How Are Axons Guided To Their Targets In The Developing Nervous System?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$329,644.00
Summary
Many neurodevelopmental disorders are probably the result of wiring defects. In this project we will use new technologies to study how growing nerve fibres are steered to their targets during development, and use this data to create new mathematical models which can predict which way nerve fibres should grow in different situations. This will advance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying both normal and abnormal brain development.
Molecular And Activity Dependent Mechanisms Regulating The Targeting Of Corpus Callosum Axons In The Contralateral Hemisphere.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$413,266.00
Summary
The brain is made up of circuits of neurons that process specific information. For example, the somatosensory cortex receives and sends connections to other somatosensory areas, including the contralateral cortex, but how these systems are wired up is not known. We will investigate whether information about the size and position of the cortical areas and activity-matching of the somatosensory information received by each hemisphere are used to guide callosal axons to their targets.
Knowledge, Identification And Exploitation Of Dopaminergic Axon Guidance Cues Will Improve Cell Replacement Therapy For ParkinsonÍs Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$481,797.00
Summary
Many obstacles exist for cell transplantation in ParkinsonÍs Disease; namely poor graft survival, restoration of appropriate circuitry and adequate nerve fiber growth from new cells. Using knowledge of how neural circuits are established during fetal development, we will attempt to recapitulate these events following transplantation. Further, we will identify new and novel cues in regulating the connectivity and growth of these nerve fibers.
Computational Analysis Of The Influence Of Growth Cone Shape Dynamics On Axon Guidance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$346,406.00
Summary
For the brain to function correctly its neurons must be connected correctly. This project will use a novel mathematical approach to understand how growing nerve fibres find where to go in the developing brain. In particular we will use both experiments and computational analysis to understand how the shape of the tip of a growing nerve fibre helps the fibre navigate. This may help us understand the biological cause of many different types of mental disorders.
Integrative Bioinformatic And Experimental Approaches To Define Novel Roles For Genes That Typically Regulate Axon Guidance In Pancreatic Cancer Initiation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$587,955.00
Summary
Early detection and intervention would have a dramatic effect on improving the outcomes for pancreatic cancer. This however relies on understanding how the cancer is initiated. New analysis of more than 100 tumours identified aberrations in genes that typically regulate how the nervous system is positioned during development. We want to use novel bioinformatic approaches and a unique experimental method with cells in culture to rapidly and accurately find out which of these genes drives a normal ....Early detection and intervention would have a dramatic effect on improving the outcomes for pancreatic cancer. This however relies on understanding how the cancer is initiated. New analysis of more than 100 tumours identified aberrations in genes that typically regulate how the nervous system is positioned during development. We want to use novel bioinformatic approaches and a unique experimental method with cells in culture to rapidly and accurately find out which of these genes drives a normal pancreatic cell to become a tumour cell.Read moreRead less
Promoting Regrowth Of Nerve Fibres Into The Epidermis During Diabetic Neuropathy By LRP Agonists
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$427,102.00
Summary
Nerve damage can develop post injury or disease and is often very debilitating, slow to heal and can cause increased pain. Our work aims to examine a new class of molecules that we show can activate selected fat-receptors on nerve cells to guide the growth of regenerating nerves. We will determine how these receptors function with the aim of developing a novel class of therapeutics directed at healing nerve damage.
Combining Timelapse Imaging And Computational Modelling To Understand The Mechanisms Of Axon Guidance In The Developing Retinotectal System
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$438,793.00
Summary
Understanding how patterns of brain wiring develop is crucial for understanding many cognitive disorders. One of the commonest types of connection pattern in the brain is a topographic map, where nearby neurons in one structure connect to nearby neurons in another structure. Using the transgenic tools available in the zebrafish as a model system, we will combine novel experiments with computational modelling to understand the rules which govern the formation of topographic maps in the brain.
Deciphering The Mechanisms Underlying LRP-mediated Axon Guidance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$370,659.00
Summary
Nerve damage can develop post injury or disease and are often very debilitating, slow to heal and cause increased pain. Our work aims to examine a new class of molecules that we show can activate selected fat-receptors on nerve cells to guide the growth of regenerating nerves. We will determine how these receptors function with the aim of developing a novel class of therapeutics directed at healing nerve damage.
Decoding Conserved Mechanisms That Control Neuronal Migration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$526,950.00
Summary
During brain development, nerve cells interact with each other and their surrounding environment through a forest of molecules that are essential for precise cellular communication. Deficient signaling between these molecules causes defects in development and leads to disease. By employing genetic and biochemical approaches we propose to identify new mechanisms through which the brain develops, to better understand how brain diseases such as epilepsy and schizophrenia occur.
The Role Of Store-operated Calcium Entry In Neuronal Development
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$353,140.00
Summary
Defects in brain development can manifest in a range of disorders including autism and mental retardation. The highly complex, precise network that is our nervous system forms during development. Our work will determine the role of key proteins in guiding developing neurons. Understanding the function of such proteins will improve our ability to predict the outcome caused by mutations in these proteins, in the developing foetus.