Deciphering Signalling Pathways Regulating Iron Homeostasis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$407,402.00
Summary
Iron overload and anaemia are two of the most significant health problems affecting humans. Understanding how the body regulates iron levels is key to our understanding of these disorders and to the future development of new therapies. This research is aimed at understanding how a hormone produced in the liver called hepcidin that maintains iron balance is regulated. This research may lead to novel therapies aimed at correcting the iron balance in conditions of iron overload or anaemia.
The amyloid beta (Ab) protein is implicated in Alzheimer’s Disease through its ability to impair brain metabolism. We have recently found that Ab can also impair metabolism in other tissues. This project will determine the role of Ab in regulating whole body metabolism and determine whether it is implicated in the development of metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
Conologues: Ultra-fast-acting Therapeutic Insulins Based On Cone Snail Venom Insulin Principles
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,082,866.00
Summary
The increasing prevalence of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes demands better treatments. Our Project is based on a fascinating discovery by our international team of CIs of a new type of insulin within marine organisms that could form the basis of a novel diabetes therapeutic. Within our Project we will exploit this discovery to develop a new class of ultra-rapid-acting therapeutic insulins.
In 2011 there were over 360 million people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes worldwide, who will require insulin treatment. There is an urgent need for insulin analogues that provide effective control of blood glucose to avoid unwanted hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic events. We have developed two novel insulin analogues with unique properties and aim to understand their mechanism of action. This knowledge will present new opportunities for improved insulin mimetics for diabetes treatment.
Metabolic Wiring In Adipocytes - Unique Role In Maintaining Long-term Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,077,886.00
Summary
Fat cell metabolism is wired to optimize the cell’s ability to make and store lipid while programming the cell to fulfil its function in whole body metabolism. We will: 1) map fat cell metabolism under optimal and insulin resistant conditions; 2) explore the role of 3 nodes in his metabolic circuit predicted as control points; 3) use a novel genetically engineered mouse model to explore the functional significance of fat cell metabolism in whole body insulin sensitivity.
Dissecting The Role Of Selective Insulin Resistance In Type 2 Diabetes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$980,624.00
Summary
Insulin resistance is a clinical condition where insulin, secreted from the pancreas in response to meals, is unable to fulfill its normal function. It is intimately linked to obesity and associated diseases - type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. This proposal examines mechanisms contributing to insulin resistance and how insulin resistance leads to disease. We will identify drug targets with improved specificity and lead to novel insight into the risks of current treatments.
HFE-associated Steatohepatitis: Mechanisms And Therapies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$650,813.00
Summary
Iron and fat alter normal iron metabolism and cause more severe disease in combination. In this study we will study the relationship between liver disease caused by increased body iron and the consumption of excess fat and the causal mechanisms. We will then examine new therapies for the treatment of iron-associated fatty liver disease.
Targeting The Insulin And Insulin-like Growth Factor Receptors In Cancer, Diabetes And Alzheimer's Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$993,251.00
Summary
Diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's disease are three major diseases facing Australia. This Project will investigate a common point-of-focus of these diseases, namely the interaction of insulin and the insulin-like growth factors with their receptor molecules on the cell surface. It will use recent breakthrough findings by the Chief Investigators to develop new therapeutic approaches for these diseases that could function by targeting these interactions.
Can Vitamin D Prevent Diabetes By Improving Insulin Sensitivity And Secreation In Overweight Humans?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$715,371.00
Summary
Vitamin D is mainly produced by the action of sunlight on skin. Low levels of vitamin D are becoming more common, as we work more indoors and avoid the sun and have been associated with type 2 diabetes. In proposed study, healthy overweight people, with low vitamin D, will be given vitamin D for 16 weeks to optimise blood levels of this vitamin. We will examine the changes in sugar metabolism. This study should provide important evidence on how vitamin D protects against diabetes and will suppor ....Vitamin D is mainly produced by the action of sunlight on skin. Low levels of vitamin D are becoming more common, as we work more indoors and avoid the sun and have been associated with type 2 diabetes. In proposed study, healthy overweight people, with low vitamin D, will be given vitamin D for 16 weeks to optimise blood levels of this vitamin. We will examine the changes in sugar metabolism. This study should provide important evidence on how vitamin D protects against diabetes and will support novel approaches to diabetes prevention.Read moreRead less
HDL Elevation And Glucose Metabolism: A Mechanistic Proof-of-Concept Intervention Trial In Pre-Diabetes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$507,974.00
Summary
This clinical trial will investigate a new treatment strategy for type 2 diabetes. Building on our novel discovery that HDL (good cholesterol) lowers blood glucose, we will test whether HDL elevation over a month with a new drug (RVX-208) can improve glucose control in patients with pre-diabetes. If positive, these studies will support new therapeutic approaches to raise levels of circulating HDL for indications beyond vascular disease to manage type 2 diabetes.