This study is testing two drugs in people having heart surgery, to see whether either can reduce serious complications such as heart attack, stroke or death. Aspirin thins the blood and can reduce these risks but it increases bleeding during surgery. Another drug can reduce bleeding, but it may counteract the benefits of aspirin. The study is being done at more than 20 hospitals in Australia and around the world.
Unraveling Mechanisms Of Liver Transplant Tolerance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$694,822.00
Summary
Liver transplants are unique amongst solid organs as they are spontaneously accepted across different individuals and induce acceptance of other organs from the same donor co-transplanted at the same time. Using a new mouse liver transplantation model, this proposal will elucidate how the liver tissue performs this function and identify new markers associated with tolerance in the blood of mice. This knowledge will be used to identify liver transplant patients with reduced rejection risk.
Safety And Efficacy Of A Surgically Implanted Suprachoroidal Retinal Prosthesis (Bionic Eye)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,233,826.00
Summary
A bionic eye is a electronic device which can stimulate the remaining visual pathway in a person who is blind, to restore some basic vision. Our team have previously shown that our novel bionic eye device can be safely implanted in a patient, and can give improvements in vision when tested in a laboratory environment. The next stage of the research is to provide patients with a more advanced device, which will contain more electrodes and also be able to be taken home.
Human RIPC-derived Regulatory Molecules For Cardioprotection Against Ischemic And Cardiopulmonary Bypass Injury
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$642,083.00
Summary
Our previous work indicates that evoked human blood borne factors confer protection against injury, due to loss of blood flow in heart muscle, when a brief stress is remotely applied to a limb (remote ischemic preconditioning). We have identified these proteins that appear to activate genetic and metabolic regulation of adaptive cell survival processes. We will now test their individual and combined capacity, efficiency and mechanisms of protection in the heart using cell and clinical models.
Upscaling Cardiac Tissue Engineering: Differentiation Of IPS Cells, Enrichment And Bionic Approaches
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$709,758.00
Summary
Stem cell therapies to repair heart muscle are experimental methods which promise future clinical treatments. Our tissue engineering chamber model provides a protective environment for implanted cells and generates contracting heart tissue. Towards clinical application we will scale up the tissue volume produced by: improving cell supply with new stem cell technologies, design chambers for bulk cell implantation, adopt a bionic approach to cell pacing and apply the model into larger animals.
Novel Surgery-chemotherapy-immunotherapy Approaches For Lung Malignancies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$662,819.00
Summary
Many patients undergo cancer surgery every year yet still die of cancer over the next few years because the surgeon couldnt remove all of the cancer cells, many of which were undetectable at the time of surgery. This grant will develop ways of combining chemotherapy drugs with immune therapy to 'mop up' hidden residual cancer cells after operations - the immune system, when stimulated appropriately, should be able to 'seek and destroy' those hidden deposits and thus cure these cancers.
The Cause Of Undescended Testis And Inguinal Hernia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$743,848.00
Summary
This study aims to define in both animal models and children how the testis descends from the abdomen to scrotum, and how undescended testis and inguinal hernia are likely to be caused by defects in the same, very indirect signalling pathway. The results will demonstrate where to look for genetic causes and proof of principle for possible future medical treatments for the 3 commonest major operations in children for congenital and acquired undescended testis and inguinal hernia.
SUcceSS: SUrgery For Spinal Stenosis - A Randomised Placebo-controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,303,245.00
Summary
This will be the first placebo-controlled randomised trial of surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis and aims to determine the efficacy and safety of this intervention in decreasing pain and improving disability in this population. The cost-effectiveness of surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis will also be determined.
IV Iron For Treatment Of Anaemia Before Cardiac Surgery (ITACS Trial)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,285,290.00
Summary
Our aim is to evaluate intravenous iron to treat anaemia in 1000 patients waiting for their cardiac surgery. This could reduce the risks of the operation and enable patients to recover faster and can go home earlier.
A La CaRT: Australasian Phase III Randomised Trial Comparing Laparoscopic-assisted Versus Open Resection For Rectal Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$974,440.00
Summary
The current major treatment for rectal cancer is surgical removal of the cancer. This type of surgery requires a large cut through the abdomen for removal of the cancer. There is a newer, less invasive procedure known as laparoscopic resection enabling the same surgery by using a scope inserted in the abdomen along with a smaller incision to allow removal of the tumour. This study is being conducted to determine whether the newer procedure is as safe and effective as the current procedure.