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.
A Case Control Study Investigating Factors Contributing To The Risk Of Bleeding In Patients Receiving Warfarin Therapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$572,242.00
Summary
Warfarin is a drug commonly used in the elderly to prevent blood clots. Blood clots can lead to stroke. While a very effective drug, it is also a dangerous drug because it can lead to thin blood which makes it more likely that they will bleed. For this reason, the drug should be closely monitored. We know that many people do suffer catastrophic bleeds because the blood is too thin directly as a result of taking warfarin. Some of the reasons for these bleeds are well known; they may be taking dru ....Warfarin is a drug commonly used in the elderly to prevent blood clots. Blood clots can lead to stroke. While a very effective drug, it is also a dangerous drug because it can lead to thin blood which makes it more likely that they will bleed. For this reason, the drug should be closely monitored. We know that many people do suffer catastrophic bleeds because the blood is too thin directly as a result of taking warfarin. Some of the reasons for these bleeds are well known; they may be taking drugs that interact with warfarin, they may have problems with their liver or kidney which affects the body's ability to get rid of it, they may have suffered a fall, to name a few. Studies done overseas have suggested that people are more likely to have a bleed if they do not know how to properly manage their tablets, if they are depressed, if they have no helpers to support them or if their care is not well organised. In Australia, we do not know what impact the organisation of care has on whether a person's warfarin is well managed. We do not know the impact that depression has on their care, or whether people are more likely to have pooorly controlled warfarin if they have few community ties. These are importnat questions to answer, so that we can make significant inroads into preventing death and disability from warfarin.Read moreRead less
Expression And Regulation Of Human Genes Central To Drug Disposition In The Brain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$339,375.00
Summary
The study of the regulation of human genes is inherently difficult. It is difficult or impossible to gain access to many body tissues in either healthy or sick individuals to examine coordinated gene function (or dysfunction). This is particularly true for the brain, where live human tissue is unavailable. For this reason, it is often the case that we have a much better understanding of gene function in species such as rats and mice, the most common animal environments for biomedical research. H ....The study of the regulation of human genes is inherently difficult. It is difficult or impossible to gain access to many body tissues in either healthy or sick individuals to examine coordinated gene function (or dysfunction). This is particularly true for the brain, where live human tissue is unavailable. For this reason, it is often the case that we have a much better understanding of gene function in species such as rats and mice, the most common animal environments for biomedical research. However, findings in animals often fail to meaningfully mirror what occurs in man. To progress our understanding of human genes in brain we need to develop models that more faithfully reproduce the human situation in an environment that is amenable to both manipulation and close examination, such as the novel 'humanized' mouse models described in this application. This application deals with the genes that control enzymes belonging to the human cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) subfamily and the drug transporter MDR1. These genes are present in several tissues including liver, gut, lung and brain. They form the main disposal pathway for foreign chemicals such as drugs, environmental pollutants and some cancer causing chemicals. In addition they are involved in the breakdown of several important internally produced substances, such as steroid hormones. We postulate that altered formation of CYP3A enzymes and MDR1 in brain can have a dramatic impact on the action of many important drugs and may affect the way the brain responds in a behavioral sense to hormones, such as sex steroids. In addition, this work will provide a new and useful information relevant to the design and development of the plethora of drugs that act on the central nervous system.Read moreRead less
Pharmacogenetic Investigations Of Glutathione Transferases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$471,000.00
Summary
Members of the family of enzymes known as glutathione transferases are known to be responsible for the metabolism and detoxification of a wide range of compounds including therapeutic drugs and cancer causing chemicals. Genetic variation in an individual's compliment of glutathione transferases can alter their response to drug treatment or their susceptibility to cancer. This study will investigate (1)the genetic mechanisms that alter the production of glutathione transferases, (2) the character ....Members of the family of enzymes known as glutathione transferases are known to be responsible for the metabolism and detoxification of a wide range of compounds including therapeutic drugs and cancer causing chemicals. Genetic variation in an individual's compliment of glutathione transferases can alter their response to drug treatment or their susceptibility to cancer. This study will investigate (1)the genetic mechanisms that alter the production of glutathione transferases, (2) the characteristics of a new class of glutathione transferases and (3) the role of glutathione transferase A4 in protecting against disorders such as atherosclerosis and Parkinson's disease.Read moreRead less
Glutathione Transferase Deficient Mice To Probe For Adverse Drug Reactions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$562,933.00
Summary
A family of enzymes called glutathione transferases (GST) that metabolize foreign chemicals and therapeutic drugs have been shown to be a significant cause of drug resistance in cancer chemotherapy. It has been suggested that inhibitors of GSTs could be used in cancer treatment to counter drug resistance or to slow the metabolism and enhance the activity of some drugs. Some GSTs carryout important enzymatic reactions with endogenous substrates and others have important non-enzymatic functions su ....A family of enzymes called glutathione transferases (GST) that metabolize foreign chemicals and therapeutic drugs have been shown to be a significant cause of drug resistance in cancer chemotherapy. It has been suggested that inhibitors of GSTs could be used in cancer treatment to counter drug resistance or to slow the metabolism and enhance the activity of some drugs. Some GSTs carryout important enzymatic reactions with endogenous substrates and others have important non-enzymatic functions such as the regulation of signaling pathways within cells and the modulation of calcium ion channels that are involved in muscle contractions. The generic inhibition of all GSTs could therefore have significant adverse physiological effects. We propose to make mice deficient in specific GSTs and to study their physiological responses. The results of these studies will indicate which GSTs can be safely inhibited without the risk of deleterious side effects. These studies are important because adverse reactions to therapeutic drugs are a significant cause of hospital admissions and death.Read moreRead less
Randomised Double-blind Placebo-controlled Trial Of Aspirin In Primary Prevention Of CVD Events Or Dementia In The Aged.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,532,500.00
Summary
The single most important risk factor for cardiovascular disease is age. All men aged 75 years have a 10-15% risk of having a stroke or heart attack in the next 5 years. Low dose aspirin has been shown to prevent further strokes and heart attacks in people who have already had one. It has been also shown to protect people who have not had a heart attack or stroke but who are at increased risk. Given that the elderly are at increased risk why do we need to do a trial in this particular group? The ....The single most important risk factor for cardiovascular disease is age. All men aged 75 years have a 10-15% risk of having a stroke or heart attack in the next 5 years. Low dose aspirin has been shown to prevent further strokes and heart attacks in people who have already had one. It has been also shown to protect people who have not had a heart attack or stroke but who are at increased risk. Given that the elderly are at increased risk why do we need to do a trial in this particular group? The reason is that relatively few elderly patients were included in the previous prevention trials. Also while the elderly may have the most to gain from treatment, they also have the most to lose because they are more likely to suffer from side-effects. Aspirin prevents heart attacks by stopping clots forming in blood vessels. This also means that people taking it have an increased tendency to bleed. Thus though it may prevent strokes due to clots it may also increase the risk of strokes caused by bleeding. Bleeding from the gut is another major problem as aspirin tends to erode the lining of the stomach. Minor bleeding from the gut can also lower blood oxygen carrying capacity which may exacerbate other diseases associated with ageing, e.g. heart failure. Dementia may be caused by repeated clots in small or large vessels. Dementia is a particular problem in the elderly affecting 10% of 85 year olds. It is a major cause of loss of quality of life and a significant cost to the community. Aspirin may reduce the progression of such a disease leading to a maintained quality of life (QOL) for individuals and their families. As our age increases our years of life remaining decreases. This is self-evident. Thus the potential to add years to life reduces and the potential of diseases to adversely affect quality of life becomes more important. Thus it may be more important to prevent a nonfatal stroke that leads to institutionalisation than a fatal stroke. Hence QOL will be assessed.Read moreRead less
COX-2 Inhibitors And The Development Of Unstable Angina And Myocardial Infarction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$171,450.00
Summary
Anti-inflammatory drugs (sometimes called NSAIDs) are widely used in the treatment of arthritis and also as general purpose pain killers. Up to 10 million prescriptions are written each year for these drugs in Australia. Some of the older versions of these drugs like ibuprofen (eg Brufen) and naproxen (trade name Naproxen) cause side effects which can be serious. Damage to the stomach is a particular problem and this can lead to serious bleeding or perforation of ulcers. Less well recognized are ....Anti-inflammatory drugs (sometimes called NSAIDs) are widely used in the treatment of arthritis and also as general purpose pain killers. Up to 10 million prescriptions are written each year for these drugs in Australia. Some of the older versions of these drugs like ibuprofen (eg Brufen) and naproxen (trade name Naproxen) cause side effects which can be serious. Damage to the stomach is a particular problem and this can lead to serious bleeding or perforation of ulcers. Less well recognized are the adverse effects of these drugs on the heart and the kidneys. The older fashioned members of this class of drug are rapidly being replaced by newer agents known as COX-2 inhibitors. Popular examples in Australia are celecoxib (trade name Celebrex) and rofecoxib (trade name Vioxx). These drugs are heavily promoted as being safer than the older NSAIDs. In the case of the stomach, this claim seems to be correct. However, the effects of the new COX-2 inhibitors on the circulation have not been fully assessed. Recently, claims have been made that these drugs may increase the risk of heart attacks. If this were true, it would be an effect that was unique to COX-2 inhibitors as it has not been reported with the older NSAIDs. We plan to carry out a 3 year study in Newcastle hospitals in which we compare the use of COX-2 inhibitors in a group of patients admitted to hospital with a heart attack or unstable angina with that of a control group of patients who were admitted to hospital around the same time, but not for heart problems. We are interested in whether COX-2 inhibitors are associated with an increased risk of heart attacks and whether use of small doses of aspirin protects against this effect. Depending on the results we may be able to improve the safety of these drugs in patients at risk of heart attacks.Read moreRead less
Towards Reducing Resistance And Haematological Toxicity Of Linezolid
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$135,825.00
Summary
Multi-drug resistance in bacteria is increasing at an alarming rate. We have diminishing therapeutic options, and there are few antibiotics in the drug development pipeline that offer much hope. It is therefore important that we look towards ways of further optimising the use of antibiotics that we currently have available. An important last line of defense drug, linezolid, has been available in Australia for less than 2 years and already resistance is occuring. In addition, with broader use of ....Multi-drug resistance in bacteria is increasing at an alarming rate. We have diminishing therapeutic options, and there are few antibiotics in the drug development pipeline that offer much hope. It is therefore important that we look towards ways of further optimising the use of antibiotics that we currently have available. An important last line of defense drug, linezolid, has been available in Australia for less than 2 years and already resistance is occuring. In addition, with broader use of this drug outside clinical trials, there has been an increasing concern over its toxicity to important blood cells. We seek to better understand the determinants of linezolid resistance and toxicity, so that novel dosing strategies may be developed to optimise its use (reduce toxicity and enhance efficacy) thereby extending the usefulness of this last line of defense antibiotic.Read moreRead less