The comparative physiology of oxygen delivery to the kidney. The kidney is in danger of hyperoxia because the kidney receives so much blood relative to its mass. It is proposed that shunting oxygen between arteries and veins substantially mitigates the risk of hyperoxia, but under certain circumstances shunting substantially increases the risk of kidney hypoxia. Using a combination of synchrotron and histological imaging, This project will carefully define the three-dimensional vasculature of th ....The comparative physiology of oxygen delivery to the kidney. The kidney is in danger of hyperoxia because the kidney receives so much blood relative to its mass. It is proposed that shunting oxygen between arteries and veins substantially mitigates the risk of hyperoxia, but under certain circumstances shunting substantially increases the risk of kidney hypoxia. Using a combination of synchrotron and histological imaging, This project will carefully define the three-dimensional vasculature of the renal cortex in several different species and interpret its functional significance using computational modeling. The outcome of this project will be a new understanding in the comparative physiology of oxygen transport and shunting in the kidney.Read moreRead less
Defining how serotonin regulates gut motility. This project aims to deepen knowledge of gastrointestinal physiology, and reveal the mechanisms by which the major gastrointestinal signalling molecule, serotonin, regulates gut peristalsis. Almost all of the serotonin in our body is made in the gastrointestinal tract where it controls many functions, including how our gut wall contracts during peristalsis. Proper control of gut peristalsis and the transit of material through our bowel is important ....Defining how serotonin regulates gut motility. This project aims to deepen knowledge of gastrointestinal physiology, and reveal the mechanisms by which the major gastrointestinal signalling molecule, serotonin, regulates gut peristalsis. Almost all of the serotonin in our body is made in the gastrointestinal tract where it controls many functions, including how our gut wall contracts during peristalsis. Proper control of gut peristalsis and the transit of material through our bowel is important for our health. This project expects to define how serotonin controls peristalsis, where in the bowel this serotonin comes from, how serotonin communicates with the nervous system in our gastrointestinal tract, and how the cells that synthesise gut serotonin respond to contraction to trigger the secretion of serotonin.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100538
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$342,000.00
Summary
Understanding the role of miRNAs in the biology of ageing muscle. Skeletal muscle is the largest organ in the body and plays a vital role in maintaining independent living and social interaction. As it ages, skeletal muscle loses its ability to build up new muscle proteins. However, the principles underlying the biology of skeletal muscle ageing are not well understood. MicroRNAs (MiRNAs) are essential regulators of skeletal muscle biology. Whether they play a role in the ageing process and how ....Understanding the role of miRNAs in the biology of ageing muscle. Skeletal muscle is the largest organ in the body and plays a vital role in maintaining independent living and social interaction. As it ages, skeletal muscle loses its ability to build up new muscle proteins. However, the principles underlying the biology of skeletal muscle ageing are not well understood. MicroRNAs (MiRNAs) are essential regulators of skeletal muscle biology. Whether they play a role in the ageing process and how they regulate muscle protein synthesis as we age has not been investigated. This project aims to identify the MiRNA species involved in muscle protein synthesis and will provide a better understanding of the biology of ageing skeletal muscle.Read moreRead less
The regulation of skeletal muscle mass. This project aims to delineate a pathway involved in regulating skeletal muscle mass, and examine whether disrupting mitochondrial phospholipid synthesis affects mitochondrial structure and function, causing muscle wasting. Defining a new atrophy pathway will advance understanding of the mechanisms that control muscle mass. This project could have important economic and quality of life benefits, especially for agriculture, where achieving optimal muscle ma ....The regulation of skeletal muscle mass. This project aims to delineate a pathway involved in regulating skeletal muscle mass, and examine whether disrupting mitochondrial phospholipid synthesis affects mitochondrial structure and function, causing muscle wasting. Defining a new atrophy pathway will advance understanding of the mechanisms that control muscle mass. This project could have important economic and quality of life benefits, especially for agriculture, where achieving optimal muscle mass ensures international competitiveness, productivity and economic growth, and successful ageing, where maintaining muscle mass is essential.Read moreRead less
Understanding How the Hungry Brain Regulates Metabolism. Energy homeostasis is essential for life as it ensures an adequate supply of fuel to cells of the body. This process is orchestrated by neurons in the hypothalamus of the brain. This project aims to determine the role of the extracellular matrix that surrounds hypothalamic neurons and how this regulates energy homeostasis, an area of science that is completely unexplored. This project expects to identify the composition the extracellular m ....Understanding How the Hungry Brain Regulates Metabolism. Energy homeostasis is essential for life as it ensures an adequate supply of fuel to cells of the body. This process is orchestrated by neurons in the hypothalamus of the brain. This project aims to determine the role of the extracellular matrix that surrounds hypothalamic neurons and how this regulates energy homeostasis, an area of science that is completely unexplored. This project expects to identify the composition the extracellular matrix within the hypothalamus and discover how it regulates energy homeostasis. The outcomes of this project are to provide new knowledge in understanding how the brain regulates metabolism, to promote population health & wellbeing, develop new technologies and training the next generation of researchers.Read moreRead less
Understanding mechanisms of sex programming of cardiovascular development. The goal of this project is to track the influence of sex and sex hormones through crucial lifespan timepoints to define how specific patterns of gene signalling determine adult cardiovascular traits at cell, tissue and systems level. Sexually distinct cardiovascular traits are conserved across mammalian species. Early developmental events are known to be important in influencing later adult characteristics, but how adult ....Understanding mechanisms of sex programming of cardiovascular development. The goal of this project is to track the influence of sex and sex hormones through crucial lifespan timepoints to define how specific patterns of gene signalling determine adult cardiovascular traits at cell, tissue and systems level. Sexually distinct cardiovascular traits are conserved across mammalian species. Early developmental events are known to be important in influencing later adult characteristics, but how adult cardiovascular functions are ‘programmed’ differently for males and females is not understood. The project aims to uncover the importance of the placenta in regulating foetus exposure to sex steroids and the crucial effects of the pubertal hormone surge in shaping cardiovascular phenotypes of male and female offspring.Read moreRead less
Muscling in on the brain. This project investigates an enzyme that 'matures' neurotransmitters in the brain that regulate food intake, energy expenditure and blood pressure by the brain; these neurotransmitters arise from the same precursor molecule. This project will show the physiological relevance of this enzyme in obesity.
Endogenous and environmental regulation of energy expenditure in skeletal muscle. Circadian and seasonal cycles impact on body weight; night shift workers have disrupted light-dark cycles and are predisposed to obesity. The project will investigate effects of both short and long term changes in day length on energy expenditure in skeletal muscle. Furthermore, the project will investigate mechanisms that control energy expenditure in muscle.
The neural basis of the cognitive effects of prefrontal cortex stimulation. This project aims to discover what exactly happens to brain cells (neurons) when transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is administered. Direct current stimulation of prefrontal cortex has gained much attention as an easy to use and self-administered brain stimulation technique for improving learning and performance in tests, and even for management of conditions such as overeating and gambling. Despite the wides ....The neural basis of the cognitive effects of prefrontal cortex stimulation. This project aims to discover what exactly happens to brain cells (neurons) when transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is administered. Direct current stimulation of prefrontal cortex has gained much attention as an easy to use and self-administered brain stimulation technique for improving learning and performance in tests, and even for management of conditions such as overeating and gambling. Despite the widespread use of tDCS the neural basis of its effects remain unknown. By applying tDCS in animals performing cognitive tasks, this projects aims to address fundamental unanswered questions about 'where' and 'how' the tDCS influences neural information encoding and behaviour using cellular- and neural circuit-level evidence.Read moreRead less
How appetite-suppressing brain cells maintain normal function and prevent the development of obesity. The brain plays a critical role in body weight gain by balancing appetite-inducing and appetite-suppressing signals. An imbalance in this process causes obesity and promotes diabetes. The aim of this research is to identify how appetite-suppressing brain cells maintain normal function and prevent the development of obesity.