Precision Epigenetics: Targeting The Epigenome To Treat Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,940,576.00
Summary
Epigenetic marks are changes made to the DNA that allow genes to be switched off in some cells and switched on in others. These marks are critical to normal development and often go wrong in disease. We aim to find genes that add epigenetic marks to the DNA and understand how they co-operate at the molecular level to switch genes off. Our focus is on one such gene, SMCHD1. We are developing new drugs against SMCHD1 to treat incurable neurodevelopmental disorder PWS and muscular dystrophy FSHD.
Mechanisms Of Cell Death Driven Inflammation In The Skin
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$645,205.00
Summary
Inflammatory skin conditions are a leading cause of disease. Current therapies treat symptoms not causes of inflammation. Skin cells constantly interact with cells of the immune system, and with a diverse array of helpful and harmful microorganisms. My data suggest a role of the skin flora and resident immune cells in the initiation and progression of skin disease. I will investigate how the microbiota and immune cells can initiate cell death and drive excessive immune responses in the skin.
Understanding And Harnessing Immunity To Fight Melanoma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,138,220.00
Summary
Novel cancer therapies aimed at stimulating the body's immune defence have shown remarkable clinical success, although the immune mechanisms that can prevent disease recurrence remain poorly understood. Our study will fill this important gap in knowledge by elucidating the mechanisms of efficient immune protection from skin cancer and metastatic disease. As such, our results will be important for the development and improvement of innovative cancer therapies.
Deciphering Mechanisms Underlying Breast Cancer To Improve Patient Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,314,215.00
Summary
Breast cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease. Patients are often treated in a ‘one size fits all’ approach, but response to therapy remains disparate. To more effectively personalise therapy, there is a pressing need to define the precise cell types and initiating genetic events that give rise to breast cancer. This application is centred on understanding mechanisms of breast cancer initiation and progression, with the potential of identifying new prognostic markers and therapeutic targets.
Novel Approaches To Nanomedicines For Future Therapies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,414,215.00
Summary
Nanomedicines have the potential to transform healthcare by targeting significant health issues such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes and Parkinson’s diseases that have mainly eluded successful therapeutic solutions. In addition, nanotechnology has the potential to significantly improve the treatment of chronic pain by repurposing analgesic medications for improved effectiveness without significant side effects. I will target these two areas of research during the next five years.
Improving Patient-important Outcomes In Haemodialysis Through Validation And Implementation In Registries And Pragmatic Clinical Trials
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,082.00
Summary
Haemodialysis is the most common treatment for kidney failure but is associated with poor survival, high symptom burden and drastically reduced quality of life. Research often does not address these patient-important outcomes, thereby limiting our ability to discover effective interventions. This program aims to improve haemodialysis outcomes that are critically important to patients and clinicians through validation and implementation in clinical practice, registries and clinical trial.
Computational Modelling To Understand Early-stage Neurodegeneration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$645,205.00
Summary
Rather than attempting to reverse neurodegeneration, therapeutic strategies must target the earliest possible stages of disease, when treatments have the potential to prevent or slow down pathological progression. The proposed project will employ computational modelling using functional MRI to deliver highly efficient and sensitive markers of Familial Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease progression to inform when in the progression of disease clinical trials should take place.
Faecal Microbiota Transplantation And Other Novel Therapeutic Microbial Manipulation Strategies In Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$645,205.00
Summary
There is growing interest in the role of microbial-based strategies including faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. This project will develop such strategies into valid treatment options through a combination of clinical & basic science work including (1) characterising viral & fungal factors of importance, (2) evaluation of novel orally-delivered formulations of FMT, and (3) development of better defined, more reproducible microbial treatments.
The Role Of A Low Emulsifier Diet To Treat Crohn's Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$447,603.00
Summary
Currently, there are no specific diets known to treat Crohn’s disease (CD). Initial lab- and animal-based studies have indicated emulsifiers added to food drive inflammation in CD, but no human trials completed. This study will design and feed high and low emulsifier diets to healthy and CD subjects and measure markers of inflammation. This will establish the role of a low emulsifier diet to treat CD.
Improving Patient Outcomes In Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Across The Continuum Of Care
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$645,205.00
Summary
'Familial' means it runs in families and 'hypercholesterolaemia' means high blood cholesterol. Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is the most common and serious form of inherited high cholesterol. People with FH are at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. High cholesterol also placed an estimated $4 billion burden on the Australian economy in 2017-18. Practical research on prevention strategies will improve cardiovascular health outcomes and lower the burden of health costs.