The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) invites you to participate in a short survey about your
interaction with the ARDC and use of our national research infrastructure and services. The survey will take
approximately 5 minutes and is anonymous. It’s open to anyone who uses our digital research infrastructure
services including Reasearch Link Australia.
We will use the information you provide to improve the national research infrastructure and services we
deliver and to report on user satisfaction to the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research
Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) program.
Please take a few minutes to provide your input. The survey closes COB Friday 29 May 2026.
Complete the 5 min survey now by clicking on the link below.
Cytokine Signalling And Insulin Resistance In Obesity.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$512,065.00
Summary
Western communities are experiencing an epidemic of obesity that is contributing to diabetes, heart disease, and premature death. This project is investigating why being overweight and obese causes diabetes. Improved understanding about how hormones regulates the body's storage and breakdown of fat and responsiveness to insulin will enable the development of new medicines for the treatment of obesity and the prevention of diabetes.
Mechanisms Of The Insulin-sensitising Effects Of AMPK Activation In Liver And Muscle.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$454,500.00
Summary
Type 2 diabetes represents an escalating global health problem. In Australia 7.5% of the population has diabetes and another 16% insulin resistance (impaired action of insulin). Insulin resistance is closely associated with obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases (Syndrome X) as well as diabetes. A high caloric intake (particularly with a high fat content) and a sedentary lifestyle are extremely important environmental contributors to Syndrome X and diabetes. One of the m ....Type 2 diabetes represents an escalating global health problem. In Australia 7.5% of the population has diabetes and another 16% insulin resistance (impaired action of insulin). Insulin resistance is closely associated with obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases (Syndrome X) as well as diabetes. A high caloric intake (particularly with a high fat content) and a sedentary lifestyle are extremely important environmental contributors to Syndrome X and diabetes. One of the most exciting developments in the past few years has been the discovery that an enzyme, AMP kinase (AMPK), normally activated by exercise, may be involved in its beneficial effects. We have contributed to this exciting field by showing in an animal model that one dose of AICAR, a chemical agent which can activate AMPK, ameliorates the effects of insulin resistance in muscle and liver. Further very recent work has linked AMPK with various drugs (particularly glitazones and metformin) and hormones which can enhance insulin sensitivity. The goal of the experiments in this project is to determine the overall mechanism by which AMPK has ameliorating effects on counteracting insulin resistance. We hypothesize that the mechanism for this involves an effect of AMPK to reduce fat molecules accumulating within muscle and liver cells, and our studies will examine this hypothesis. Our studies should lead to a better understanding of how exercise and pharmacological activators of AMPK help in management of diabetes and insulin resistant states. In addition because AMPK activation enhances glucose metabolism by a separate pathway to insulin, it offers promise of developing compounds able to bypass metabolic steps impaired by insulin resistance. Our studies should help in the design of new therapeutic agents which can counteract insulin resistance.Read moreRead less
Omega 3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Analogues In The Treatment Of Diabetic Complications
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$418,446.00
Summary
Treatment of diabetes has become an even greater challenge to our community today. The ill health from diabetes arises from the high blood sugar levels. Treatment of diabetic complications such as kidney damage has now become a major goal. This research addresses this problem by trying to find out if a group of novel polyunsaturated fatty acids can target the process initiated by high blood sugar responsible for kidney damage.
Role Of Macrophages In Lipotoxic Beta Cell Failure
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$612,736.00
Summary
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) affects 7% of Australians and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. A failure of insulin secretion contributes to T2D, and this is linked to the inability of insulin producing ?-cells to use lipids appropriately (lipotoxicity). Here we will study the role of the immune system and how this inhibits insulin secretion in T2D
Therapeutic Strategies And Screening Methods For PKC Epsilon Antagonists In The Treatment Of Type 2 Diabetes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$157,375.00
Summary
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease affecting over a million Australians and hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Its prevalence is rising due to several factors such as an increase in caloric intake, the aging of the population, and the common sedentary lifestyle of Western civilization. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin for the body to cope with rising blood glucose levels after a meal, and has been strongly linked to obesity. We have now shown ....Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease affecting over a million Australians and hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Its prevalence is rising due to several factors such as an increase in caloric intake, the aging of the population, and the common sedentary lifestyle of Western civilization. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin for the body to cope with rising blood glucose levels after a meal, and has been strongly linked to obesity. We have now shown that an enzyme found in the pancreas becomes inappropriately activated under conditions of fat oversupply, and plays an important role in the development of defects in insulin release from the pancreas in response to glucose. Excitingly, we have also shown that inhibition of this enzyme can partly reverse these defects once they have been established. We now intend to further validate this enzyme as a drug target by determining the optimum dosing regimen for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in a mouse model, and testing whether this approach can be used in conjunction with previously-developed drugs which promote insulin action, to improve bood glucose handling better than either treatment alone. This would promote the enzyme as a therapeutic strategy in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. We also plan to develop a high throuhput screen to identify novel inhibitors of the enzyme, which will further increase the attractiveness of the project to pharmaceutical companies, who are better able to implent full commercialization of our findings.Read moreRead less