of predictive models to guide selection of most optimal rehabilitation strategies based on viable brain will maximise the capacity for persons with stroke to reach their full potential for recovery and ensure rehabilitation is more targeted and cost efficient. Improved capacity to benefit from treatment will have ongoing benefits for activity participation and productive living in Australians who experience stroke.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0454170
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$187,341.00
Summary
Biacore3000-Expansion of Proteomics Facility. The sequencing of the human genome has led to redirection of effort towards the rapid characterisation of the products of genes, proteins. This project will establish state of the art facilities for protein identification and characterisation in the Hunter Region. The investigators are representative of several major research programs and are unified by their specific expertise in the fundamental molecular mechanisms underlying the control of cellula ....Biacore3000-Expansion of Proteomics Facility. The sequencing of the human genome has led to redirection of effort towards the rapid characterisation of the products of genes, proteins. This project will establish state of the art facilities for protein identification and characterisation in the Hunter Region. The investigators are representative of several major research programs and are unified by their specific expertise in the fundamental molecular mechanisms underlying the control of cellular processes in plants, animals and humans. Understanding these mechanisms will provide the basis for improved management of the environment and pathological conditions through identifying molecular targets for diagnosis, genetic manipulation or drug design.Read moreRead less
Elucidating the regulation of cell death by random mutagenesis of key apoptotic proteins. All organisms need to remove damaged or excessive cells. This cell death process is called apoptosis. Defects in apoptosis result in numerous diseases including cancer, and neurodegenerative and immune disorders. Determining how this process is regulated is of crucial importance for therapeutic intervention. We will utilise a powerful strategy to mutate proteins required for apoptosis so that they no longer ....Elucidating the regulation of cell death by random mutagenesis of key apoptotic proteins. All organisms need to remove damaged or excessive cells. This cell death process is called apoptosis. Defects in apoptosis result in numerous diseases including cancer, and neurodegenerative and immune disorders. Determining how this process is regulated is of crucial importance for therapeutic intervention. We will utilise a powerful strategy to mutate proteins required for apoptosis so that they no longer work, which will allow the identification of protein regions essential for cell death activity . This will lead to identification of potential drug targets to control apoptosis. Elucidating the mechanism of cell death will lead to the development of novel and improved therapies for diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disease.Read moreRead less
Molecular control of apoptosis and protein homeostasis. A million cells are produced every second by cell division. At the same time a million cells commit suicide by a process called apoptosis. When cells fail to die when they should they can develop into cancers. In heart attacks, stroke and neurodegenerative diseases, many cells appear to activate their self destruct mechanism to die unnecessarily. Drugs that can cause cancer cells to kill themselves, or drugs that prevent cells dying when th ....Molecular control of apoptosis and protein homeostasis. A million cells are produced every second by cell division. At the same time a million cells commit suicide by a process called apoptosis. When cells fail to die when they should they can develop into cancers. In heart attacks, stroke and neurodegenerative diseases, many cells appear to activate their self destruct mechanism to die unnecessarily. Drugs that can cause cancer cells to kill themselves, or drugs that prevent cells dying when they shouldn't, would make a major impact on many important diseases. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of cell death is the first step towards developing these drugs.Read moreRead less
Participation following traumatic brain injury in rural, regional and remote areas. The results of this project will lead to improved rehabilitation programs and better outcomes for people with brain injury, especially in regional, rural and remote areas, by targeting the ultimate goal more directly: participation - getting people back into their home, work and community roles. Participation is associated with improved social networks, wellbeing, independence and quality of life, so health care ....Participation following traumatic brain injury in rural, regional and remote areas. The results of this project will lead to improved rehabilitation programs and better outcomes for people with brain injury, especially in regional, rural and remote areas, by targeting the ultimate goal more directly: participation - getting people back into their home, work and community roles. Participation is associated with improved social networks, wellbeing, independence and quality of life, so health care burdens and costs are reduced, and people can lead more productive lives. The project's emphasis on country areas will benefit rural health care, and also help specialist metropolitan brain injury services to understand the specific rehabilitation issues facing people from the bush.Read moreRead less
Interlimb coordination dynamics in stroke. Everyday we use our limbs in a coordinated manner. However, for a person who has suffered a stroke resulting in weakness on one side of the body even the simplest interlimb coordination tasks are difficult to perform. This project will examine interlimb coordination in persons who have suffered a stroke and explore whether the coupling between limbs can be exploited to promote fuctional recovery of an impaired limb. In particular, the research seeks to ....Interlimb coordination dynamics in stroke. Everyday we use our limbs in a coordinated manner. However, for a person who has suffered a stroke resulting in weakness on one side of the body even the simplest interlimb coordination tasks are difficult to perform. This project will examine interlimb coordination in persons who have suffered a stroke and explore whether the coupling between limbs can be exploited to promote fuctional recovery of an impaired limb. In particular, the research seeks to identify the critical components underlying the effectiveness of an intervention involving the pratice of actions bilaterally and simultaneously.Read moreRead less
Small heat-shock molecular chaperone proteins and amyloid fibrils. This proposal addresses the fundamental mechanisms of protein aggregation associated with debilitating age-related diseases, e.g. Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and cataract, and the prevention of aggregation via the action of a group of molecular chaperone proteins known as small heat-shock proteins. With the ageing population, the prevalence of these diseases will increase significantly over the next 20 years. Understanding and treat ....Small heat-shock molecular chaperone proteins and amyloid fibrils. This proposal addresses the fundamental mechanisms of protein aggregation associated with debilitating age-related diseases, e.g. Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and cataract, and the prevention of aggregation via the action of a group of molecular chaperone proteins known as small heat-shock proteins. With the ageing population, the prevalence of these diseases will increase significantly over the next 20 years. Understanding and treating these diseases will therefore have significant long-term health benefits. Furthermore, the highly structured protein aggregates that form as hallmarks of many of these diseases have potential wide ranging applications in the emerging field of bionanotechnology, e.g. as nanowires and biofilms.Read moreRead less
Radiolabelled MMP binding agents for the identification, quantification, and targeting of MMPs in central nervous system (CNS) disorders and tumours. Cancer and diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) represent two of the major health challenges facing Australia because of the aging population. In order to address these challenges we need to develop methods for identifying tumours and CNS diseases using non-invasive technologies and at an early stage so that treatments can be applied when t ....Radiolabelled MMP binding agents for the identification, quantification, and targeting of MMPs in central nervous system (CNS) disorders and tumours. Cancer and diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) represent two of the major health challenges facing Australia because of the aging population. In order to address these challenges we need to develop methods for identifying tumours and CNS diseases using non-invasive technologies and at an early stage so that treatments can be applied when they are most likely to work. In this project, we are developing new radiolabelled compounds that will enable the imaging of tumours, tumour metastases and CNS diseases states.Read moreRead less
Prediction of epilepsy seizure onset using nonlinear analysis of EEG recordings. This project will develop the theory and algorithms for reliable and robust prediction of the onset of epileptic seizures and the characterisation of epileptic seizures based on EEG data. Our interdisciplinary team consists of neuroscientists and systems engineers supported with clinicians and software developers. The team will develop the theory and design, implement and evaluate decision support software that is a ....Prediction of epilepsy seizure onset using nonlinear analysis of EEG recordings. This project will develop the theory and algorithms for reliable and robust prediction of the onset of epileptic seizures and the characterisation of epileptic seizures based on EEG data. Our interdisciplinary team consists of neuroscientists and systems engineers supported with clinicians and software developers. The team will develop the theory and design, implement and evaluate decision support software that is able to interpret eeg data and present epilepsy relevant information to clinicians and patients. Our methods are based on statistical signal processing, nonlinear dynamics (bifurcation and time-series methods) and systems engineering (system identification, adaptive methods).Read moreRead less