Roles Of Enzymes Of The Dipeptidyl Peptidase Gene Family In Human Liver
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$79,750.00
Summary
Chronic liver diseases, particularly those caused by autoimmune disease, alcohol and Hepatitis B and C virus infection, are major causes of morbidity and mortality in our community. They are characterised by progressive scarring of the liver which finally leads to liver failure and the need in many cases for organ transplantation. Each year 15,000 Australians become infected, probably for life, with hepatitis C virus. Unless more effective treatments are developed approximately 20% of these infe ....Chronic liver diseases, particularly those caused by autoimmune disease, alcohol and Hepatitis B and C virus infection, are major causes of morbidity and mortality in our community. They are characterised by progressive scarring of the liver which finally leads to liver failure and the need in many cases for organ transplantation. Each year 15,000 Australians become infected, probably for life, with hepatitis C virus. Unless more effective treatments are developed approximately 20% of these infections will progress to liver failure or liver cancer within 30 years. Diabetes afflicts 150 million people, and 90% have Type 2 diabetes. We request funding of our research on a family of enzymes highly prospective as targets for novel therapies for these diseases. We are internationally recognised experts on this enzyme family and on liver disease. The prototype member of this enzyme family, dipeptidyl peptidase (DP) IV, is being targeted by novel drugs that are in phase III clinical trials for Type 2 diabetes. Family member fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is targeted by novel anti-cancer drugs We were first to clone and lodge patent applications for two new enzymes of this family, DP8 and DP9. Our research proposal would lead to determination of whether FAP, DP8 and-or DP9 are valuable targets for novel liver disease therapeutics and facilitate generating the development of such therapeutics by a more thorough understanding of the activities and roles of these enzymes Completion of this project will greatly increase our understanding of these enzymes and their roles in chronic liver injury. This work can potentially lead to the development of specific inhibitors of enzyme function designed to relieve liver damage.Read moreRead less
Informing The Development Of A Model Of Care For Patients With End Stage COPD: What Are Their Needs And And They Being Met
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$49,425.00
Summary
Currently there is no specific model of care for people with end stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), despite growing evidence of the specific symptoms and issues of this patient group. Interviews with end stage COPD patients and their carers will be undertaken to explore the services currently being accessed, and how well patients’ needs are being met by these services. This project will conduct an audit of available services in South Australia and then examine how hospital, spec ....Currently there is no specific model of care for people with end stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), despite growing evidence of the specific symptoms and issues of this patient group. Interviews with end stage COPD patients and their carers will be undertaken to explore the services currently being accessed, and how well patients’ needs are being met by these services. This project will conduct an audit of available services in South Australia and then examine how hospital, specialist palliative care units and primary care services (including general practice) can interface to meet these identified patient and carer needs. The results from this study will be used to inform development of a distinct model (or models) of care that addresses the needs of patients with end stage COPD.Read moreRead less
Supporting The Pathways To Palliative Care For People Diagnosed With Chronic Kidney Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$43,575.00
Summary
Palliative care is highly relevant to the care of people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). As the person’s kidneys fail, dialysis or transplant will be required to prolong life. Palliative care is another option should patients choose not to have treatment. The health care team plays an important role in offering and supporting this choice but the planned patient care pathway often does not include palliative care as an option until the patient’s prognosis is very poor. Health professionals’ ow ....Palliative care is highly relevant to the care of people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). As the person’s kidneys fail, dialysis or transplant will be required to prolong life. Palliative care is another option should patients choose not to have treatment. The health care team plays an important role in offering and supporting this choice but the planned patient care pathway often does not include palliative care as an option until the patient’s prognosis is very poor. Health professionals’ own beliefs, values and knowledge about palliative care, death and dying, impact upon their decision to offer and support a palliative care option. This research which will be conducted in Northern Tasmania and will explore how palliative care is currently integrated into the care of patients with CKD and the perceptions that health professionals have about palliative care that may influence their decision making. From this information the research team and participating staff will develop the foundational protocols, resources and education and support program needed to introduce a multidisciplinary care pathway that integrates palliative care for all CKD patients.Read moreRead less
A link between periodontal disease, inflammation of the gums, and cardiovascular disease has been suggested in recent studies, however the evidence remains uncertain. Supporting the link are data that inflammation predisposes to atherosclerosis and heart attacks. Patients in the PERICAR study will have blood tests before and after periodontal treatment so that researchers can study whether treatment reduces factors in the blood that have previously been shown to indicate the risk of cardiovascul ....A link between periodontal disease, inflammation of the gums, and cardiovascular disease has been suggested in recent studies, however the evidence remains uncertain. Supporting the link are data that inflammation predisposes to atherosclerosis and heart attacks. Patients in the PERICAR study will have blood tests before and after periodontal treatment so that researchers can study whether treatment reduces factors in the blood that have previously been shown to indicate the risk of cardiovascular disease. This study will provide further clues to this potentially very important and treatable relationship.Read moreRead less
A Type II Diabetes Adn Obesity Prevention Program For Primary School Aged Rural Indigenous Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,497,369.00
Summary
This project aims to develop and evaluate the impact of an innovative multi-component community and school-based program for type II diabetes and obesity prevention program for Indigenous and non-Indigenous rural children.
An Evaluation Of The Validity Of Measureing Salivary Oxycodone Concentrations For Pharmacokinetic Studies In Patients
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$49,135.00
Summary
In many countries, oxycodone is replacing morphine as the opioid of first choice for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. Despite this, very little is known about how the drug is processed in the body or how its ability to control pain is affected by such factors as other drugs, age or organ function. Studies to determine this usually require multiple blood tests from individual patients over set time periods. Our team is able to measure drug levels in saliva and has shown this to be a vali ....In many countries, oxycodone is replacing morphine as the opioid of first choice for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. Despite this, very little is known about how the drug is processed in the body or how its ability to control pain is affected by such factors as other drugs, age or organ function. Studies to determine this usually require multiple blood tests from individual patients over set time periods. Our team is able to measure drug levels in saliva and has shown this to be a valid substitute for the measurement of drug levels in blood. Furthermore, one of us has developed a computer modelling system that shows how drugs are handled in the body using only a few samples from each patient. Palliative care patients are generally frail and unwell. We are reluctant to expose them to invasive tests such as repeated blood sampling. If we can prove that saliva sampling is as good as blood sampling, we will have identified a simple non-invasive means of greatly increasing our knowledge of oxycodone and how it behaves in individual patients. This in turn may allow us to tailor drug doses according to the unique characteristics of each patient and to optimise their pain control.Read moreRead less
CAM Use Among Mid-age Women: A National Mixed-methods Study Across The Urban-rural Divide
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$452,251.00
Summary
The aim of this project is to understand and explain why higher proportions of mid-age women in regional areas use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) than those in urban areas of Australia. Such work will provide an evidence-base for policy and practice on this topic and the project findings will help develop CAM initiatives and programs for women’s health that are sensitive to geographical variations in community health, health practice and provision. Women are significantly more like ....The aim of this project is to understand and explain why higher proportions of mid-age women in regional areas use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) than those in urban areas of Australia. Such work will provide an evidence-base for policy and practice on this topic and the project findings will help develop CAM initiatives and programs for women’s health that are sensitive to geographical variations in community health, health practice and provision. Women are significantly more likely to utilise CAM treatments than males and mid-age women have been found to be the highest CAM user group amongst Australian women. Researchers and practitioners have identified treatments from within CAM as potentially well-suited to dealing with a range of health problems and associated symptoms prevalent amongst mid-age women including the onset of cancer, arthritis, diabetes and asthma as well as menopause. Our previous pilot work found that mid-age women in regional areas are significantly more likely to use CAM than those in urban areas. A number of explanations as to why this is so can be or have been proposed. These include: limited access to conventional health care services in regional areas; closer working ties between non-urban general practitioners and CAM provision; dissatisfaction with conventional health care services in regional areas and stronger informal community networks in nonurban areas. Our proposed project, drawing upon a national representative sample of mid-age women will test such hypotheses and will provide findings of benefit and interest to policy makers, practitioners, consumers and all involved in women’s health and health care across urban and regional Australia.Read moreRead less