Musculoskeletal Pain And Disability: Improving Outcomes Through Conservative Interventions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$8,549,204.00
Summary
Musculoskeletal conditions (particularly back pain and osteoarthritis) are highly prevalent and have a major impact on health and well being of Australians. This Program aims to resolve the major priorities in the field: optimal methods to target the right treatment to the right person at the right time through our unique strategy to understand mechanisms and identify patient subgroups, and establish optimal methods to overcome barriers to translation of research to policy and practice.
At least 6 young Australians are diagnosed each day with type 1 diabetes. This Program aims to change the way type 1 diabetes is managed by proactively treating its underlying mechanisms. We will develop safer and more effective immune therapies, develop islet transplantation, look for better markers of disease, and identify ways to preserve insulin-producing cells. The Program aims to propel type 1 diabetes research forward to reach the goals of prevention and cure.
Risk Factors, Early Diagnosis, And Effective Interventions For Neurocognitive Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$7,013,299.00
Summary
This program will focus on early detection of dementia, identification of novel risk factors, and development of new treatments, to help the burden of dementia in our community. It will build on three longitudinal studies – Memory and Ageing Study, Older Australian Twins Study and Sydney Centenarian Study, and three international consortia – COSMIC, STROKOG and ICC-Dementia, that the investigators have developed to achieve these aims. A prevention trial for post-stroke dementia is planned
Using Healthcare Wisely: Reducing Inappropriate Use Of Tests And Treatments
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$9,578,895.00
Summary
Overdiagnosis and overtreatment as unintended consequences of modern healthcare due to expanded disease definitions labelling people with mild problems or at low risk of illness, diagnostic tests identifying inconsequential abnormalities and screening programs detecting disease that won’t progress. The result is much harm and unsustainable overuse. We will research the prevalence, causes and consequences of overdiagnosis and overtreatment, evaluate solutions and widely disseminate findings.
Social media, weather forecasting and mineral exploration are driven by Big Data enabled by new technologies. Likewise, disease prevention, diagnosis and prediction is moving towards personalised and precision medicine, facilitated by novel genomics technologies. This Program of research will develop analysis methods and tools and apply them to clinical genomics data in neurological and psychiatric disorders, thereby paving the way for the translation of genomic tools to common diseases.
Frontotemporal Dementia And Motor Neurodegenerative Syndromes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$17,069,580.00
Summary
Frontotemporal degeneration of the brain is a leading cause of morbidity due to a pathologically heterogeneous, rapidly-progressive group of disorders with behavioural, language and motor deficits. Our internationally recognized team will continue to develop the necessary tools and therapies to effectively diagnose, manage and treat these disorders. Our focus in this program is to understand the unusual genetics underpinning these disorders, and to fast track any potential treatments.
Generating The Evidence To Control Cancer And Optimise Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$6,564,341.00
Summary
Our Program addresses the public health aspects of common cancers, particularly cancers of the skin and gynaecological tracts. Each year in Australia, nearly 400,000 people are treated for skin cancer, and more than 3,500 women develop ovarian or uterine cancer. Our aims are first, to understand how we might prevent these cancers in the future; second, to enhance diagnosis of these cancers; and third, to improve the survival and quality of life for people who are diagnosed with these cancers