FUNCTIONAL IMAGING OF THE BRAINSTEM AND CORTICAL SITES OF BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL IN HUMAN SUBJECTS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$398,498.00
Summary
Disturbances in cardiovascular control underpin many diseases yet little is known about how the brain controls the heart and blood vessels. This project uses brain imaging (fMRI) and concurrent nerve recording in awake human subjects to increase our understanding of how normal blood pressure is maintained and how different disease states influence this control.
NOVEL NON-INVASIVE METHODS FOR THE EARLY DETECTION OF PULMONARY VASCULAR DISEASE
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$320,463.00
Summary
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe, progressive disorder. Current non-invasive diagnostic modalities are insensitive for detecting early disease, thus preventing early intervention with therapy. We aim to develop novel and reproducible ways to assess the pulmonary circulation, which will ultimately allow for the early diagnosis of PAH and in turn facilitate early initiation of treatment and improved patient outcomes.
De-differentiation Of Committed Cells Into Haematopoietic Stem Cells By The Instructive Role Of The Transcription Factor HOXB4
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$683,040.00
Summary
Blood stem cells are long-lived and can give rise to every cell type of the blood system and due to these properties they are currently used in the clinics. Despite their importance, our knowledge of the mechanisms the control the multiplication of these rare cells is very scarce. This proposal aims to identify key factors that have the potential to convert mature, easy available blood cells into stem cells. This knowledge has to potential to lead to novel system that allow the expansion of stem ....Blood stem cells are long-lived and can give rise to every cell type of the blood system and due to these properties they are currently used in the clinics. Despite their importance, our knowledge of the mechanisms the control the multiplication of these rare cells is very scarce. This proposal aims to identify key factors that have the potential to convert mature, easy available blood cells into stem cells. This knowledge has to potential to lead to novel system that allow the expansion of stem cells for transplantations in the future.Read moreRead less
Fibroblast Senescence As A Driver Of Pulmonary Fibrosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$845,611.00
Summary
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has no cure. Currently we think that IPF develops like normal wound healing, but the normal “braking” mechanisms in the myofibroblasts (the cells that produce the connective tissue) don’t work, such that too much connective tissue is produced and oxygen transfer to the blood is stopped. We have identified a protein we think stops, the myofibroblasts from dying. Reducing the activation of this protein should return the myofibroblasts function to normal.
STandaRd Issue TrANsfusion VersuS Fresher Red Blood Cell Use In IntenSive CarE (TRANSFUSE) – A Randomised Controlled Trial.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,890,335.00
Summary
In Australia, blood for transfusions has a “use by” date of 42 days after collection. The actual age of blood given to patients depends on what is available at the time and the rate of usage. Some research has been done to suggest it might help patients in the intensive care unit reach a better recovery if they receive blood transfusions that are younger than this. This project will test whether patients who receive ‘fresher’ blood do better than patients who receive ‘standard issue ’ blood.
Engineered Cell And Exosome Therapy For Pulmonary Vascular Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$838,490.00
Summary
Diseases affecting the blood vessels in the lungs cause early death and the currently available treatments are not curative. We will take advantage of the latest developments in the understanding of the molecular basis of these diseases to design and test a new treatment approach using cells and cell-derived products as a therapy.
Facilitating The Increase In Pulmonary Blood Flow At Birth
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$617,729.00
Summary
Pulmonary hypertension in newborn infants is a significant problem that is very difficult to treat because we do not understand how blood flow through the lungs increases at birth. We have recently shown that currently believed mechanisms controlling blood flow at birth are incorrect and additional factors exist. Our experiments will determine factors that affect blood flow through the lungs at birth. This information will be used to improve the care of newborns with pulmonary hypertension.
Elucidating The Role And Potential For Therapeutic Targeting Of TLR7 In Emphysema And COPD
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$925,780.00
Summary
Emphysema is a major cause of illness and death and there are no effective treatments. It is caused by smoking that damages the airways and air sacs but how this occurs is not well understood. We have found that a new factor, called Toll-like receptor 7, is involved in emphysema. In this study we will now characterise its roles in this disease, work out how it induces emphysema and test new inhibitors (antibodies) that we have developed as treatments.
Dissecting In Vivo Cellular Responses To Interferons In Pathogen-infected Hosts
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$479,694.00
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by virulent bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is a leading cause of death worldwide. Mechanisms underlying host resistance to the pathogen are poorly understood. Using a novel reporter mouse, the function of interferons in Mtb infection will be defined in vivo by tracking the cytokine-responsive cells. This will increase our understanding of the effects of these important cytokines in vivo, and could provide new candidate biomarkers for TB diagnosis.
A Randomised Study To Optimise Clinical Outcomes In Patients With FLT3 Mutant AML
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,169,549.00
Summary
Acute myeloid leukaemia is a devastating blood cancer which affects almost 1000 Australians annually. One quarter have a mutation affecting a gene called FLT3, which results in aggressive leukaemia rarely cured by chemotherapy alone. Dr Andrew Wei from the Alfred Hospital will lead a nationwide randomised clinical trial through the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group network to investigate whether a targeted FLT3 inhibitor small molecule called Sorafenib will improve outcomes for patients ....Acute myeloid leukaemia is a devastating blood cancer which affects almost 1000 Australians annually. One quarter have a mutation affecting a gene called FLT3, which results in aggressive leukaemia rarely cured by chemotherapy alone. Dr Andrew Wei from the Alfred Hospital will lead a nationwide randomised clinical trial through the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group network to investigate whether a targeted FLT3 inhibitor small molecule called Sorafenib will improve outcomes for patients with this poor risk blood cancer.Read moreRead less