The Scientific Basis For The Integration Of Surgery And Immunotherapy For Lung Malignancies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$516,394.00
Summary
The work in this grant focuses on the effects of cancer surgery (tumor resection and removal of lymph nodes) on the anti-cancer immune response. It also examines whether delivery of agents into the residual tumour bed following surgery can effectively boost the effects of surgery on the immune system. The results obtained will help guide the rational design of future combination surgery-immunotherapy treatment regimens.
Novel Surgery-chemotherapy-immunotherapy Approaches For Lung Malignancies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$662,819.00
Summary
Many patients undergo cancer surgery every year yet still die of cancer over the next few years because the surgeon couldnt remove all of the cancer cells, many of which were undetectable at the time of surgery. This grant will develop ways of combining chemotherapy drugs with immune therapy to 'mop up' hidden residual cancer cells after operations - the immune system, when stimulated appropriately, should be able to 'seek and destroy' those hidden deposits and thus cure these cancers.
Delayed Phase Of Remote Ischemic Preconditioning: Clinical Application And The Role Of Kallikrein-kinin Pathway.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$159,197.00
Summary
Brief episodes of interruption of blood flow to the arm or leg provide strong protection against prolonged interruption of blood flow to a target organ (e.g., heart or lung). This is known as remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC). The strongest protection occurs 24 hours after blood flow interruption to the limb and may be mediated by a humoral cascade known as kallikrein-kinin. RIPC may provide protection against heart attack and stroke.
Micropapillary Adenocarcinoma: The Emergence Of A Discrete Lung Cancer Phenotype And Its Genomic And Transcriptomic Characterization.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$117,565.00
Summary
I believe I can describe a new subtype of lung cancer, which has never been classified by the World Health Organization. This has been previously mis-classified or simply ignored. My hypothesis is that this is a distinct disease by virtue of patterns of genetic abnormalities as well as features visible under the microscope. I also believe it is one of the most aggressive cancers and needs new treatments.
Circulatory Biomarkers For Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: Improving Patient Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$841,625.00
Summary
We are going to find molecules in the blood that would improve the diagnosis and treatment of a lung condition called Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). The project brings together well characterized patients from the Australian IPF registry, blood samples we have collected from them and cutting edge technologies to complete this project.
Outcomes Of The Arterial Switch Operation: A Multi-centre Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$86,733.00
Summary
The arterial switch operation is the surgery of choice for children born with transposition of the great arteries, a congenital heart defect where the main two vessels of the heart arise from wrong pumping chambers of the heart. There are very few studies looking at adults after this operation. We aim to study all patients who have had an arterial switch. The results of this study will further increase our knowledge of the long term consequences of having the arterial switch operation.
I am a developmental lung physiologist who specialises in understanding the factors regulating normal and abnormal lung development as well as the physiological transformation of the lung into an efficient gas-exchange organ at birth.
The Link Between Vitamin D Deficiency And Chronic Lung Disease Is Due To Increased Airway Smooth Muscle
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$644,067.00
Summary
Vitamin D deficiency is a global public health problem. It is becoming increasingly evident that vitamin D deficiency increases the severity of chronic lung disease. In this study we propose to examine a mechanism that we think clearly explains this association. These studies are critical to understanding how deficiencies in key nutrients can impact on chronic lung disease and will provide the data necessary to guide public health policy to reduce the burden of disease in the community.
Deregulated Cytokine Signalling As A Molecular Bridge Linking The Pathogenesis Of Emphysema To Lung Cancer.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$524,820.00
Summary
Lung cancer is the most lethal form of cancer in Australia and worldwide. Although smokers with emphysema are at an increased risk of developing lung cancer, it is becoming apparent that emphysema can predispose to lung cancer independently of cigarette smoking, albeit by unknown mechanisms. Our aim is to combine smoke carcinogen and genetic mouse models of lung cancer with novel mouse strains displaying emphysema to identify the processes which link the pathogenesis of emphysema to lung cancer.