The Role Of Neuronal Nicotinic Receptor Subunits In The Self-Administration And Relapse To Alcohol Seeking:Treatments For Alcohol Dependence
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$531,787.00
Summary
The World Health Organization reports that alcohol causes almost two million deaths every year and results in physical disability or shortened life span for at least 58 million others. Despite the fact that addiction represents more than 40% of brain-related illnesses, there is a dearth of innovative treatments. The overall goal of my research is to develop more effective medications for the treatment of alcohol use disorder by targeting the neuronal nicotinic receptor subtypes that have been sp ....The World Health Organization reports that alcohol causes almost two million deaths every year and results in physical disability or shortened life span for at least 58 million others. Despite the fact that addiction represents more than 40% of brain-related illnesses, there is a dearth of innovative treatments. The overall goal of my research is to develop more effective medications for the treatment of alcohol use disorder by targeting the neuronal nicotinic receptor subtypes that have been specifically altered by heavy alcohol intake.Read moreRead less
Adult Stem Cell Transplantation Therapy In Parkinsonian Rat
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$526,517.00
Summary
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterised by slowness of movement, muscle rigidity and tremor. It affects about 1% of the population at age 50 and 10% over age 80. Symptoms are caused by low levels of dopamine, a chemical in the brain that helps control movement. The symptoms increase in severity with time, leading to increasing difficulty in walking, speaking, writing, swallowing and sleeping and increasing the incidence of broken bones from falls. Parkinson' ....Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterised by slowness of movement, muscle rigidity and tremor. It affects about 1% of the population at age 50 and 10% over age 80. Symptoms are caused by low levels of dopamine, a chemical in the brain that helps control movement. The symptoms increase in severity with time, leading to increasing difficulty in walking, speaking, writing, swallowing and sleeping and increasing the incidence of broken bones from falls. Parkinson's disease is incurable but the symptoms can be controlled with medications that replace the lost dopamine. Medications become less effective as the disease progresses and there is need for new therapies. Worldwide the hunt is on to discover new cell transplantation therapies to replace the dopamine in the brain and to prevent degeneration of the still surviving dopamine cells. Although embryonic stem cells might be useful for such therapies, they raise the risk of tumour formation from the transplanted cells. This aim of this proposal is to test, in parkinsonian rat, a therapy in which adult stem cells from the patient are transplanted into their own brain to provide a new source of dopamine. We have discovered a new and unique source of adult stem cells, the sense organ of smell in the nose. Small samples can be taken through the nose and we can grow these adult stem cells from people of all ages, including people with Parkinson's disease. As adult stem cells they avoid the ethical issues associated with embryonic stem cell transplantation and as cells from the same patient, they are not rejected by the immune system. This is being tested in principle by a world-first clinical trial in which we are taking another cell type from the nose, growing it in the lab, and transplanting into the injured spinal cord in a search for a cure for paraplegia. This project takes the first steps to developing a new treatment for Parkinson's disease using a patient's own adult stem cells.Read moreRead less
Intervention Strategies For The Prevention Of Early Childhood Caries
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$125,000.00
Summary
Rampant dental decay in young children remains an important challenge for preventive dentistry. Although it is a preventable disease, the prevalence is high in many disadvantaged communities. The study will examine a few intervention programs to determine their effectiveness in preventing early childhood decay. These include brushing the teeth with a safe, dental antibacterial gel compared to traditional oral hygiene methods. Brushing with antibacterial gels at crucial times during the establish ....Rampant dental decay in young children remains an important challenge for preventive dentistry. Although it is a preventable disease, the prevalence is high in many disadvantaged communities. The study will examine a few intervention programs to determine their effectiveness in preventing early childhood decay. These include brushing the teeth with a safe, dental antibacterial gel compared to traditional oral hygiene methods. Brushing with antibacterial gels at crucial times during the establishment of the oral flora is likely to prevent decay-causing bacteria from colonising a child’s mouth, so that the risk of dental decay is reduced, not only during childhood, but possibly extending to adulthood as well.Read moreRead less
The Effects Of The Western Diet On Cognition In Rats
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$689,326.00
Summary
An unhealthy diet can affect how we think. This project will identify mechanisms by which a western diet impairs cognition, and test ways of intervening to reduce the impact of diet on the brain. We will examine changes in inflammation, and markers of nerve growth in a critical brain region, the hippocampus, in response to different periods of diet. We will also test if the diet and our interventions affect the gut biota.
The Effectiveness Of Consuming Fluoridated Water In Reducing Children's Caries Experience.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$507,090.00
Summary
The extent to which water fluoridation has contributed to the considerable reduction of dental decay in children in recent times in Australia is unclear, due perhaps to the increasing availability of fluoride in other sources such as toothpaste, drops, tablets, and professional applications. It is proposed to monitor for approximately three years a sample of 23,140 primary and secondary school children to examine the precise contribution of consuming fluoridated water to new tooth decay. The pro ....The extent to which water fluoridation has contributed to the considerable reduction of dental decay in children in recent times in Australia is unclear, due perhaps to the increasing availability of fluoride in other sources such as toothpaste, drops, tablets, and professional applications. It is proposed to monitor for approximately three years a sample of 23,140 primary and secondary school children to examine the precise contribution of consuming fluoridated water to new tooth decay. The project also aims to examine the comparative role of diet, toothbrushing, socioeconomic status, and other factors in the development of tooth decay. Given the widespread fluoridation of water supplies in Australia, and the continuing public debate over the extent of its effectiveness in preventing tooth decay, one of the project's most significant features is its capacity to contribute to a calculation of the cost effectiveness of water fluoridation as a public health strategy for the reduction of decay experience in children. The findings of the project will provide a strong argument for either eliminating fluoride from the water supply due to it's negligable public benefit or extending water fluoridation to the remaining quarter of the Australian population who are currently being disadvantaged by not having access to the health benefits derived from consuming fluoridated water.Read moreRead less
Development Of Antimicrobial Peptides Targeting Oral Pathogenic Bacteria
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$663,350.00
Summary
The bacterial associated oral diseases; periodontitis and caries are major public health problems. The prevalence of these diseases and increasing bacterial antibiotic resistance has meant there is a need to develop new therapies. This project addresses this by modifying a novel class of antibiotics/antiseptics �antimicrobial peptides� to target oral bacteria and testing them using a newly developed screening method. This project will lead to new therapies for periodontitis and caries.