Microbial Indicators For The Conservative Therapy Of Dentinal Caries.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$429,129.00
Summary
Recent developments in dental restorative materials create potential for conservative therapy of advanced tooth decay by sealing in the complex infecting microbial populations. Our studies have disclosed these microbial populations and indicated patterns. Planned analysis will follow the fate of bacterial populations that are sealed in this manner to determine the relationship to either resolution or progression of the lesion, leading to diagnostic indicators for clinical management.
Major Xenoantigens For Neovascularised Porcine Xenografts: The Role Of PERV And MHC In Rejection And Tolerance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$504,750.00
Summary
Cross-species transplants (xenografts) of pig organs which use donor pig blood vessels are rejected by antibody which recognises a special target (xenoantigen) on the pig blood vessels; other pig tissue transplants (cellular transplants) which use recipient (not donor pig) blood vessels, are rejected by white blood cells called CD4 T cells. The pig targets recognised by the xenoreactive CD4 T cells are unknown. We plan to identify the major target(s) involved in cellular xenograft rejection. Thi ....Cross-species transplants (xenografts) of pig organs which use donor pig blood vessels are rejected by antibody which recognises a special target (xenoantigen) on the pig blood vessels; other pig tissue transplants (cellular transplants) which use recipient (not donor pig) blood vessels, are rejected by white blood cells called CD4 T cells. The pig targets recognised by the xenoreactive CD4 T cells are unknown. We plan to identify the major target(s) involved in cellular xenograft rejection. This information can then be used to specifically remove or disable only those CD4 T cells capable of recognising the pig tissue and hence facilitate xenograft survival or tolerance without immunosuppression. In this way, the remainder of the CD4 T cell population and immune system is preserved intact. Recent studies have demonstrated that a pig virus (PERV) can be transmitted from pig tissue xenografts to recipient tissues. Our studies have also suggested that the process of xenograft rejection and the immunological recognition of transplant recipient cells infected with the pig virus, are closely related. We plan to investigate this relationship and ascertain whether the immunological destruction of the pig tissue xenograft is largely due to an immune response generated against the pig virus(es) it carries. As an extension of this concept, we will investigate whether long-term xenograft survival (tolerance) is associated with lack of immune reactivity to the pig virus and hence a continual capacity for pig virus to be transmitted to host tissues. This outcome could result in the development of unwanted disease(s) in transplant patients. To prevent these problems, our studies will determine whether it will be essential for such pig virus to be eliminated from the donor pig tissue before transplantation, e.g. by the development of potent anti-viral agents and-or via the development of pig herds that have been genetically engineered to be pig virus (PERV)-deficient.Read moreRead less
Periodontal Mesenchymal Stem Cells For Periodontal Regeneration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$358,000.00
Summary
Dental diseases affecting the gums (periodontal disease) are extremely prevalent in our society. The effects of periodontal disease can be particularly severe as loss of support for the teeth leads to loose teeth and severely compromised masticatory function. If left untreated, the associated pain and loss of function may necessitate extraction of the teeth. We have recently identified cells residing in the periodontal ligament which may be adult stem cells. This project will further characteriz ....Dental diseases affecting the gums (periodontal disease) are extremely prevalent in our society. The effects of periodontal disease can be particularly severe as loss of support for the teeth leads to loose teeth and severely compromised masticatory function. If left untreated, the associated pain and loss of function may necessitate extraction of the teeth. We have recently identified cells residing in the periodontal ligament which may be adult stem cells. This project will further characterize these cells and explore whether they can be used to restore periodontal tissues damaged by periodontal disease.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Dermal Mast Cells In Limiting The Pathology Associated With Chronic Low-dose UVB Irradiation Of The Skin.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$513,945.00
Summary
Australians are subject to high levels of sun exposure , that consequently can lead to skin damage and skin cancer. The specific aims of our reseearch are to investigate the role of skin mast cells in the limitation of skin alterations associated with chronic low-dose ultraviolet B exposure. Understanding the innate mechanisms that protect against excessive skin damage and cancer might aid the development of better treatment modalities in the future.
Dental diseases affecting the gums (periodontal diseases) are extremely prevalent in our society. The effects of periodontal disease can be particularly severe as loss of support for the teeth leads to loose teeth and severely compromised chewing function. If left untreated, the associated loss of function may necessitate extraction of the teeth. We have recently identified cells residing in the periodontal ligament which may be adult stem cells. This project will further characterize these cell ....Dental diseases affecting the gums (periodontal diseases) are extremely prevalent in our society. The effects of periodontal disease can be particularly severe as loss of support for the teeth leads to loose teeth and severely compromised chewing function. If left untreated, the associated loss of function may necessitate extraction of the teeth. We have recently identified cells residing in the periodontal ligament which may be adult stem cells. This project will further characterize these cells and explore whether they can be used to restore periodontal tissues damaged by periodontal disease.Read moreRead less
Periodontal disease is an inflammatory disorder leading to tooth loosening and, if untreated, tooth loss. Once bone destruction has occurred around teeth the treatment outcomes are severely compromised and are mainly focussed towards slowing the process of destruction rather than repairing the damage. Over the last decade, treatment of advanced periodontal disease has focussed on ways in which the damaged tissues may be regenerated. We now have gained considerable insight into the molecular and ....Periodontal disease is an inflammatory disorder leading to tooth loosening and, if untreated, tooth loss. Once bone destruction has occurred around teeth the treatment outcomes are severely compromised and are mainly focussed towards slowing the process of destruction rather than repairing the damage. Over the last decade, treatment of advanced periodontal disease has focussed on ways in which the damaged tissues may be regenerated. We now have gained considerable insight into the molecular and cellular events associated with periodontal regeneration. Despite efforts to induce regeneration through the selective use of growth and differentiation factors it is becoming obvious that the most significant factor in successful clinical outcomes is the recruitment of special cells to the site of damage which have the potential to repair tissue damage. Thus, we intend to engineer different types of periodontal matrices in the laboratory and then transplant these newly formed tissues into sites affected by periodontal disease in an attempt to repair the damage caused by the disease process.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Perlecan In Tensional Connective Tissues
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$605,037.00
Summary
Musculoskeletal diseases affect tension and weight bearing connective tissues which have notoriously poor repair capabilities. These conditions are difficult to treat clinically and surgical repair in many cases does not provide a return to optimal joint function impinging on the quality of life of afflicted individuals and their carers. Our project aims to better understand the structure and function of these tissues in health and disease with a view to improving repair strategies.
Developing In Vivo Methods Of Adipose Tissue Engineering
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$374,703.00
Summary
Surgical repair and replacement of soft tissues after tumour removal or to repair existing damage requires fat tissue with a good blood supply. Tissue engineering allows us to create new fat grafts for replacement tissue without causing unnecessary pain or trauma to the patient. We have developed a method for growing fat tissue using a chamber to maintain a space for the tissue to grow into, a blood vessel to supply nutrients to the growing tissue, cells or tissue from the host to encourage cell ....Surgical repair and replacement of soft tissues after tumour removal or to repair existing damage requires fat tissue with a good blood supply. Tissue engineering allows us to create new fat grafts for replacement tissue without causing unnecessary pain or trauma to the patient. We have developed a method for growing fat tissue using a chamber to maintain a space for the tissue to grow into, a blood vessel to supply nutrients to the growing tissue, cells or tissue from the host to encourage cell growth and migration and a matrix or scaffold to support the developing tissue and guide it to form the type of tissue we want (fat, muscle etc). We have shown that the tissue graft may cause fat to grow due to causing an inflammatory reaction and confirmed this by adding a mild inflammatory compound to the chamber instead of a tissue graft. This compound caused the chamber to grow fat tissue. The aim of this project is to determine which of the growth factors or other signaling factors released by the inflammation process is responsible for causing fat tissue production and to identify what cells are being attracted to the chamber to help grow the fat, so that we can further improve our engineering of fat tissue. Understanding the pathways which mediate or stimulate fat growth will provide new opportunities for improving fat growth and allow the engineering of larger fat grafts in larger animals and eventually human clinical application. Beyond that, inflammation is involved in many disease processes (eg. obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cancer), and these fields of study will also benefit from our research.Read moreRead less