Development Of A Novel Bioengineered Tissue Construct For Repairing The Eye.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$335,817.00
Summary
Corneal diseases are often treated using donor tissue transplants. Nevertheless, donor tissue is unsuitable for treating the peripheral or limbal margin of the cornea. We have therefore developed a way to transplant sheets of limbal tissue (epithelium) grown in the laboratory from a patient's own cells, but this tissue lacks a foundation of connective tissue that we believe is essential for sustained healing. Thus, our aim is to develop a novel limbal transplant which contains both layers.
Strabismus is the pathological misalignment of the eyes associated with loss of binocular vision and is one of the most common human ophthalmological disorders. Patients with comitant strabismus have full eye movements, whereas patients with incomitant strabismus have limited eye movements, which causes the angle of strabismus to vary with gaze direction. This project aims to define genetic contributors to comitant congenital strabismus.
Translating Genetic Determinants Of Glaucoma Into Better Diagnosis And Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$9,466,000.00
Summary
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. By 2020, it will affect 80 million people, and in Australia over the next decade, the overall cost of glaucoma will reach $4.3 billion per annum. This Program will use genetic advances to personalise treatment. Blindness will be prevented in individuals at highest risk, new ways to treat patients will be developed, and better outcomes for patients will result from less treatment and monitoring of low risk cases.
Most eye diseases have a genetic contribution, whether rare disorders affecting children such as retinoblastoma or congenital cataracts through to common disorders of older people such as myopia, age-related macular degeneration or glaucoma. We will continue our successful research to find genes that cause these diseases and use this to improve patient care and prevent blindness. We will work out how families can use this genetic information to participate in trials to develop new treatments.
Young Adult Myopia: Genetic And Environmental Associations
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$809,271.00
Summary
Myopia affects 80% of school leavers in the cities of East Asia, 45% of Asian Australian school leavers and is probably on the rise in European Australian adolescents. Increased levels of education and lack of time outdoors are known to increase the risk of myopia. We will examine 2,000 young adults to find the genes that interact with these risk factors. In addition to confirming when these risk factors are most important, identifying molecular pathways opens the avenue of new treatments.
Individualising Care For Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C: Predicting Side Effects And Treatment Response Using Genomic And Proteomic Approaches.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$55,575.00
Summary
Patients undergoing treatment for hepatitis C must endure a treatment characterized by unpredictable treatment side effects and uncertainty about the likelihood of cure. This project will investigate genetic predictors of treatment related side-effects and protein markers to predict treatment response. Better definition of the risks and benefits of therapy, may facilitate patients and clinicians to make more informed decisions about treatment, thus individualising treatment and potentially impro ....Patients undergoing treatment for hepatitis C must endure a treatment characterized by unpredictable treatment side effects and uncertainty about the likelihood of cure. This project will investigate genetic predictors of treatment related side-effects and protein markers to predict treatment response. Better definition of the risks and benefits of therapy, may facilitate patients and clinicians to make more informed decisions about treatment, thus individualising treatment and potentially improving the safety and efficacy of therapy.Read moreRead less
International franchising success factors: A guide for Australian franchise systems. Australia is considered the most 'franchised' nation in the world. With 850 franchisors, it has over three times the number of systems per capita than the United States. However, Australian franchises are small due to the country's limited population, with 60% of systems holding fewer than 30 units. One third of Australian franchisors now operates internationally, however little is known about how they plan an ....International franchising success factors: A guide for Australian franchise systems. Australia is considered the most 'franchised' nation in the world. With 850 franchisors, it has over three times the number of systems per capita than the United States. However, Australian franchises are small due to the country's limited population, with 60% of systems holding fewer than 30 units. One third of Australian franchisors now operates internationally, however little is known about how they plan and implement their expansion strategies. It appears that franchisors are reacting to approaches made by overseas investors rather than proactively developing international expansion strategies. This research will examine the practices of successful exporters to develop a model of best practice for future activity in the sector.Read moreRead less
An integrated mathematical approach to synchronise and optimise hospital operations. This project aims to develop an integrated mathematical approach to synchronise and optimise patient scheduling systems of different departments to ensure that the hospital’s assets and related resources are used efficiently. The project’s aim is to investigate patient flow, process delay, and the interaction and inter-dependence of departments within the hospital to reduce access block (bottleneck) and subseque ....An integrated mathematical approach to synchronise and optimise hospital operations. This project aims to develop an integrated mathematical approach to synchronise and optimise patient scheduling systems of different departments to ensure that the hospital’s assets and related resources are used efficiently. The project’s aim is to investigate patient flow, process delay, and the interaction and inter-dependence of departments within the hospital to reduce access block (bottleneck) and subsequent overcrowding. This project aims to smooth the running of the hospital, improve the efficiency of patient throughput, reduce waiting times, and revolutionise hospital planning and scheduling.Read moreRead less