Pharmacogenomics And Mechanistic Basis Of Drug Hypersensitivity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$677,220.00
Summary
Drug allergy causes physical harm, anxiety and may limit treatment options. We introduced personalised genetic testing to prevent one such drug hypersensitivity. Genetic information from patients who have had adverse drug reactions will be used to work out how drugs trigger severe allergic reactions and develop strategies to predict these reactions and design safer drugs. This research has relevance to our understanding of other inflammatory disease such as autoimmune disease and multiple sclero ....Drug allergy causes physical harm, anxiety and may limit treatment options. We introduced personalised genetic testing to prevent one such drug hypersensitivity. Genetic information from patients who have had adverse drug reactions will be used to work out how drugs trigger severe allergic reactions and develop strategies to predict these reactions and design safer drugs. This research has relevance to our understanding of other inflammatory disease such as autoimmune disease and multiple sclerosis.Read moreRead less
Characterisation Of T-cell Responses In Drug Hypersensitivity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$306,338.00
Summary
Drug hypersensitivity reactions (DIHS) are a catastrophic form of adverse drug reaction. This study will use the drug abacavir, a cause of drug hypersensitivity to examine the way certain immune cells react and determine whether responses to viruses that are persistent in our bodies play a role these development of these reactions. This will help inform the immunological basis of DIHS as well as new treatments and potential ways of identifying drugs likely to cause these reactions in the pre-mar ....Drug hypersensitivity reactions (DIHS) are a catastrophic form of adverse drug reaction. This study will use the drug abacavir, a cause of drug hypersensitivity to examine the way certain immune cells react and determine whether responses to viruses that are persistent in our bodies play a role these development of these reactions. This will help inform the immunological basis of DIHS as well as new treatments and potential ways of identifying drugs likely to cause these reactions in the pre-marketing phase of drug development.Read moreRead less
THE EFFECT OF STRESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT ON DISEASE PROGRESSION IN MESIAL TEMPORAL LOBE EPILEPSY
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$578,201.00
Summary
Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, the most common form of drug-resistant epilepsy in adults, is a progressive neurodegenerative condition for which there is currently no effective disease modifying treatment. This proposal will explore whether co-morbid stress accelerates disease progression in MTLE, and whether targeting stress pathways by medical and environmental manipulations can mitigate against this.
Genomics Of Antiepileptic Drug-induced Stevens Johnson Syndrome
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$500,817.00
Summary
Epilepsy affects 3% of people. Severe skin reactions to anti-epileptic drugs are unpredictable and potentially fatal. This project aims to better understand the complex genetic architecture of these reactions using the latest sequencing platforms applied to a unique collection of samples, followed by functional analysis. The findings will enhance the practice of precision medicine in epilepsy treatment, shed light on the mechanisms of these reactions, and inform better drug design in the future.
Transfusion Triggers In Cardiac Surgery Australia Trial (TRICS-III)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,433,956.00
Summary
This study seeks to compare outcomes for cardiac surgery patients who are given a blood transfusion where the haemoglobin concentration is <7.5 or alternatively <9.5 g/dL. Blood transfusion is common in cardiac surgery and it is not known whether a more "restrictive" approach to blood transfusion has a different outcome. This will be the largest prospective randomised study of its kind, Australia contributing to a Canadian lead multi-centre international trial.
Febrile Seizures Following Vaccination In Children: How Common Are They And What Is The Long Term Clinical Outcome?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$693,779.00
Summary
Seizures following vaccination cause concern for both parent and healthcare providers and in this important study we will measure the risk of febile seizures after vaccines and follow up children who have had a febrile seizure shortly after receiving a vaccine to assess their medical health and developmental outcome. In addition children will be tested to see if they carry one of the known genetic mutations that is asociated with the development of seizures as a potential cause for their seizure ....Seizures following vaccination cause concern for both parent and healthcare providers and in this important study we will measure the risk of febile seizures after vaccines and follow up children who have had a febrile seizure shortly after receiving a vaccine to assess their medical health and developmental outcome. In addition children will be tested to see if they carry one of the known genetic mutations that is asociated with the development of seizures as a potential cause for their seizure following vaccination.Read moreRead less
How Best To Protect Public Health: A Comparative Analysis Of Regulatory Safety Warnings On Medicines In Australia, Canada The European Union And The United States
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,002,283.00
Summary
Medicines have important health benefits but can also lead to harm. When new safety concerns arise, national regulatory agencies issue warnings to health professionals and the public. These warnings differ between countries, but no research has compared the effectiveness of different approaches. This study compares safety advisories on medicines in Australia, Canada, the United States, and the European Union in order to identify how to best protect public health.
Medicines are not effective in all people and harmful effects from normal doses can cause suffering and even death. Ethnicity due to genetic factors can cause some medicines to be ineffective or toxic. There is little knowledge on drug genetics of Aboriginal people in contrast to Caucasians. We will study all the major drug genetic factors in groups of Aboriginal people and compare this to other ethnicities to inform physicians as to the optimal drug and dose to prescribe Aboriginal people.
The Phenomenology And Treatment Of Emotion Dysregulation In Traumatized Refugees
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$242,631.00
Summary
Refugee mental health is a crucial public health concern in Australia. Difficulty regulating emotions has been strongly linked to psychological disorders after trauma, however no research has studied this in refugees. This research program uses experimental methods to test a model of emotion dysregulation in refugees, and evaluates the impact of a treatment designed to improve emotion regulation and general mental health in refugees.
Epigenetic Signatures Of Abnormal Adult Neurogenesis In Rett Syndrome
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$869,332.00
Summary
Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurodevelopmental condition arising in early childhood. In Australia, RTT affects an estimated 1/8500 females. The vast majority of RTT patients carry a single mutation in the gene MeCP2. Recent advances in genetic engineering may allow MeCP2 mutations to be corrected in patients. This study will assess whether other molecular factors are involved in the RTT phenotype in patient neurons, and whether these factors are likely to be corrected by MeCP2 gene therapy.