Enhancing Erythropoietin Therapy In Ischaemia-reperfusion Injury Of Heart And Kidney
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$361,021.00
Summary
Heart attacks and kidney disease from a lack of blood flow are common causes of morbidity and have poor treatment options. Erythropoietin (epo) is a useful new treatment, but there remain some caveats to its use in humans: eg. it may cause excessive scarring during repair. Use of epo with an anti-inflammatory drug may decrease scarring and provide benefit to long-term health. We plan to carefully define the biomolecular pathways of injury and repair, to better plan this therapy for human use.
CKD-FIX: A Randomised, Controlled Trial Of Allopurinol In The Slowing Of Kidney Disease Progression
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,917,147.00
Summary
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health problem affecting over 1.5 million Australians and is associated with increased risk of death, heart disease and progression to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Current treatments to slow progression to ESKD are limited. The CKD-FIX trial aims to find out whether treatment with allopurinol, a commonly used drug for gout prevention, safely and effectively slows CKD progression. This could lead to significant health and economic benefits.
AusDiab 3: Emerging Risk Factors For And Long-term Incidence Of Cardio-metabolic Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,616,397.00
Summary
This study will track 11,000 Australian adults over 12 years to determine how many develop diabetes, obesity, kidney and heart disease. The study will develop ways to best predict those who are going to develop these conditions before they have arisen, and will explore a range of novel risk factors to better understand these conditions.
PrtFII, A Streptococcus Pyogenes Fibronectin Binding Protein, And Invasive Diseases.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$296,540.00
Summary
Our recent work revealed that, in the Aboriginal population, young age is a risk factor for severe invasive diseases caused by group A streptococcus. For group A streptococcus infection to occur, bacterial attachment is the first step. The bacterium attaches to host cells through interactions involving host fibronectin and the pathogen's fibronectin-binding proteins. We have found that streptococcal strains from severe disease cases are more likely to have the gene for PrtFII, a fibronectin bind ....Our recent work revealed that, in the Aboriginal population, young age is a risk factor for severe invasive diseases caused by group A streptococcus. For group A streptococcus infection to occur, bacterial attachment is the first step. The bacterium attaches to host cells through interactions involving host fibronectin and the pathogen's fibronectin-binding proteins. We have found that streptococcal strains from severe disease cases are more likely to have the gene for PrtFII, a fibronectin binding protein, than those from uncomplicated skin sores. In this application we propose to extend this observation and compare biochemical properties of PrtFII from strains belonging to the above two sets of collections. We hypothesise that PrtFII from invasive strains bind to fibronectin more tightly than the proteins from strains that cause uncomplicated infection. We also will test whether sera from invasive disease cases have lower titre of antibodies to the conserved region of PrtFII than sera from uncomplicated cases. A streptococcal vaccine by necessity has to be a multi-component vaccine to cover a wide spectrum of diseases and epidemiological differences. The study proposed here may provide a basis to argue whether or not to include PrtFII in such a multi-component vaccine.Read moreRead less
Rhinovirus impairs physiological and immunological lung development and causes exacerbation of allergic airways disease. Rhinovirus (RV) infections account for around 90 per cent of asthma exacerbations, yet the mechanisms behind this are unknown. This project will use mouse models to study the effects of early life RV infection and allergic sensitisation on respiratory and immunological development, with the expectation that early life RV infection disrupts anitgen presenting cell function.
Development and commercialization of novel diagnostic assays for the early detection of acute dengue virus infection. Dengue is an emerging disease of the tropics and is endemic in more than 100 countries with up to 100 million cases annually. Of these, 500,000 result in dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF), a serious life-threatening complication of dengue virus infection. Dengue activity in northern Australia has increased in recent years with suggestions that it may be coming endemic in this count ....Development and commercialization of novel diagnostic assays for the early detection of acute dengue virus infection. Dengue is an emerging disease of the tropics and is endemic in more than 100 countries with up to 100 million cases annually. Of these, 500,000 result in dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF), a serious life-threatening complication of dengue virus infection. Dengue activity in northern Australia has increased in recent years with suggestions that it may be coming endemic in this country. Early diagnosis, using NS1 based assays should facilitate containment of such outbreaks through earlier identification, treatment, isolation and strategic mosquito control.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0453920
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$108,680.00
Summary
Molecular diagnostics based on real-time polymerase chain reactions for emerging tropical infectious diseases aimed at protecting Australia from invasive diseases. The project aims to use the technique of real-time polymerase chain reaction to rapidly detect and quantify the organisms associated with emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases of man and animals. It will also be used to determine related gene expression.
The equipment will be used to support a wide range of projects that req ....Molecular diagnostics based on real-time polymerase chain reactions for emerging tropical infectious diseases aimed at protecting Australia from invasive diseases. The project aims to use the technique of real-time polymerase chain reaction to rapidly detect and quantify the organisms associated with emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases of man and animals. It will also be used to determine related gene expression.
The equipment will be used to support a wide range of projects that require the detection of specific RNA or DNA and it will allow the rapid, cost effective and efficient processing of either RNA or DNA from large numbers of samples. Minor variations in organisms will be detected using this equipment.
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Stress-sensing and cytoprotection in ageing and disease. This project aims to unravel the mechanisms responsible for age- and disease-related responses to heart attacks and the efficacy of therapeutic approaches, while deepening our understanding of a novel, potent protective modality effective in aged hearts. This program will provide valuable basic knowledge, leading to more efficacious therapies.
Detection and viability of waterborne pathogens using a gut-on-chip. This project aims to resolve a significant problem for water utilities. Microbial pathogens Cryptosporidium, norovirus and adenovirus are the main public health concern for drinking water in developed nations. Water monitoring is limited by the lack of fast, reliable detection methods and viability assays for these pathogens. This project will use a novel gut-on-a-chip to develop for the first time rapid infectivity assays for ....Detection and viability of waterborne pathogens using a gut-on-chip. This project aims to resolve a significant problem for water utilities. Microbial pathogens Cryptosporidium, norovirus and adenovirus are the main public health concern for drinking water in developed nations. Water monitoring is limited by the lack of fast, reliable detection methods and viability assays for these pathogens. This project will use a novel gut-on-a-chip to develop for the first time rapid infectivity assays for Cryptosporidium, norovirus and adenovirus. Significant benefits include improved diagnostics and water disinfection assays, improved water treatment and reduced costs with global impact.Read moreRead less