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Benefits of blood pressure lowering to combat cardiovascular disease. Stroke and heart attack are the commonest causes of death and adult disability. In Australia, approximately 50,000 people die from cardiovascular disease each year. This project will attempt to prevent stroke/heart attack and to improve quality of life by exploring better management of high blood pressure.
Superhuman place recognition with a unified model of human visual processing and rodent spatial memory. Current robotic and personal navigation systems leave much to be desired; GPS only works in open outdoor areas, lasers are expensive and cameras are highly sensitive to changing environmental conditions. In contrast, nature has evolved superb navigation systems. This project aims to solve the challenging problem of place recognition, a key component of navigation, by modelling the visual recog ....Superhuman place recognition with a unified model of human visual processing and rodent spatial memory. Current robotic and personal navigation systems leave much to be desired; GPS only works in open outdoor areas, lasers are expensive and cameras are highly sensitive to changing environmental conditions. In contrast, nature has evolved superb navigation systems. This project aims to solve the challenging problem of place recognition, a key component of navigation, by modelling the visual recognition skills of humans and the rodent spatial memory system. This project looks to combine the best understood and most capable components of place recognition in nature to create a whole more capable than its parts, produce advances in robotic and personal navigation technology and lead to breakthroughs in understandings of the brain.Read moreRead less
Regulation Of Myotubularin Function By The Novel 3-phosphatase Adapter Protein (3-PAP)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$488,273.00
Summary
Phospholipids are important components of cell membranes. Phospholipids are turned-on by enzymes called kinases and these phospholipids stimulate a variety of critical functions within the cells. Phospholipids are turned-off by another type of enzymes classed as phosphatases, thereby switching off a broad range of cell functions. Myotubularin is an enzyme, which neutralizes particular type of phospholipids that are involved in the shuttling of proteins between compartments within the cell. Loss ....Phospholipids are important components of cell membranes. Phospholipids are turned-on by enzymes called kinases and these phospholipids stimulate a variety of critical functions within the cells. Phospholipids are turned-off by another type of enzymes classed as phosphatases, thereby switching off a broad range of cell functions. Myotubularin is an enzyme, which neutralizes particular type of phospholipids that are involved in the shuttling of proteins between compartments within the cell. Loss of function of myotubularin, due to inherited genetic changes (mutations), leads to abnormal muscle development manifesting as weakness since birth, and this particular disease is known as 'X-linked myotubular myopathy'. However, there is yet no information on the mechanisms by which failure of protein shuttling (transport) causes myopathy. We have discovered a new protein, 3-phosphatase adapter protein (3-PAP) that links with myotubularin and plays an important role in the function of myotubularin. Our research proposal seeks to clarify the important role of 3-PAP in the development of muscle cells. We propose to study the location of 3-PAP within cells and analyse the influence of 3-PAP on protein shuttling. We have created mice that are deficient in the 3-PAP gene. These special mice will help us understand the importance of 3-PAP in the development and function of nerve and muscle tissue.Read moreRead less
Brain-based sensor fusion for navigating robots. This project uses new findings in neuroscience to create robots that can self-determine which of their sensors will best help them learn to navigate in an environment. This technology enables robot systems to be flexibly deployed without prior calibration for wide ranging applications in environments from office buildings to outdoor ecosystems.
Delayed Neuronal Death After Peripheral Nerve And Spinal Cord Injury
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$457,267.00
Summary
After injury to the nervous system, even under optimal conditions for regeneration of broken nerve processes (axons), there is little chance of normal function being restored because few regrowing axons will find appropriate cells to connect with. The time taken for many regrowing axons to reach their targets can be so long that both the axons and their targets lose the ability to recognize each other. Equally importantly, some damaged nerve cells die over the months that follow an injury. This ....After injury to the nervous system, even under optimal conditions for regeneration of broken nerve processes (axons), there is little chance of normal function being restored because few regrowing axons will find appropriate cells to connect with. The time taken for many regrowing axons to reach their targets can be so long that both the axons and their targets lose the ability to recognize each other. Equally importantly, some damaged nerve cells die over the months that follow an injury. This slow loss of nerve cells can lead to progressive and ongoing deterioration. Given recent advances in our understanding of how to improve axon regeneration, the degree of functional recovery could be disappointing unless we know more about how to prevent these neurones from dying. This project will use rats as experimental animals to try to understand which types of nerve cells are likely to die or survive after injury to peripheral nerve trunks or to the spinal cord. We will investigate two regions of the nervous system that are commonly involved in injuries in people. After injuries to limb nerves, people lose sensation and movement and can unpredictably develop chronic conditions such as neuropathic pain (unrelated to the damage and often occurring spontaneously) as well as poor blood flow and wound healing in the hands-feet. After most injuries to the spinal cord, the lower part of the cord beyond the injury (in particular the lumbosacral cord controlling hindlimb movement and sensation and the function of bladder, bowel and sexual organs) is often disconnected from the brain leading to paralysis and disrupted control of pelvic organ function. We will identify and study specific populations of nerve cells with sensory (mainly pain-sensing) functions and four identified groups of nerve cells in the lumbosacral cord that project to the brain. Once we know which nerve cells do not survive, we will search for the likely causes of their death and ways to prevent it.Read moreRead less
RANKL, A Critical New Player In The Coordination Of Whole Body Energy Homeostasis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$842,946.00
Summary
Imbalances in food intake and energy expenditure can lead to the development of obesity or anorexia. Conserved mechanisms are in place to coordinate the energy requirements of organs and tissues. The main centre is the brain which receives, processes and sends out information to accommodate the needs of the different tissues. Bone tissue in particular is in need of a lot of energy. Factors produced by bone are therefore critical in the coordination of whole body energy homeostasis.
The Mechansim Of Cachexia Induced By The TGF-b Superfamily Cytokine, MIC-1
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$544,200.00
Summary
MIC-1 is a protein first cloned and characterised by our research group. It belongs to the TGF beta protein superfamily which is very important in development of cancer, wound - fracture healing and inflammation. Recent evidence also suggests it can act as an appetite suppressant, and this is especially relevant in conditons like cancer where it is overproduced. This project seeks to understand the mechanisms for its capacity to modify appetite