Biobank Networks, Medical Research And The Challenge Of Globalisation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$790,698.00
Summary
Medical research increasingly relies on large-scale biobanks that store tissue samples from healthy donors or patients. Over the past decade, international networks of biobanks have been established. These are scientifically valuable but raise numerous legal and ethical challenges. In this project we will generate evidence to inform the development of ethically rigorous strategies to ensure that Australian donors and biobanks contribute to, and benefit from, international biobank networks.
Constructing Control Samples For The Australian And Other Populations: Improving Power And False Positive Rates In The Next Generation Of Genetic Association Studies With A Focus On Controlling For Fine-scale Population Structure In DNA Sequence Data
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$283,447.00
Summary
Individuals who live near each other tend to be more similar genetically than individuals who live in different parts of the world. One reason is that they share more of their genetic ancestry. There can be very subtle differences in patterns of genetic variation even within countries. Accounting for these subtle differences can be important for studies of the genetic basis of diseases. We will develop novel statistical methods to control for these genetic differences in disease studies.
Human Malarial Immunity And Assessment Of Emerging Artemisinin Resistance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$312,570.00
Summary
Resistance to antimalarial drugs is a major global threat for malaria treatment, control and elimination. Assessment of the spread of resistance is severely impeded by the presence of host immunity. This project will identify population biomarkers of immunity during antimalarial treatment to include in studies of antimalarial resistance. These findings will facilitate the correct assessment of the global spread of antimalarial resistance.
THE CYCLE OF OBESITY: Two Generations Of A Pregnancy Cohort To Investigate Obesity Epigenetics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,117,795.00
Summary
Obesity has increased 3-5 fold in the last fifty years, overtaking smoking as the greatest killer. In recent history, each generation has experienced greater amounts of obesity and at younger ages. Being exposed in the womb to mother’s obesity transmits the risk to the child, possibly by changing our epigenetic profile and how our DNA code is read. We need to break this vicious cycle. This study is a world first, investigating 2 generations with respect to obesity and epigenetic profiles.
Enhancing Joint Replacement Outcomes Through National Data Linkage
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$776,063.00
Summary
This is an Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry (AOANJRR) project that involves linking Registry data with state and federal government health datasets. This will help to better understand the complications and factors affecting the rate of complication after hip, knee and shoulder joint replacement. This information will be used to improve outcomes for patients having this surgery.
Osteoporosis is the commonest metabolic bone disease worldwide, and costs Australia >1% of GDP. It is a strongly inherited disease. We recently completed a genome-wide association study in 2000 postmenopausal women with either very high or very low bone density, and identified many genes contributing to BMD. The current study aims to use next-generation sequencing to study these women in greater genetic depth, aiming to identify more clearly the exact genetic determinants of bone mass.
In the study of common disease, it is becoming apparent that it is not only an individual's DNA sequence that can encode susceptibility to disease, but also chemical modifications to that sequence. Despite the importance of these chemical modifications in the development of disease, there has been no comprehensive survey of the extent which they are transmitted across generations in humans. This proposal will investigate how one of those modifications, DNA methylation, is inherited.
Implications Of The Increasing Duration Of Life Spent With Obesity For Population Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$251,830.00
Summary
As the prevalence of obesity at younger ages increases, people are living longer with obesity. We have recently shown that this has an increased risk of mortality and diabetes. In this project we will look at the extent to which an increasing length of time lived with obesity is also associated with increased risks of hypertension, heart disease, cancer, arthritis and disability. We will also look at the effect of this increasing duration on the overall health of Australian adults.
Reaching The Tenth Decade Of Life In Australia – A 20-year Longitudinal Study Of Older Men
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$890,063.00
Summary
There are increasing numbers of older people in Australia. A boy born in Australia in 2015 may expect to live to 92 years but how we will ensure that the health of these older men is maintained, and that ageing is a positive experience, is not yet known. We will study a large group of men initially aged over 65 years of age, and who have already been followed for 20 years, to work out how Australian men can reach the tenth decade of life, and how they can achieve this milestone successfully. .
Defining The Role Of Inflammation In Depression During Aging
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$736,820.00
Summary
This proposed research investigates the bidirectional relationship between inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS) and depression during normal aging processes. It is assumed that inflammatory processes in the CNS will induce the development of depression and vice versa, that depression will lead to increased inflammation in the body. In addition, the research will study the genetic background and gene expression of inflammation contributing to both aging processes and the onset of depr ....This proposed research investigates the bidirectional relationship between inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS) and depression during normal aging processes. It is assumed that inflammatory processes in the CNS will induce the development of depression and vice versa, that depression will lead to increased inflammation in the body. In addition, the research will study the genetic background and gene expression of inflammation contributing to both aging processes and the onset of depression during aging.Read moreRead less