Development Of A Diagnostic Test For Bipolar Disorder (BD)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$140,330.00
Summary
A unique test that monitors the rate of switching between the hemispheres of the brain in response to visual stimuli has been devised. A patent application covers an apparatus and test to measure the switching rate between the hemispheres and the way in which such measurements can be used as a means to diagnose bipolar disorder (BD). BD, also called manic depression, is a form of depression that currently affects over six million people worldwide with about three million in the USA alone. The co ....A unique test that monitors the rate of switching between the hemispheres of the brain in response to visual stimuli has been devised. A patent application covers an apparatus and test to measure the switching rate between the hemispheres and the way in which such measurements can be used as a means to diagnose bipolar disorder (BD). BD, also called manic depression, is a form of depression that currently affects over six million people worldwide with about three million in the USA alone. The condition has phases of mania and depression and periods of remittance. Full cycles of BD can occur as many as three times a year and for many patients, this is a lifelong condition. BD is effectively treated, once it is diagnosed. It is estimated that 20% of sufferers go undiagnosed and many more are misdiagnosed. The cost of mis- or non-diagnosis is measured by suicides, the financial burden on society with health care, loss of productivity etc, effects on family and associates, crime, etc. Diagnosis to date is achieved mainly by subjective means such as questionnaires. These instruments do not conclusively separate BD from other forms of depression and schizophrenia, for which treatment is quite different. Nor do they allow for factors such as substance abuse and other medical conditions that the patient may be suffering. BD is hereditary with the slow hemispheric switch rate being an indicator of the genetic trait. This phenomenon allows for an objective test for BD, even if an individual has not had an episode of BD. The slow switch allows relatively easy separation of a BD patient from those exhibiting symptoms that may have other causes.Read moreRead less
An Inside-out Approach To Muscosal Vaccination: MAdCAM Targeting
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$174,250.00
Summary
The mucosal surfaces are the entry site for many pathogens (eg. cholera, rotaviruses, helicobacter, SARS and sexually transmitted diseases including HIV infections). The ideal vaccine would elicit both systemic and mucosal immune response, enhancing immunity at this first line of defence. The oral route has formidable barriers to antigen uptake such as digestive enzymes, commensal microbes, mucous layers and gastric acid. Our strategy targets the vascular addressin found in immune tissues of the ....The mucosal surfaces are the entry site for many pathogens (eg. cholera, rotaviruses, helicobacter, SARS and sexually transmitted diseases including HIV infections). The ideal vaccine would elicit both systemic and mucosal immune response, enhancing immunity at this first line of defence. The oral route has formidable barriers to antigen uptake such as digestive enzymes, commensal microbes, mucous layers and gastric acid. Our strategy targets the vascular addressin found in immune tissues of the gut (called MAdCAM) so that the vaccine is linked to an antibody against MAdCAM. Thus for the first time we believe that a parenteral vaccine ie. injected im or iv (bypassing the oral barriers) can induce mucosal immunity.Read moreRead less
GM-CSF Regulation Of Preimplantation Embryo Development
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$481,320.00
Summary
Treatment of infertility using IVF technology has been enormously successful. However, there are major concerns regarding the high incidence of multiple pregnancies (caused by the transfer of more than one embryo) and the potential adverse health outcome of adults conceived from this technology. Multiple pregnancies place both mother and infant at enormous risks, with increased obstetrics care, prematurity, increased neonatal care and neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy. This can be ov ....Treatment of infertility using IVF technology has been enormously successful. However, there are major concerns regarding the high incidence of multiple pregnancies (caused by the transfer of more than one embryo) and the potential adverse health outcome of adults conceived from this technology. Multiple pregnancies place both mother and infant at enormous risks, with increased obstetrics care, prematurity, increased neonatal care and neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy. This can be overcome simply by the transfer of a single embryo. However, patient and clinical expectations are that single embryo transfer should be achieved with little to no reduction in pregnancy rate, and currently this is not possible because our methods for culturing embryos are inadequate. Studies in animals suggest that laboratory growth of mammalian embryos can lead to small-for-gestational age babies (even when the effect of multiple births is taken into consideration). This backed by recent studies which agree that babies born from IVF are smaller than expected. This might lead to health problems in later life, as smallness at birth is associated with higher risks of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, especially as age progresses beyond 40 years. However, the oldest IVF child is currently 23 years of age. Previously we have shown that a protein growth factor, called granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), found normally in the reproductive tract, has dramatic beneficial effects on human and mouse embryos grown in the laboratory. Furthermore, we have shown in mice that embryo exposure to GM-CSF alleviates the detrimental side effects of in vitro culture on foetal growth and body structure after birth. Our research is now focussed on understanding why this protein is beneficial to embryo growth and to test if we can increase pregnancy rates and produce normal healthy infants from the transfer of single embryos treated with GM-CSF.Read moreRead less
Development Fo A Novel Treatment For Asthma: The Identification Of Lead Small Molecule Antagonists Of The IL-13/IL-13 Re
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$99,750.00
Summary
In developed countries Asthma ranks among the most common chronic illnesses. Over two million Australians now have this condition and the cost to our community is estimated to be in excess of $720 million per annum. In 1996 researchers at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute discovered a new member of the cytokine receptor family, IL-13Ra1, which further research has strongly implicated in the pathology of this disease. The main goal of the proposed research is to discover small molecule antagoni ....In developed countries Asthma ranks among the most common chronic illnesses. Over two million Australians now have this condition and the cost to our community is estimated to be in excess of $720 million per annum. In 1996 researchers at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute discovered a new member of the cytokine receptor family, IL-13Ra1, which further research has strongly implicated in the pathology of this disease. The main goal of the proposed research is to discover small molecule antagonists of IL-13Ra1 and to identify those suitable for development as novel asthma therapeutics.Read moreRead less
Developing Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Based On Inhibition Of A Human Enzyme
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$160,000.00
Summary
Human secretory phospholipases A2 have been associated with inflammatory diseases for many years, yet very few truly potent inhibitors of the human enzymes sPLA2 (isoforms IIa, V or X) are known due to a range of problems relating to the lipid nature of substrates, unavailability of enzymes, enzyme assays that do not correlate with in vivo data. Although there remains controversy about which enzyme is responsible in vivo for degrading membrane phospholipids to inflammatory mediators like arachid ....Human secretory phospholipases A2 have been associated with inflammatory diseases for many years, yet very few truly potent inhibitors of the human enzymes sPLA2 (isoforms IIa, V or X) are known due to a range of problems relating to the lipid nature of substrates, unavailability of enzymes, enzyme assays that do not correlate with in vivo data. Although there remains controversy about which enzyme is responsible in vivo for degrading membrane phospholipids to inflammatory mediators like arachidonate, PAF, prostaglandins, leukotrienes, etc. there is a consensus that blockade of phospholipid metabolism would represent a major advance on NSAIDs as antiinflammatory agents. No sPLA2-IIa inhibitor is available yet in man. We aim to create an attractive data package showing proof of concept for a potent new type of antiinflammatory drug. This data will give us an improved negotiating position in our commercialisation of a new drug with potential multi-billion dollar markets as diverse as arthritis, asthma, reperfusion injury, organ transplantation and many other currently intractable human ailmentsRead moreRead less
Novel Methods For Promoting Organ Development And Growth
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,203.00
Summary
A revolutionary new therapy for treatment of growth restricted fetuses and premature babies is being developed through the administration of Colony Stimulating Factor (CSF-1). We have evidence that CSF-1 therapy can promote kidneys and lungs to continue development and maturation after birth. This exciting new finding allows for the application of CSF-1 therapy for both the treatment of premature babies and unborn babies with kidney defects.
Development Of Resonance Energy Transfer Technologies To Detect GPCR Heterodimer Complexes In Living Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$205,555.00
Summary
G-protein coupled receptors are proteins at the surface of most cells in the body. They bind to drugs, transmitting signals into cells that change what cells are doing. Recent research indicates that different types of these proteins can interact with each other and when one of these protein combinations binds a drug, it acts differently to when the proteins act separately. The aim of our project is to find out which protein combinations exist and to find drugs that bind to them specifically.
Novel Soluble Guanylate Cyclase Activators For Pulmonary Artery Hypertension
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$474,087.00
Summary
Pulmonary hypertension (elevated blood pressure in the lungs) is a life-threatening condition with few treatment options. We have recently identified a new class of drug that may improve blood vessel function in the lungs and thereby provide a new drug for the management of this group of patients.
Development Of Novel Anti-cancer And Immunosuppressive Drugs Derived From Pineapple Stems
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$469,500.00
Summary
We have discovered two molecules from pineapple stems that show anti-tumour activity in laboratory studies. One molecule, called ananain, blocks a cancer causing protein called Ras, which is defective in approximately 30% of all cancers. The other molecule, called canizain, stimulates the bodies own immune system to target and kill cancer cells. The proposed research seeks to provide proof of concept of the use of ananain and canizain as drug development targets. Once this early proof of princip ....We have discovered two molecules from pineapple stems that show anti-tumour activity in laboratory studies. One molecule, called ananain, blocks a cancer causing protein called Ras, which is defective in approximately 30% of all cancers. The other molecule, called canizain, stimulates the bodies own immune system to target and kill cancer cells. The proposed research seeks to provide proof of concept of the use of ananain and canizain as drug development targets. Once this early proof of principle phase has been completed, we believe that ananain and canizain would be extremely attractive targets for further investment by a major pharmaceutical company.Read moreRead less