Localised Airway Reactivity As A Determinant Of Asthma Control And AHR
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$306,562.00
Summary
Asthma morbidity and mortality remain high, with drug cost, days lost from school and work. This may be due to severe asthma in which control cannot be attained. This may be due to localised regions of lung that remain persistently responsive to inhaled irritants. We will examine the location and size of these regions using 3-dimensional ventilation scanning. The potential importance of our findings is in providing a basis for improving treatment in resistant, severe asthma.
A Multi-site Randomised Controlled Trial Comparing The Severity Of Constipation Symptoms Experienced By Palliative Care Patients Receiving Usual Care Compared To Those Diagnosed And Managed According To The Underlying Pathophysiology.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$498,795.00
Summary
This research aims to consider whether the problems of constipation in palliative care are less severe when the physical changes that underlie the problem are explored.
Elucidating The Roles And Mechanisms Of Activation Of NLRP3 Inflammasomes And Developing Therapeutic Interventions For Severe Steroid-resistant Asthma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$961,929.00
Summary
Severe asthma is a major clinical issue. There are no effective treatments because we don’t understand how it occurs. We have identified a factor called an “inflammasome” that we think causes severe asthma. We have produced a new inhibitor of this factor, and shown experimentally that it may suppress important symptoms of severe asthma. We now aim to work out precisely how this inflammasome causes severe asthma and progress our new inhibitor towards therapeutic development.
Targeting Neutrophil Extracellular Traps To Reduce Inflammation In Severe Asthma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$585,240.00
Summary
People with severe asthma, a chronic disease of the lungs, often have many inflammatory cells in the airways called neutrophils. Neutrophils release a meshwork of fibers in a web like trap called NETs, which are made of the cells DNA and other proteins that fight infection. These NETs can promote inflammation in the persons airways. Current asthma treatments have no effect on NETs. This project will measure NETs in the airways and test a new treatment to reduce NETs, and relieve asthma symptoms.
Anti-viral Immune Dysfunction In Severe Asthma Varies Across Inflammatory Phenotypes.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$997,153.00
Summary
Common cold viruses often trigger asthma flare-ups , but have relatively minor effects on healthy people. Why this happens is not clear. We have identified two different ways in which the immune system can react badly to a common cold virus in people with asthma. In this study we will find out more about why the immune system does not react normally in a large group of people with severe asthma. This study will help us discover improved treatments that can be targeted to people with asthma.
Understanding How Azithromycin Prevents Exacerbations In Severe Asthma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$697,273.00
Summary
In some people with severe asthma, conventional inhaler treatments are not able to control the disease so there is a need for new treatment options. We have recently completed a large clinical trial which showed that very low doses of a common antibiotic help prevent asthma attacks in this situation. However, not much is known about how the antibiotic is working. This study will help us understand how the antibiotic is working and which people respond best.
Elucidating The Mechanisms Of Infection-induced, Steroid-resistant Asthma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$348,070.00
Summary
Steroid-resistant asthma is an important clinical problem and effective therapies are urgently required. Substantial evidence links bacterial and viral respiratory infections with steroid-resistant asthma, however, how infections are associated with steroid-resistant asthma is not known. This project will investigate the role of specific immune factors, that we have identified, in infection-induced steroid-resistant asthma. Our project may identify new therapeutic targets for this severe form of ....Steroid-resistant asthma is an important clinical problem and effective therapies are urgently required. Substantial evidence links bacterial and viral respiratory infections with steroid-resistant asthma, however, how infections are associated with steroid-resistant asthma is not known. This project will investigate the role of specific immune factors, that we have identified, in infection-induced steroid-resistant asthma. Our project may identify new therapeutic targets for this severe form of asthma.Read moreRead less
Mechanisms Of Ataxia In Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1 Transgenic Mice
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$361,158.00
Summary
Degeneration of the coordination part of the brain (cerebellum) causes ATAXIA. There are many types, but few can be cured. The majority, affecting ~ 3,000 Australians, are progressive, and can only be helped by physical therapies. We are searching for a drug to improve the SYMPTOMS of ataxia, by analysing the chemical transmitters in the cerebellum in genetically ataxic mice. If we find an imbalance, we will trial appropriate drugs to try to correct this and lessen ataxia.
A Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomised Trial (SMART) Of Nursing Interventions To Reduce Pain Associated With Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$713,418.00
Summary
Modern chemotherapy treatments can result in damage to the peripheral nerves, resulting in a condition called peripheral neuropathy. This condition is characterised by a range of sensory and functional changes that can cause pain and reduced ability to perform daily activities. This project will test various non-pharmacological pain management measures to determine if they are effective in improving the quality of life of patients who experience this problem.
The uneven way that airways narrow (heterogeneity) would seem to be an important factor affecting the natural history, clinical expression and response to treatment in patients with severe asthma. In this study we will be looking at the mechanism for heterogeneity in sufferers of severe asthma in relation to how stiff the lung is and the type of inflammation seen in these patients.