We have discovered a single tumour factor which causes cancer cachexia, a wasting condition that is one of the worst complications of malignancy, for which there is no current effective treatment. We have developed antibodies which effectively block this condition in preclinical models and have produced human/humanised version of this. This application is to characterise these human antibodies to allow us proceed to clinical trials.
MicroRNA Dysregulation As A Mechanism Underlying Muscle Wasting
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$514,454.00
Summary
Frailty caused by muscle wasting shortens many peoples' lives and costs hundreds of billions of dollars in care and lost productivity annually. In the hope of finding ways to treat frailty, we will study whether naturally-occurring microRNA molecules are responsible for disrupting gene expression to cause muscle disease. We will identify which types of microRNA are altered in muscle diseases, and test whether adjusting microRNA levels with new approaches can prevent-treat muscle wasting.