Targeting The NLRP3 Inflammasome And Interleukin-18 In Hypertensive Heart Failure
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,241,115.00
Summary
Heart failure is a common complication of hypertension and a major cause of death and disability worldwide. This project will characterise a newly identified inflammatory pathway that we believe to be a major cause of the enlargement and scarring of the heart that accompanies hypertension. We will also trial drugs that block this inflammatory pathway to determine their suitability as future therapies for this devastating disease.
Influenza A Viral Infection And Pregnancy Complications
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,346,858.00
Summary
Pregnant women who contract influenza are 5 times more likely to be hospitalised than the general population. Babies of mothers with influenza are also associated with increased perinatal mortality rates. We hypothesise that influenza infection in pregnancy significantly impairs the maternal vascular system resulting in maternal and foetal morbidity. Outcomes from this research may change current treatment modalities to improve maternal and foetal outcomes complicated by influenza infection.
The Cellular Basis Of Synaptic Integration And Modulation In Human Pyramidal Neurons
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$917,355.00
Summary
Little is known about how human neurons integrate information, and how this process is altered during neuromodulation and disease. This project will address this fundamental gap in knowledge and will for the first time directly examine the neuromodulation of human neurons, and how this important process is altered in brain cancer. Our team of researchers and surgeons in Melbourne and Berlin will be able to provide valuable, and otherwise unattainable, information about the human brain.
Preventing The Transition From Acute To Chronic Pain. The Role Of Neural And Non-neural Factors.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,998,900.00
Summary
Pain following injury usually dissipates as the injury heals, however in some individuals it persists and lasts for years. Chronic pain is extremely difficult to treat, particularly that which originates from a damaged nerve. One of the roadblocks in developing effective treatments is our limited understanding of the pathophysiology. The overall aim of this proposal is to address this gap and determine the processes that occur in the brain that results in acute pain transitioning to chronic.
Determining The Molecular Basis Of Therapy Resistance Conferred By Genetic Lesions In The Tumour Protein TP53 In Haematological Malignancies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$885,183.00
Summary
Blood cancers that have genetic lesions in a tumour suppressor protein called TP53 respond poorly to therapy. Curing these patients is extremely challenging and new therapeutic strategies are desperately needed. Here, we aim to uncover the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance caused by loss of TP53 function and rationally design new therapies that may be curative. To do this, our team of leading scientists and clinicians will study patient samples and pre-clinical models of blood cancer.