Repairing Soft Tissues With Engineered Elastic Biomaterials
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,914,215.00
Summary
There is an urgent medical demand for implantable soft materials that harmonise with surrounding elastic tissue and promote repair. This integrated research program leverages our leading knowledge of human elastic protein. The program’s goals are to develop powerful platform technologies that use this elastic protein, and deliver a new generation of elastic surgical products that can help treat pelvic organ prolapse and repair damaged heart tissue.
Biology Of Speech Disorders: Advancing Diagnosis, Prognosis & Management
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,515,005.00
Summary
For 100 years, my field has focused on assessing and managing patients based on speech disorder symptomatology. We have ignored aetiology, preventing targeted care. My work will pioneer gene discovery to advance knowledge of the aetiology of human communication disorders, enabling targeted care to reduce disability. Proposed work will be directly translated to improve care and optimise outcomes in speech disorder via advancing detection, diagnosis and prognostic counselling of patients.
The Developing Microbiome As A Predictor And Modulator Of Mental Health Risk And Resilience: A Translational Gut-brain Axis Approach To Improving Childhood Mental Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$645,205.00
Summary
Most psychological problems start to emerge in childhood or adolescence, likely because the brain is most vulnerable while it is still growing. The latest research suggests that brain health is intimately linked to the gut. Could bacteria in the gut contribute to risk of (or resistance to) mental health problems in children? This project will investigate this question and the information gathered will then be used to trial new, gut-based, approaches to protect children’s mental health.
Pathways To Vision Following Lesions Of The Primary Visual Cortex
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,500,000.00
Summary
Lesions due to stroke or trauma in the occipital lobe cause blindness, which can be complete or restricted to part of the visual field. My work has identified areas of the visual brain that remain active after such lesions. I want to find out if these areas can be used to partially restore vision. This project will study the potential roles of different surviving areas, how brain cells rewire their connections in response to damage, and how rehabilitation programs work at the cellular level.
Mapping Neurodevelopmental Disorders In A Zebrafish Model
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,760,520.00
Summary
The way in which the brain develops differently in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism is hard to reveal in humans, but can be addressed in a zebrafish model. Using cutting-edge imaging and computational techniques, this project will investigate how neural representations of the world develop differently between normal zebrafish and zebrafish mutant for a gene that causes autism. This will provide new insights into the mechanisms of altered circuit development in autism.
Early Life Exposures And Chronic Disease: Mechanisms And Preventative Strategies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,714,215.00
Summary
The world is in the grips of an epidemic of chronic disease and exposure to pollution in early life is partly responsible. To change this situation we need to understand and mitigate the mechanisms linking early life pollution exposure to life-long disease risk. My research will provide direct evidence of how pollution increases disease risk and design and implement strategies to reduce this, with an emphasis on asthma, cystic fibrosis and chronic respiratory disease.
The Role Of Preconception And Perinatal Substance Use And Misuse In Childhood Social, Emotional And Behavioural Problems
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,562,250.00
Summary
This project will use perinatal and preconception data from three long-running Australian studies that have tracked the health and wellbeing of several thousand participants prior to parenthood. The aim is to understand how parental histories of substance use, and patterns of use during pregnancy, and in early life, shape offspring social, emotional and behavioural outcomes across childhood. Results will inform new approaches to preventing substance-related harms within and across generations.
Appropriate growth of organs is essential for life and can go awry in diseases such as cancer. A crucial regulator of organ size and cancer that I co-discovered is the Hippo pathway. I aim to understand how this pathway relays information and controls gene expression to regulate organ size, and its role in mesothelioma and other human cancers. A better understanding of Hippo’s role in organ growth and cancer will allow it to be targeted for therapeutic benefit in human diseases.
An Imaging-genomic Approach To Advance Understanding Of Early Cortical Development And Outcome After Preterm Birth
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$645,205.00
Summary
In Australia, over 26,000 babies are born too early each year, with long-lasting consequences to their development. We do not know how preterm birth affects the newborn brain. In order to improve our understanding, I will combine neuroimaging and genetic data to uncover how preterm birth affects the development of the brain in newborns and how this imparts risk for poor cognitive and motor outcomes. This will allow us better plan and monitor clinical trials and treatments for these infants.