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.
Translation Of Glaucoma Blindness Genes To Improve Clinical Practice
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$856,795.00
Summary
Glaucoma is a common cause of irreversible blindness. It is currently difficult to predict which patients with the earliest signs of glaucoma will develop blinding stages of the disease. This study will investigate how genes and eye measurements can be used to predict the risk of developing severe glaucoma in people with early signs of disease. This will ensure that high risk individuals can access treatment early, while those at low risk can be spared unnecessary treatment and seen less often.
Why Is The Bone Marrow A “hot-spot” For Myeloma Plasma Cell Metastasis: Are There Gremlins In The System?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$651,979.00
Summary
Most cancer patients die because their cancer spreads from a primary site to other tissues in the body. Once escaping the primary site, 70% of all tumours will spread to bone. This raises the question, why is bone a preferred destination for cancer cells? We provide evidence that Gremlin1, made by non-cancer cells within bone, is a key protein that supports cancer growth. This study will examine whether inhibiting Gremlin1 is a potential therapy to inhibit cancer spreading to bone.
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.
Tracking Epidermal Clonal Evolution During Skin Cancer Induction And Progression
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$558,168.00
Summary
Skin cancer is the most frequent form of cancer in Australia and in many parts of the world. It is strongly connected to ultraviolet radiation from the sun. In this project, we will use our capacity to track individual cells, to observe the heterogeneity of tumours and the lesions that precede them. We will show the importance of this heterogeneity in tumour progression unveiling the limits of current therapies against skin cancer.
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.