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.
Brm And Brg-1 Protect From Ultraviolet Radiation-induced Skin And Ocular Damage
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$555,325.00
Summary
Ultraviolet radiation within sunlight is the most important environmental hazard to which Australians are exposed. It causes cancers of the skin and eye, in addition to other forms of skin and eye damage. However sunlight also has health benefits such as vitamin D production. To protect our health from the sun we need to understand how it causes damage and the meachanisms involved. We have discovered a new pathway that we plan to study, called Brm and Brg-1, that provides protection from UV.
Susceptibility Of The Basal Layer Of Human Epidermis To UVA Oxidative Damage Due To Pheomelanin And Suboptimal DNA Repair
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$559,354.00
Summary
Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world. It is important to understand how sunlight causes skin cancer and the wavelengths involved in order to devise effective preventative and therapeutic strategies. Our proposal is that the cells in the skin that give rise to the most common forms of skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, are particularly vulnerable to UVA. We aim to study why this is the case and whether this vulnerability can be prevented.
Role Of Brm In Skin Tumour Progression From Benign To Malignant
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$457,267.00
Summary
Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world. Skin cancer is 3 times as common as all other cancers combined and continues to increase in incidence, particularly in the aging population. Skin cancer is caused by exposure to the ultraviolet radiation found in sunlight. Ultraviolet radiation causes the appearance of solar keratosis, or sunspots, benign lesions that are not particularly dangerous to human health. Some of these develop into malignant squamous cell carcinomas that ....Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world. Skin cancer is 3 times as common as all other cancers combined and continues to increase in incidence, particularly in the aging population. Skin cancer is caused by exposure to the ultraviolet radiation found in sunlight. Ultraviolet radiation causes the appearance of solar keratosis, or sunspots, benign lesions that are not particularly dangerous to human health. Some of these develop into malignant squamous cell carcinomas that can spread to other tissues and are potentially fatal. Little is known about the biological mechanisms involved in solar keratosis development into squamous cell carcinomas. We have identified the gene brm as being involved in this process. It has not previously been recognised that this gene is important for skin cancer development and therefore our preliminary studies have identified a potential new target. We will study the role of this gene in ultraviolet radiation induced skin carcinogenesis, determine whether it is mutated by ultraviolet radiation in human skin cancer, and what role in plays in some key biological processes in skin cancer development. This study will expand our understanding of malignant conversion during human skin carcinogenesis, the most prevalent human cancer in Australia.Read moreRead less
Population-level Epidemiological Trends In Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Queensland 1996 - 2010.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$251,695.00
Summary
Incidence and mortality of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, the most common form of liver cancer) is increasing in Australia, driven by viral hepatitis infections. Disease burden is not defined in Queensland, particularly for Indigenous, migrant and regional and remote communities. Such factors may influence risk of viral hepatitis, access to treatment, and incidence and survival of HCC. Defining disease burdens will enable clinical programs targeted at groups most at risk in order to impact HCC t ....Incidence and mortality of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, the most common form of liver cancer) is increasing in Australia, driven by viral hepatitis infections. Disease burden is not defined in Queensland, particularly for Indigenous, migrant and regional and remote communities. Such factors may influence risk of viral hepatitis, access to treatment, and incidence and survival of HCC. Defining disease burdens will enable clinical programs targeted at groups most at risk in order to impact HCC trends.Read moreRead less
Regulation Of Secretion Of The Fungal Virulence Determinant, Phospholipase B
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$487,500.00
Summary
Serious systemic infections due to fungi have increased dramatically in the past few years, especially in people with poorly functioning immune systems. Treatment of these conditions is problematic because the few drugs which are available are not highly effective, and-or cause significant side-effects. Little is understood of how fungi cause disease, and this problem must be addressed if these infections are to be contained. We have discovered that the enzyme, phospholipase B (PLB), is secreted ....Serious systemic infections due to fungi have increased dramatically in the past few years, especially in people with poorly functioning immune systems. Treatment of these conditions is problematic because the few drugs which are available are not highly effective, and-or cause significant side-effects. Little is understood of how fungi cause disease, and this problem must be addressed if these infections are to be contained. We have discovered that the enzyme, phospholipase B (PLB), is secreted by the disease-causing fungus, Cryptococcus neoformans, and that it is important in enabling the fungus to invade the host's cells and spread around the body from the lungs to the brain, where it can cause meningoencephalitis. PLB is also produced by other disease-causing fungi. The mechanism of PLB secretion is completely unknown. In this project we aim to determine the pathways involved in PLB secretion with the intention of exploiting steps unique to pathogenic fungi, for the future design of new anti-fungal drugs.Read moreRead less
Invasive fungal infections are a serious, escalating health issue. They cause severe disease with high death rates and are very costly to the health system. Current drugs often have suboptimal efficacy and cause side effects. New drugs are needed urgently. Many fungi, including the AIDS-related pathogen, Cryptococcus neoformans, secrete phospholipase B (Plbp) to facilitate infection. We will identify and investigate the Plbp secretion pathway as a novel anti-fungal drug target.