Establishing STARS As A Therapeutic Target To Reduce Muscle Wasting And Improve Muscle Function
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$446,189.00
Summary
Muscle wasting occurs rapidly with disuse after injuries occurring at work, during sport, with chronic disease and in road accidents. It is also a consequence of ageing. Muscle wasting and reduced muscle function places considerable financial strain on our health care system. We aim to use gene therapy and pharmacological interventions to increase the levels of a protein called STARS. We hypothesize that STARS will reduce disuse-induced muscle wasting, increase recovery and improve function.
Novel Muscle Therapeutics Through Selective Beta-Adrenoceptor Signalling
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$603,608.00
Summary
Muscle wasting is an urgent and unmet health risk commonly associated with ageing; cancer, muscle diseases, and conditions including cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. Manipulating beta-adrenergic signalling is a therapeutic target for muscle wasting but treatments have so far been limited due to cardiaovascular side effects. Using cutting edge technologies, we will identify treatments that effectively separate beneficial effects on skeletal muscles from unwanted effects on the heart.
Phosphoinositide 3-kinase Signalling And Skeletal Muscle Mass.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$597,598.00
Summary
Maintenance of skeletal muscle mass is essential for human health and locomotion. In ageing and cancer, loss of muscle mass leads to severe weakness and immobilization causing morbidity and mortality. This grant aims to characterise a novel gene that when deleted in mice leads to significant muscle damage. The molecular pathways within the cell that lead to the observed muscle damage will be investigated and this may provide insights into the pathways that control muscle damage and its regenerat ....Maintenance of skeletal muscle mass is essential for human health and locomotion. In ageing and cancer, loss of muscle mass leads to severe weakness and immobilization causing morbidity and mortality. This grant aims to characterise a novel gene that when deleted in mice leads to significant muscle damage. The molecular pathways within the cell that lead to the observed muscle damage will be investigated and this may provide insights into the pathways that control muscle damage and its regenerationRead moreRead less
Cancer cachexia is a devastating disease characterised by muscle wasting, weakness and fatigue. It impairs patient quality of life and accounts for >20% of cancer-related deaths. This project will identify factors responsible for cancer cachexia and develop new strategies to alleviate wasting and weakness in cancer patients, to improve their quality of life and reduce mortality.
Decrypting The Excitation Contraction Coupling Machinery In Skeletal Muscle
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$914,869.00
Summary
Skeletal muscle function is dependent upon the fine control of calcium levels. When communication of key proteins in muscle are compromised, calcium levels are uncontrolled leading to severe disabilities. The molecular pathways that control signalling between key muscle proteins is currently unknown and shedding light on this topic will aid in the discovery of therapies for muscle-associated disabilities in disease and with aging.
An Essential Role For Skeletal Muscle FoxO1 In Protecting Against Obesity-induced Insulin Resistance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$593,888.00
Summary
Skeletal muscle is the largest organ in the human body and accounts for approximately 80% of glucose disposal after a meal. We have identified a transcription factor, namely FoxO1, that appears protect against obesity-induced insulin resistance by promoting energy consumption. This project will examine whether skeletal muscle specific activation of FoxO1 is a possible therapeutic target for the treatment of obesity-induced insulin resistance.
Investigating Follistatin-based Interventions For Long Term-protection Against Frailty Associated With Chronic Illness And Aging
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$987,169.00
Summary
Effective therapies are urgently needed to combat frailty arising from muscle wasting associated with chronic illness and aging. The proposed studies will investigate the prospects of developing novel short-term interventions that can confer long-term benefits for preventing and treating muscle wasting associated with chronic illness and advanced aging.
Interactions Between The ? And ? Subunits Of The DHPR - A Missing Link In Skeletal Muscle Excitation-contraction Coupling And A Role In Sarcopenia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$690,832.00
Summary
Calcium signaling is disrupted in muscle diseases, including muscle weakness in the elderly. This is a significant problem as all mobility depends on calcium signaling and its disruption can cause serious disability and death. To alleviate defective calcium signaling, the underlying molecular machinery must be fully understood, yet we have only a broad outline of the processes. We will address this problem to provide a platform for alleviating age-related muscle weakness.
DHPR ? Subunit Binding To A Variably Spliced Region Of RyR1: A Role In EC Coupling And Myotonic Dystrophy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$555,892.00
Summary
We have uncovered a communication pathway between two ion channel molecules in muscle cells that underlies human movement. The pathway is critical in normal mobility and is disrupted in myotonic dystrophy. We will study the molecular components of this pathway to understand normal body function and abnormal function in mytotonic dystrophy. The work will facilitate the design of drugs to relieve the mytotonic dystrophy myopathy and form new and much needed class of specific muscle relaxants.
REGULATION OF LIPID METABOLISM IN SKELETAL MUSCLE BY IDOL – A Novel Degrader Of The Very Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$557,162.00
Summary
More than 1 in 5 Australians are estimated to have increased levels of fats (triglycerides; TGs) in the blood, commonly due to excess dietary intake or genetics. The excess TGs are deposited in skeletal muscle where they can cause insulin resistance, increasing the risk of developing diabetes, the fastest growing chronic condition in Australia. I will examine whether a recently identified protein, IDOL, can reduce accumulation of TGs in skeletal muscle and protect against insulin resistance.