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The Role Of The Peptide Urotensin II And Its Receptor In Diabetes Associated Vascular Complications
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$323,567.00
Summary
Diabetes damages blood vessels through the actions of hormones, possibly including new hormones such as urotensin II. I intend to investigate whether stopping the actions of urotensin II will prevent blood vessel and kidney damage in diabetes. By determining how urotensin II may cause the injury and thus prevent it from causing damage, I will be able to discover new targets for treatment that could reduce, or even prevent the progression of the blood vessel and kidney damage seen in diabetes.
Coronary Atherosclerosis And Its Relationship With Platelet Activation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$101,039.00
Summary
Blood clots are critical to the development of heart attacks, which kill many thousands of Australians annually. Platelets are cells in the blood that play an essential role in formation of blood clots, and coronary disease is associated with platelet activation. This research study will investigate the nature of platelet activation in the arteries of the human heart, its relationship to activation of inflammatory cells, and to the severity of narrowings in the arteries of the human heart.
Single-chain Antibodies For Directed Stem Cell Homing And Targeting Of Effector Cells In Vascular Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$596,677.00
Summary
Regenerative cellular therapy e.g. with adult stem cells is a promising novel medical therapy. However, until now there is no reliable method to direct cells to areas where they are needed. We aim to develop a biotechnological approach based on genetically tailored antibody molecules that will allow cell targeting. As a pilot project we will test whether this approach improves lipid deposition and hardening of arteries.
Retinal Vascular Structure And Function As Markers Of Endothelial Dysfunction.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$104,664.00
Summary
Coronary heart disease (CHD) due to atherosclerosis (thickening of blood vessels) remains the leading cause of death in Australia, but visualisation of heart arteries usually requires invasive testing. Blood vessels in the eye (retina), can be viewed easily and may be indicative of blood vessel function in the heart and rest of the body. This study aims to explore the relationship between eye and heart blood vessels. Retinal imaging may thus enable earlier detection of patients at risk of CHD.
Intracellular Cholesteryl Ester Hydroperoxides And Hydroxides- Their Metabolism And Their Modulation Of Cell Function
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$182,029.00
Summary
Atherosclerosis is the disease which causes narrowings in arteries underlying such serious medical conditions as heart attack and stroke. A key component in the formation of atherosclerotic narrowings is the accumulation of fat-filled cells called foam cell macrophages in artery walls. Our study investigates the nature of the fats that macrophages accumulate, and how mild modification of these fats changes the metabolism of the macrophage. Cholesterol circulates in the blood stream as specialise ....Atherosclerosis is the disease which causes narrowings in arteries underlying such serious medical conditions as heart attack and stroke. A key component in the formation of atherosclerotic narrowings is the accumulation of fat-filled cells called foam cell macrophages in artery walls. Our study investigates the nature of the fats that macrophages accumulate, and how mild modification of these fats changes the metabolism of the macrophage. Cholesterol circulates in the blood stream as specialised particles called lipoproteins. The lipoprotein containing most of the cholesterol is low density lipoprotein (LDL), so-called bad cholesterol. LDL is the main source of fat that accumulates in the artery wall in atherosclerosis. When in the artery wall, it is taken up by macrophages which develop a foamy appearance. The accumulation of LDL fats within macrophages is greatly enhanced by the prior modification of LDL. The most well known of these modifications is oxidation- a chemical process of fat spoilage as occurs with rancid butter. Mild oxidation of LDL is well known to occur in human atherosclerosis. However, the ability of macrophages to accumulate the products of mild oxidation has never been established. We have recently discovered that the lipid products of mild oxidation of LDL can build up in macrophages. We achieved this by developing a new system of feeding oxidised LDL to macrophages. Surprisingly, not only could these lipid oxidation products be internalised by the cells, but they progressively accumulated over time, and caused major disturbances in the ability of macrophages to clear ordinary fats inside the cell. This means that mild oxidation of LDL can cause secondary damage inside the macrophage, which is far greater than had previously been realised. This project investigates precisely how the oxidised LDL is metabolised by macrophages and how it disturbs other cell functions.Read moreRead less
Atherosclerotic Plaque Imaging With High Resolution MRI / Multi-Detector CT / PET
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$64,631.00
Summary
Diseased blood vessels often involve build up of cholesterol plaques that cause blockages or poor blood flow. This can lead to strokes and heart attacks. Our research aims to investigate the properties of diseased vessels in the neck with the latest scanning technologies to identifying individuals who are at risk of strokes. We hope to show that the inflammatory activity and composition of the plaques play important roles in leading to the development of strokes.
In Vivo Evaluation Of Coronary Atheroma Burden And Its Association With Focal Coronary Endothelial Function
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$123,736.00
Summary
Heart attacks remain the leading cause of death in the western world. It has been recently identified that the burden of plaque buildup in the coronary arteries is a major predictor of future heart attacks. Furthermore, it also known that impaired relaxation within the coronary arteries also increases the future risk of heart attacks. The dynamic relationship between these two critical factors remains unknown and an understanding of this is important for predicting future heart attacks.