Attention deficit hyperactivity disorde(ADHD) is the most prevalent mental disorder of childhood affecting around 7.5% of Australian school age children. The disorder is strongly genetic and causes significant impairments in academic functioning, family and peer relations with sufferers at increased risk for drug abuse. Identification and characterisation of rare mutations will enhance our knowledge of the neurobiology and advance the search for next generation drug treatments for the disorder.
Molecular Epidemiology And High Resolution Surveillance Of Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhimurium In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$583,180.00
Summary
Salmonella typhimurium is a leading cause of the food-borne disease – salmonellosis. It is responsible for considerable morbidity and has an enormous economic cost. Molecular typing is the key to rapidly identify and control outbreaks. This project will employ next generation sequencing technology to develop a new molecular typing scheme. A surveillance system that integrates molecular typing data and epidemiological data will be developed for outbreak investigation and disease prevention.
Gene Discovery In Large Multiplex Families With Autism Spectrum Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$879,279.00
Summary
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood with lifelong impact. ASD are characterised by deficits in communication, language development and restricted behaviours or interests. ASD have a genetic basis likely due to multiple genes but the cause is not known in more than 75% of cases. This project will discover genes associated with ASD by studying large families in which several children have ASD and identify new targets for treatment.
Epigenetic Determination Of Neuronal Vulnerability And Neurodegenerative Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$617,857.00
Summary
Neurons are faced with diverse forms of stress everyday. Neural diseases exacerbate this stress, causing interference to genes that normally allow neurons to function correctly. As a result, neurons die, and severe loss can result in diseases such as dementia. We have discovered new molecular factors in neurons that insulate their genes from stress, thereby protecting neuron function and health. The proposed research will exploit these mechanisms to better protect neurons from disease.
Optimising Temporal Genomic Surveillance Of Salmonella Infections In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$763,447.00
Summary
Salmonella is a leading cause of the food-borne disease – salmonellosis. It is responsible for considerable morbidity and has an enormous economic cost. Molecular typing is the key to rapidly identify and control outbreaks. This project will optimise the use of whole genome sequencing for outbreak investigation and long term epidemiology. A surveillance system that integrates genome sequence and epidemiological data will be highly significant for outbreak investigation and disease prevention.
To Investigate The Role Of ATM Protein In Protecting Against Neurodegeneration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$953,662.00
Summary
The overall aim of the project is to employ a rat model to investigate neurodegeneration in patients with ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T). Ataxia-telangiectasia is a complex multisystem disorder characterised by progressive neurological impairment, variable immunodeficiency and cancer predisposition. The rat model recapitulates the neurodegeneration in patients and thus this project will provide important insight into the nature of the defect as well as approaches for the treatment of the disorder.
The Role Chromatin Remodeling Factors In Epigenetic Regulation Of Cardiac Arrhythmia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$854,135.00
Summary
Cardiovascular diseases kill an Australian every 11 minutes. Arrhythmias are of particular alarm since they can lead to significantly higher risk of serious strokes, heart failure, and overall mortality. We combine fruit fly genetics with next generation human genomics approaches to find and functionally validate new genes and mutations regulating arrhythmia in fruit flies and atrial fibrillation in humans, and this work can rapidly identify new avenues to pursue therapeutic intervention
Functional Dissection Of The Malaria RhopH Complex And Its Contribution To New Permeation Pathways
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$604,718.00
Summary
The ability of Plasmodium to invade and remodel its host erythrocyte are the most significant contributors to its ability to cause the disease malaria. This project aims to understand how proteins secreted from a specialized rhoptry organelle during erythrocyte invasion help Plasmodium to remodel the erythrocyte so that the parasite can gain access to the vital nutrients it requires for survival. This research will validate whether drugs targeting the rhoptry proteins are viable drug targets.
EEF1A1 Is Critical For HIV-1 Reverse Transcription And Replication
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$521,429.00
Summary
The project will investigate interaction between the AIDS virus, HIV-1, and the human cell it grows in specifically focusing on a human protein called eEF1A. Our research shows eEF1A is required for HIV-1 growth by regulating a step in the virus life cycle called reverse transcription. The goal of this project is investigate how interaction with eEF1A helps HIV-1 reverse transcription and to find drugs that block HIV-1 interaction with eEF1A.
MicroRNA serves as critical factors in diverse biological events. However, it remains poorly understood how microRNAs contribute to the regulation of lifespan and age-associated changes, such as alterations in metabolic activity and an increased incidence of disorders. We aim to understand how microRNAs regulate stress response pathways and caloric restriction-mediated lifespan extension using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, an excellent model organism for ageing biology.