Modulating Inflammation As A Therapy For Harlequin Ichthyosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$718,739.00
Summary
Harlequin Ichthyosis is a severe inherited skin disease caused by mutations in a protein which regulates how skin cells control their levels of lipids. Treatments for this disease are limited and do little to improve patients condition. We believe we have found a new way to treat this condition by altering tissue inflammation. This grant will undertake important experiments aimed at developing new therapies for this currently incurable disease.
Understanding the potency and role of individual stem cells in the skin using Rainbow technology. To renew itself, the skin and its components rely on the activity of stem cells. This project will define more precisely the role of each individual stem cell by labelling them with a unique colour and following its fate. This project has the potential to change our current view on how the skin maintains and repairs itself.
Characterisation of p14ARF intracellular trafficking pathways. Over 3500 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed in NSW each year, and one of the most important proteins involved in suppressing melanoma initiation or growth is p14ARF. This project will characterise the movement and functions of this protein with the aim of identifying novel targets for more effective drug therapies.
Investigation of the biology of insulin-like growth factor 1 and its derivatives for the development of new therapeutics. This project will investigate the biology of insulin-like growth factor 1, a key molecule in growth, development and, in particular, the wound healing process. Its success will lead to improved treatments for non-healing (chronic) wounds and, potentially, new anti-cancer treatments.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100172
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$330,000.00
Summary
Comprehensive cell imaging facility. This facility will provide Australian biological science researchers with equipment for in-depth analyses of cell function in vitro and in vivo. It will enable innovative research targeted at important questions in fields including cancer, immunology, stem cell biology, infectious disease and tissue regeneration.
Inflammatory skin disorders, such as psoriasis and dermatitis, are responsible for a large burden of human disease and affect people across alldemographics. Knockout (KO) of TNF signalling members in mice is known to induce skin inflammation. This project proposes to use these genetic mouse models to investigate how and why disruption of particular TNF superfamily members leads to disease and potentially identify new targets for treatment.
CDK4 Activity In S/G2 Phases Influences Mitotic Fidelity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$531,696.00
Summary
The ultraviolet radiation component of the sunlight is a major environmental factor in the development of skin cancers, including melanomas. Over the past 10 years a genetic factors have also been identified that predispose towards developing melanoma, although the connection between ultraviolet radiation and the genetic factors has remained elusive. In this study we will investigate a cellular mechanism that potentially explains the link between sunlight exposure and one of the genetic risk fac ....The ultraviolet radiation component of the sunlight is a major environmental factor in the development of skin cancers, including melanomas. Over the past 10 years a genetic factors have also been identified that predispose towards developing melanoma, although the connection between ultraviolet radiation and the genetic factors has remained elusive. In this study we will investigate a cellular mechanism that potentially explains the link between sunlight exposure and one of the genetic risk factors. We will also examine whether targeting the pathway this genetic factor normally operates in can deliver increased therapeutic benefit to an existing chemotherapeutic treatment.Read moreRead less
The Mechanism By Which Apical-basal Polarity Complexes Regulate The Salvador-Warts-Hippo Pathway
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$540,099.00
Summary
Cancer is a multi-hit process involving the activation of critical signaling pathways leading to increased proliferation, survival and increased invasion-metastasis. We have discovered that a neoplastic tumour suppressor gene, lgl, acts though the Salvador-Warts-Hippo (SWH) tumour suppressor pathway to inhibit cell proliferation and cell survival. Here we use the model organism, Drosophila, and mammalian epithelial cells to determine the mechanism by which Lgl activates the SWH pathway.
UNDERSTANDING THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS CONTROLLING NUCLEOLAR SURVEILLANCE IN DISEASE
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$855,972.00
Summary
Alterations in the ability of cells to make ribosomes, the cellular factories that make protein, contribute to a range of diseases including cancer and a class of inherited disorders called ribosomopathies that are rare but largely untreatable. These changes cause disease by controlling the “nucleolar surveillance pathway” that causes cells to either stop dividing or die. Here we propose to identify new genes that regulate this pathway to identify new targets for treating these diseases.
Molecules and mechanisms regulating axonal degeneration and regeneration in Caenorhabditis elegans neurons. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying nerve degeneration and regeneration is essential to tackle and provide treatment for neurodegenerative diseases and injury of the nervous system. This project aims to discover, using a genetic approach and a simple animal model system, the molecules regulating these crucial biological processes.