The Role Of Reduced Lung Volume In The Pathogenesis Of Asthma.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$275,095.00
Summary
Asthma is a disease for which the cause is not understood. This project is designed to examine the possibilty that breathing at low volumes causes an abnormality in the smooth muscle of the airways that predisposes them to the airway hyperresponsiveness of asthma.
Hormonal Modulation Of Prostatic Growth And Contractility
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$324,237.00
Summary
With increasing age human males are likely to develop benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a disorder characterized by urethral obstruction due to an increase in size of the prostate gland. Drug treatments of this condition are not entirely satisfactory and the current project is to examine the mechanisms by which the prostate grows and occludes the urethra. We will use human prostate cells grown in artificial conditions to determine which hormones alter the types of cells and especially examine ....With increasing age human males are likely to develop benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a disorder characterized by urethral obstruction due to an increase in size of the prostate gland. Drug treatments of this condition are not entirely satisfactory and the current project is to examine the mechanisms by which the prostate grows and occludes the urethra. We will use human prostate cells grown in artificial conditions to determine which hormones alter the types of cells and especially examine those cells which can contract as these may be of critical importance in the urethral obstruction. We hypothesize that an enzyme called protein kinase C may be implicitly involved in both cell growth and contractile function and we will examine the role of protein kinase C with a view ultimately to develop drugs which may interfere with this process and therefore aid in non-surgical treatment of the condition.Read moreRead less
The Plasmalemmal Calcium Pump And Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$179,593.00
Summary
Excessive growth of smooth muscle cells can lead to adverse effects in our arteries. The level of calcium inside the muscle cells that line our arteries appears to regulate their growth. In these studies we will assess the changes in the synthesis (expression) of a pump which removes calcium from cells. We will also characterise the effects of modifiers of cell growth on the expression of the calcium pump. The effect of directly inhibiting the production of the calcium pump, on the growth of smo ....Excessive growth of smooth muscle cells can lead to adverse effects in our arteries. The level of calcium inside the muscle cells that line our arteries appears to regulate their growth. In these studies we will assess the changes in the synthesis (expression) of a pump which removes calcium from cells. We will also characterise the effects of modifiers of cell growth on the expression of the calcium pump. The effect of directly inhibiting the production of the calcium pump, on the growth of smooth muscle cells and the regulation of calcium will be determined for the first time.Read moreRead less