Advancing The Spatial Analysis Of Cells In Tissues To Profile The Tumour Microenvironment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$187,918.00
Summary
Tumours are composed of a mix of different cells, including cancer cells, immune cells and other cells supporting tumour growth. These cells are not organised randomly, but rather are distributed in specific patterns. Here we will develop computational methods to detect these patterns and determine what statistical tests should be used to compare samples. This project will give us the tools to investigate how the location of cells in tissues relates to treatment response and survival.
Identifying Unintentional Effects Of Medication Using Statistical Genetics Analyses Of Large-scale Genetic And Genomic Data
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$251,441.00
Summary
An increasing number of studies have highlighted unknown adverse effects of medication, for example, use of statins to lower cholesterol with increased risk of type 2 diabetes. The gold standard approach to confirm these effects is randomised control trials, which may not always be feasible or ethical, and are very expensive. This project aims to apply innovative statistical genetics approaches to (genetic and genomic) 'big-data' to predict unknown effects of commonly prescribed medications.
Developing Smart Nanomedicine To Enable Advanced Diagnosis And Stimuli-responsive Treatment For Atherosclerosis And Thrombosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$523,342.00
Summary
The early detection and accurate characterization of life-threatening diseases such as cardiovascular diseases are critical to the design of treatment. A therapeutic approach that provides an efficient treatment with minimal side-effects is highly desired by both patients and healthcare systems. This project aims to develop smart nanomedicine with incorporated diagnostic sensor and external stimuli-responsive treatment mechanisms for cardiovascular diseases.
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a devastating consequence of a number of heart diseases. Underlying causes include inherited heart muscle problems (cardiomyopathies), with no cause found in 40%. Our study will investigate the role of 'concealed cardiomyopathy' cases, i.e. those with a SCD event with no evidence of heart disease, but carry errors in heart genes. Our findings will translate rapidly into more targeted clinical and genetic evaluation of families with the ultimate goal to prevent SCD.
Biomechanics Meets Phenomics: Towards Understanding And Predicting Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Disease Progression
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,324,897.00
Summary
The criterion used to decide whether to operate on an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), based on the maximum diameter, does not take into consideration the rupture risk for a given patient. By combining imaging, computational biomechanics and metabolic phenotyping, we will assess the structural integrity of an AAA and local structural changes of systemic response. These will allow improved differentiation of rupture risk, leading to better outcomes for patients and savings for the health system.
Targeting A Bacterial Glyco-Achilles Heel To Make New Vaccines For Haemophilus Influenzae And Neisseria Gonorrhoeae.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$526,950.00
Summary
The bacteria that cause gonorrhoea (N. gonorrhoeae), middle ear infections and exacerbations of chronic obstructive lung disease (H. influenzae) have become multi-drug resistant. These diseases are a major health and economic burden. In the absence of new drugs, a vaccine to prevent these diseases has emerged as a major unmet need in human health. In this grant, we will develop a new vaccine that targets a bacterial-specific sugar that we have discovered is the Achilles heel of these bacteria.
Targeting Pathogenic TAR DNA-binding Protein 43 To Treat Frontotemporal Dementia And Motor Neuron Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$687,444.00
Summary
Frontotemporal dementia and motor neuron Disease are rapidly progressive and fatal neurodegenerative diseases that affect people in their prime. Poor understanding of the processes that lead to these diseases have slowed drug development. Through innovative experimental design, we aim to decipher a novel disease mechanism that involves specific molecular interactions and translate these findings into new therapies for the diseases.
Finely Tuned Glutamate Receptor Inhibitors As Novel Therapeutics For Neurodegenerative Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,168,829.00
Summary
Neurodegenerative disorders are among the leading causes of death and disease burden. New drugs are needed to treat both symptoms and disease progression. This project aims to understand the properties of different drug-like compounds to inhibit proteins on the surface of brain cells (glutamate receptors) to impact disease progression and symptoms in a preclinical disease models. The project will yield a better understanding of how best to target glutamate receptors for therapeutic effect.
Novel Genetic Tools For Tracking The Origins And Spread Of Plasmodium Vivax
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$536,158.00
Summary
Plasmodium vivax causes >8 million malaria cases annually. Containment of this parasite is constrained by limited surveillance tools. This project will establish genetic data on >6,000 P. vivax cases from across the globe. Using this data, we will develop an online platform with analytical tools to identify the main reservoirs of infection, how parasites are spreading within and across national borders, and how effectively interventions have impacted on parasite transmission.
ARX- A Hub Gene For A Common Biological Pathway In Schizophrenia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$707,974.00
Summary
Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder with no cure. I have identified that some people with schizophrenia show variations to a gene called ARX. This project will use preclinical mouse models to explore how variations to the Arx gene affect brain molecules, networks of cells and behavioural outcomes. This biological pathway will provide the framework for the identification of new molecules to target therapeutically to modify the biological course of schizophrenia and improve outcomes.