Safety And Efficacy Of A Surgically Implanted Suprachoroidal Retinal Prosthesis (Bionic Eye)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,233,826.00
Summary
A bionic eye is a electronic device which can stimulate the remaining visual pathway in a person who is blind, to restore some basic vision. Our team have previously shown that our novel bionic eye device can be safely implanted in a patient, and can give improvements in vision when tested in a laboratory environment. The next stage of the research is to provide patients with a more advanced device, which will contain more electrodes and also be able to be taken home.
Improving Visual Outcomes In Patients With Diabetic Macular Oedema Undergoing Cataract Surgery: A Prospective Randomised Clinical Trial (the DiMECat Trial)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$187,322.00
Summary
Cataract and diabetic retinopathy are the leading causes of visual loss in patients with diabetes, but unfortunately, cataract surgery in these patients often results in a loss of vision, rather than an improvement. The purpose of this study is to improve the visual outcomes in this group of patients, through the use of new, injected medicines that are given at the time of cataract surgery, thereby potentially changing current medical practice.
Translating Genetic Determinants Of Glaucoma Into Better Diagnosis And Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$9,466,000.00
Summary
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. By 2020, it will affect 80 million people, and in Australia over the next decade, the overall cost of glaucoma will reach $4.3 billion per annum. This Program will use genetic advances to personalise treatment. Blindness will be prevented in individuals at highest risk, new ways to treat patients will be developed, and better outcomes for patients will result from less treatment and monitoring of low risk cases.
Neuro-feedback For Improved Efficacy Of Retinal Prostheses
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$653,655.00
Summary
Bionic eyes offer the possibility to return sight to the blind. Existing retinal implants are effective at delivering basic visual percepts, namely brief spots of light. Our team is now working on building the second generation of bionic eyes that include the ability to both stimulate the visual system (the retina) and record its response. By recording the evoked responses, we can adjust and optimize the stimulation to restore a persistent high spatial resolution sense of vision to the blind.
Harnessing Anticalin Technology As A Multi-targeted Treament Approach For Vision Loss
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$627,273.00
Summary
Diabetes is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness worldwide and is caused by two factors called VEGF and Ang2, which damage blood vessels. Current treatments only block VEGF and many patients do not respond and suffer irreversible damage to sight. We have used ground-breaking anticalin technology to make a new drug (PRS-AUS1) that blocks both VEGF and Ang2. Studies will be performed in animal models and move to patients where we expect improved outcomes compared to current treatments.
The Role Of Osteocytes In Particle Induced Osteolysis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$457,196.00
Summary
Hip replacements often fail due to the loss of adjacent bone. Metal or polyethylene particles are produced as the prosthesis bearing surface wears but how do these particles lead to bone loss? Our work suggests involvement of osteocytes within the bone mineral, which are increasingly understood to drive bone physiology and pathology. We will explore the role of the osteocytes by examining their response to particles, which may identify a new target to prevent particle-induced bone loss.
Young Adult Myopia: Genetic And Environmental Associations
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$809,271.00
Summary
Myopia affects 80% of school leavers in the cities of East Asia, 45% of Asian Australian school leavers and is probably on the rise in European Australian adolescents. Increased levels of education and lack of time outdoors are known to increase the risk of myopia. We will examine 2,000 young adults to find the genes that interact with these risk factors. In addition to confirming when these risk factors are most important, identifying molecular pathways opens the avenue of new treatments.
We will seek to address an important clinical problem in orthpaedics, namely the bone loss that commonly occurs around joint replacement prostheses. Termed peri-prosthetic osteolysis (PO), this bone loss can result in the loosening and ultimate failure and need for revision of the artificial joint components. PO is thought to be caused by the body's reaction to wear particles generated from the articulating surface of the prosthesis. However, it has not previously been possible to accurately exp ....We will seek to address an important clinical problem in orthpaedics, namely the bone loss that commonly occurs around joint replacement prostheses. Termed peri-prosthetic osteolysis (PO), this bone loss can result in the loosening and ultimate failure and need for revision of the artificial joint components. PO is thought to be caused by the body's reaction to wear particles generated from the articulating surface of the prosthesis. However, it has not previously been possible to accurately explore the relationship between prothesis wear and PO, or the progression of PO, because of a lack of techniques to image and measure the volume of PO around metal prosthesis components. We have developed a means to accurately and reproducibly measure the volume of bone loss, using CT, and will do so longitudinally in joint replacement patients to obtain the first information about the progression of PO. New computer based methods will be used concurrently to relate prosthesis wear and migration parameters to PO. Patients who come to surgery for replacement of failed prostheses will be investigated further by analysis of the tissues involved in the bone loss around prostheses. Basic science experiments will seek to understand the underlying causes of PO and the findings will be important in interpreting the clinical results. An animal model will be used to seek approaches to inhibiting the pathological response to wear particles. The significance of these studies is that they will lead to improved outcomes for joint replacement patients, increasing the interval to revision surgery, which is both extremely costly and brings an attendant morbidity and mortality.Read moreRead less
TELEPHONE COUNSELLING FOR MAINTENANCE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, WEIGHT LOSS And GLYCAEMIC CONTROL IN TYPE 2 DIABETES
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,285,894.00
Summary
Regular exercise, a healthy diet and weight loss are key to managing type 2 diabetes, yet these are major challenges for most people with diabetes. This study will evaluate the impact of a telephone counselling program to assist people with type 2 diabetes to exercise, eat a healthy diet and lose weight, with the goal of helping them to sustain these changes over the long-term. It is expected that these lifestyle changes will also result in improved blood glucose control and quality of life.
Novel Morphological Retinal Vascular Features As Early Biomarkers Of Vision-threatening Eye Diseases.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$107,169.00
Summary
Vision loss is not just a personal health burden, but a huge socio-economical burden. Management of major vision-threatening eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma will be improved if we can successfully identified persons at risk of developing the disease before clinical presentation to benefit from preventive treatment. My research aims to contribute to the prediction of these blinding diseases using advanced computer imaging analysis for simpl ....Vision loss is not just a personal health burden, but a huge socio-economical burden. Management of major vision-threatening eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma will be improved if we can successfully identified persons at risk of developing the disease before clinical presentation to benefit from preventive treatment. My research aims to contribute to the prediction of these blinding diseases using advanced computer imaging analysis for simple retinal photographs.Read moreRead less