Systems Approaches To Understanding Mitochondrial Function And Dysfunction In Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$431,000.00
Summary
Mitochondria produce the energy for our bodies. Defects in this process cause mitochondrial disease, which affects at least 1/4300 people. Diagnosis is often inconclusive and few if any effective treatments exist. State of the art CRISPR gene-editing tools will be used to make disease models mimicking the different types of mitochondrial disease. These will be used to understand how mitochondria function, identify new disease genes and develop new drugs.
Assembly Of Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain Complexes And Their Defects Associated With Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$413,431.00
Summary
Mitochondrial “respiratory chain complexes are multi-subunit assemblies that function to produce most of our cellular energy. Defects in the assembly of these complexes can result in mitochondrial disease, including infant death. The assembly of the respiratory complexes is a complicated procedure and the mechanisms involved in disease remain elusive. This work will aid in our understanding of how these protein complexes are built and how defects in their assembly can cause disease.
Understanding The Link Between Mitochondrial Biogenesis And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$421,055.00
Summary
As the predominate energy producers of our cells, mitochondria are implicated in a variety of diseases. To function properly, these dynamic organelles rely on protein components that regulate their structure and distribution throughout the cell. My work aims to expand our knowledge of the way these components control mitochondrial shape and trafficking. By understanding the correlation between mitochondrial morphology and function, we will gain insight into related diseases.
The emerging interdisciplinary field, mechanobiology, is focused on understanding how cells sense their surroundings and transfer biomechanical signals to initiate cellular changes. I aim to develop hydrogel platforms with differential stiffness patterns to study cellular mechanotransduction and to generate heart muscle cells. The findings have the potential to greatly improve the clinical outcomes where more than 10 clinical trials failed to show successful regeneration after heart attack.
Understanding The Mechanisms Underlying Airway Remodelling
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$451,716.00
Summary
Changes in the structure of the lung contribute to the development of disease, but are not responsive to our current therapies. I have found two key structural proteins that are altered in asthma. This research will characterise the regulation and role of these proteins in the disease process. In addition, it will determine if these proteins also contribute to the development of other serious fibrotic diseases, for which there are no current treatments.