A Large-scale Clinical Effectiveness (health Services) Trial To Determine Whether Personalised Health Care Packages, Combined With Digitally-supported Measurement-based Care, Improve Functional Outcomes In Young People With Mood Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,434,588.00
Summary
One of our greatest current health challenges is to develop highly-personalised interventions for teenagers and young adults with emerging mood disorders. This research will combine our national expertise to develop and implement care packages utilising digital technologies, personalised assessment techniques, targeted treatment choices, and long-term outcome tracking. In a clinical trial we will assess the clinical effectiveness of these innovative healthcare packages.
Circulating Tumour DNA To Monitor Treatment Response And Resistance In Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$876,950.00
Summary
Many cancers shed small amounts of DNA (ctDNA) into the patient’s bloodstream and recent advances in genomic technologies now allow levels of ctDNA to be accurately measured in the blood. Changes in ctDNA levels have potential to be used as specific markers of disease progression and/or response to cancer therapy. This project will evaluate if ctDNA can be used to monitor treatment responses and individualise treatment decisions in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.
I-HEART - Implementation Of HEArt Failure Guidelines In Regional AusTralia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,266,173.00
Summary
Heart failure (HF) is a common disease of the heart with a high rehospitalisation and mortality rate. Regional HF patients rarely receive the full benefits of evidence-based care simply due to inaccessibility to a HF specialist team. This translational project will implement key recommendations from clinical guidelines in regional health services and improve access to specialist services. It has the potential to keep patients out of hospital and save lives.
Centre For Research Excellence In Implementation Science In Oncology (CRE-ISO)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,495,783.00
Summary
One of the key issues in delivering care to cancer patients is to ensure that the treatment provided is evidence-based. We need a concerted effort and training for the next generation of researchers and clinicians to translate what we know into improved practices. This Centre for Research Excellence harnesses new ideas in implementation science to make improvements. Researchers will work side-by-side with clinicians, policymakers, and patients in achieving higher levels of evidence-based care.
Molecular Mechanisms Of Varicella Zoster Virus Interactions With Key Target Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$421,650.00
Summary
Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is a herpesvirus which infects up to 90% of the population. VZV causes chickenpox (varicella) predominantly in childhood and shingles (herpes zoster) in middle to old age people. Whilst VZV usually causes relatively mild disease in healthy individuals, VZV still causes significant morbidity in children and adults. VZV causes life-threatening disease in immunocompromised individuals such as patients who are elderly or have HIV disease . Herpes zoster affects many eder ....Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is a herpesvirus which infects up to 90% of the population. VZV causes chickenpox (varicella) predominantly in childhood and shingles (herpes zoster) in middle to old age people. Whilst VZV usually causes relatively mild disease in healthy individuals, VZV still causes significant morbidity in children and adults. VZV causes life-threatening disease in immunocompromised individuals such as patients who are elderly or have HIV disease . Herpes zoster affects many ederly individuals and a major complication is prolonged severe pain or post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), both severely debilitating and which often requires follow-up medical care for months or years after the initial attack. Despite its significant impact on the community, little is known about the molecular details of how this virus functions. This project aims to improve our understanding of how VZV infection affects specialised human cells in order to make further advances in antiviral therapies as well improve vaccine design for the treatment or prevention of VZV disease and the crippling complication of PHN. This project has four components: (1) We will continue studies which have shown that VZV may actively avoid detection by the immune system. We aim to identify the mechanism and viral genes responsible for interfering with the expression of molecules which are essential for our immune system. (2) We will determine whether VZV infection of specialised immune cells (called dendritic cells) will affect their ability to function and interact with other immune cells (called T cells). (3) We will examine how VZV interacts in human nerve cells (neurons) and whether infected neurons undergo specially programmed cell death (apoptosis). (4) We will examine how different human cells change when they are infected with VZV. A new and exciting technology called DNA microarray now makes it possible to examine the expression of many thousands of genes in one experiment.Read moreRead less
Scalability Of The Transform-Us! Program To Promote Children's Physical Activity And Reduce Prolonged Sitting In Victorian Primary Schools
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$549,823.00
Summary
Transform-Us! is an innovative primary school program that has been found to substantially increase children’s physical activity levels, reduce sitting time and benefit health. With simple changes to the school and classroom environments and teaching practices (eg, standing lessons) we will work with partners in the education and health systems to translate this program across Victorian primary schools to determine the real-world implementation and impact of this program over 5 years.
Therapeutic Targeting Of Cell Cycle Checkpoint Aberrations In Pancreatic Cancer: Personalised Medicine In Action
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$634,354.00
Summary
Less than 5% of people with pancreatic cancer (PC) survive 5 years, and the odds of patients beating this disease have remained unchanged for 50 years. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop novel treatment approaches for this highly aggressive cancer. Our study aims to define novel therapeutic strategies for PC utilising specific anti-proliferative therapies and a personalised “companion biomarker” directed strategy.
Improving Linkages For Chronic Disease Prevention In Indigenous Communities: A Quality Improvement Approach.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Primary health care and public health are often conceived as two entities providing complementary services within the health system. This research aims to better understand how to link these complementary services by using quality improvement methods and to identify successful interventions that facilitate these linkages in the prevention of chronic disease in Indigenous communities.
Training Health Professionals In Tobacco Cessation And Evidence Translation For Aboriginal Australians
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$832,723.00
Summary
Our published pilot investigations have shown that smoking cessation programs among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians are profoundly lacking, with current tobacco prevalence estimates still at 45%. Through a cluster randomised delayed intervention controlled trial design, our proposal includes a opportunistic approach to training existing health professionals in tobacco cessation with a number of methods to reduce tobacco prevalence amongst Indigenous Australians.
Individualising Care For Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C: Predicting Side Effects And Treatment Response Using Genomic And Proteomic Approaches.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$55,575.00
Summary
Patients undergoing treatment for hepatitis C must endure a treatment characterized by unpredictable treatment side effects and uncertainty about the likelihood of cure. This project will investigate genetic predictors of treatment related side-effects and protein markers to predict treatment response. Better definition of the risks and benefits of therapy, may facilitate patients and clinicians to make more informed decisions about treatment, thus individualising treatment and potentially impro ....Patients undergoing treatment for hepatitis C must endure a treatment characterized by unpredictable treatment side effects and uncertainty about the likelihood of cure. This project will investigate genetic predictors of treatment related side-effects and protein markers to predict treatment response. Better definition of the risks and benefits of therapy, may facilitate patients and clinicians to make more informed decisions about treatment, thus individualising treatment and potentially improving the safety and efficacy of therapy.Read moreRead less