Haematopoietic Stem Cells From Human Pluripotent Stem Cells: The Future Of Bone Marrow Transplantation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$763,845.00
Summary
Blood stem cell transplantation is a vital therapy for patients with leukaemia following chemotherapy or for patients with bone marrow failure. Because many patients lack a donor, there is a need for an alternate source of stem cells. My laboratory will make blood stem cells from human pluripotent stem cells that will treat patients needing a transplant and will be a useful research tool to help us to understand what goes wrong in the blood system in a range of illnesses.
Regenerating The Kidney Using An Understanding Of Normal Development
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$951,005.00
Summary
In Australia, chronic kidney disease costs >$1 billion per annum, however treatment options for kidney failure have not changed for >50 years. Dialysis reduces quality of life and lifespan while only 1 in 4 patients receives a transplant. Using our understanding of normal kidney formation, this study will generate kidney tissue from human stem cells to better understand inherited kidney diseases and develop novel regenerative therapies for the treatment of end stage kidney disease.
Niche Regulation Of Normal And Malignant Stem Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$622,655.00
Summary
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) reside in the bone marrow (BM) and make all the cells of the blood system. We study molecules in the BM regulating normal HSC to helping them survive chemotherapy. This means cancer patients should suffer less side-effects from their therapy. Some of these molecule also help leukaemia stem cells (LSC) resist chemotherapy. Inhibitors may a) reduce patient mortality caused by chemotherapy and b) sensitise LSC to chemotherapy enabling long-term cure.
The research focuses on how gene function is networked and the ways that cells talk to each other to coordinate their activity in the formation of organs and body parts. Knowledge gleaned from these investigations will enhance our understanding of the genetic control underpinning normal development and the errors that lead to birth defects. The elucidation of the process that turns naive cells into the right cell type is essential for the use of stem cells for cell therapy and tissue repair.
Curing Blood Cancers: Rapid Translation From Target To Drug To Clinic
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$640,210.00
Summary
Cure rates for many blood cancers have not improved over the last 20 years. We will use patient samples and mouse models of blood cancers to identify and test novel therapies. In particular, we will test the efficacy of a new drug developed by my laboratory in conjunction with a large team of Australian chemists. In collaboration with MERCK, this work will be the prelude to the first human trials in 2018. If successful, this will provide new hope for cure of a broad range of blood cancers.
Stem Cell Niches: Biology And Therapeutic Applications
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$640,210.00
Summary
This research aims to identify how stem cells are regulated in the body in order to improve therapies for blood disorders and abnormal bone formation after severe traumas. Targeting molecules that deregulate stem cells will lead to improved treatments for diseases with outcomes including improved treatments for blood stem cell transplantation, improved therapy in cancer patients and reduced complications of spinal cord injuries.
NHMRC Research Fellowship. Genetic Modification And Differentiation Of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells: Creating Tools For Regenerative Medicine And Models For Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$757,297.00
Summary
Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can form all the cell types in the body. Cells made from hESCs could be used to test new drugs prior to trials in patients and eventually to replace tissues damaged through accident or disease. My laboratory is turning hESCs into blood, heart and insulin producing cells. We can genetically modify such that the cells fluoresce whenever they develop into these cell types. These 'glowing' hESC lines help us to make different cell types more efficiently.
Microenvironmental Impact In The Treatment Of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$621,458.00
Summary
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia remains one of the leading causes of death in children and outcomes for adults with this disease remain poor. This project examines how manipulation of the environment where leukemia arises can be used to therpaeutic advancage. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells are highly dependent on the support provided by bone marrow cells but the mechanisms are not well understood. Disrupting signals from the bone marrow cells has potential as a therapeutic strategy.
The Role Of Oncogenes, Cell Death Machinery And Novel Players In The Regulation Of Hematopoietic Stem Cells, Leukemogenesis And Hematological Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$763,409.00
Summary
This project is focused on the regulation of blood cells and the diseases that arise when they become defective, such as bone marrow failure and leukemia. It will investigate how proteins involved in cell suicide impact on blood cell survival, cancer therapy, and the formation of blood clots. The link between cancer genes and stem cells will be examined. Ultimately, the aims are to identify drug targets in hematological disorders, and develop new drugs to promote the survival of healthy cells.
Molecular Approaches To Cardiac Development, Disease And Regeneration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$863,910.00
Summary
Prof Harvey’s work explores the molecular and cellular networks that underpin heart development in the embryo and heart regeneration in the adult, and how these networks unravel in heart disease. Based on this knowledge, his work seeks to develop novel approaches for alleviating suffering in babies with congenital heart defects and adults enduring the devastating consequences of heart attack or heart failure.