Low-intensity Exercise With Blood Flow Restriction: A Novel Training Strategy To Improve Fitness And Function In Older People
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$645,205.00
Summary
Age-related declines in muscle mass and cardiovascular fitness have debilitating effects on tasks of daily living for older people. Exercise helps to maintain physical abilities, but many older individuals cannot tolerate the recommended high-intensities of training. This research program will assess an innovative form of exercise to increase muscular and cardiovascular fitness for older people, combining low-intensity walking with wearing inflatable cuffs on the limbs to restrict blood flow.
Improving Outcome For People With Heart Diseases Using Digital Health Technologies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$606,009.00
Summary
Digital technologies such as smart phones, wearable devices, sensors and artificial intelligence have shown promise to improve human health. However, evidence that these technologies can improve health outcomes in people with heart disease is lacking. My program of research in digital health will address this need and develop new model-of-care for people with heart disease to better monitor their health, take action before their health deteriorates and provide much needed support at home.
Novel Nanotechnology Strategies For Drug Co-delivery And Combined Therapies In The Brain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,512,250.00
Summary
Key challenges for treating brain diseases include effective delivery of drugs into the brain and targeted delivery to pathogenic areas. I have developed two world-first drug delivery systems that address these challenges. This project will expand their loading and brain delivery capability to deliver a broad range of novel multiple therapeutics to target sites in the brain. Human brain disease models will be used for systematic preclinical evaluation of novel delivery systems and therapeutics.
A Long-Lasting Oral Drug Delivery System Using Spiky Silica Nanoparticles
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$645,205.00
Summary
This project aims to develop a novel silica nanoparticle-based delivery system for long-lasting oral drug delivery. The particles will be engineered with a spiky morphology that will increase adhesion to the gastrointestinal tract enabling sustained drug release for days or even weeks. Longer lasting oral drug formulations would make it much easier for patients to adhere to the treatment schedules required in chronic diseases like HIV and increase the effectiveness of therapy.
Tipping The Balance - Improving Response Rates To Cancer Immunotherapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,562,250.00
Summary
Survival rates for some types of cancer remain low. It was previously thought that chemotherapy could not be combined with drugs that affect the immune system (immunotherapy) to treat cancer. My research disproved this. I develop models to study cancer in the lab. I also research ways to measure how people’s bodies respond to chemotherapy and immunotherapy (biomarkers). I use this information to discover new drug combinations to reduce deaths from cancer.
Investigating Post-transcriptional Gene Regulation In Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$645,205.00
Summary
In this program, I will enhance our understanding of cancer gene regulation and provide novel avenues for the treatment of aggressive tumours. Using own data and that from collaborators, I will determine patterns of gene regulation in blood cancers and identify markers that predict disease outcome. I aim to understand how gene regulation can transform healthy cells into tumour cells and whether personalised treatment can kill tumour cells more effectively and prevent relapse and metastasis.