Distribution Of Monodisperse Aerosols Inhaled By Children For Determination Of Optimal Therapeutic Inhaler Formulations
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$326,000.00
Summary
Inhalers are the primary form of treatment for asthma, allowing the delivery of lower doses of medication directly to the lungs. Consistent daily use of these inhalers is often necessary to effectively control the symptoms of asthma. Inhalers are now increasingly used to treat infants with lung problems. Many of these inhalers are not designed for use by such young children, who may be unable to perform the breathing techniques necessary for effective use of these inhalers. Not all the drug inha ....Inhalers are the primary form of treatment for asthma, allowing the delivery of lower doses of medication directly to the lungs. Consistent daily use of these inhalers is often necessary to effectively control the symptoms of asthma. Inhalers are now increasingly used to treat infants with lung problems. Many of these inhalers are not designed for use by such young children, who may be unable to perform the breathing techniques necessary for effective use of these inhalers. Not all the drug inhaled by patients will end up in the lungs where it is needed; a large proportion is left in the mouth, throat and stomach. Our earlier studies have shown that there is a large amount of variability in the amount of drug received by children using inhalers. We intend to assess the important factors involved in improving the efficiency of inhaler therapy for children, such as the size of the inhaled particles and the breathing pattern of the child. The results obtained from this study will enable us to determine the best method of delivering these drugs to children so that they only receive the lowest effective dose for treatment of the symptoms of asthma while minimising unwanted effects.Read moreRead less
Determining The Cellular Mechanisms Involved In The Airway Response To Topical Citrate
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$444,491.00
Summary
The air passages of the lungs are lined by mucous membranes. These membranes are covered by a thin layer of fluid to protect the airways from drying. This fluid allows the cilia, the hair like projections on top of the airway cells to beat more effectively to remove mucous and inhaled particles from the lungs. The volume and composition of this fluid is determined by the salt and water movement across the mucous membranes of the airways. These processes are abnormal in cystic fibrosis (CF), the ....The air passages of the lungs are lined by mucous membranes. These membranes are covered by a thin layer of fluid to protect the airways from drying. This fluid allows the cilia, the hair like projections on top of the airway cells to beat more effectively to remove mucous and inhaled particles from the lungs. The volume and composition of this fluid is determined by the salt and water movement across the mucous membranes of the airways. These processes are abnormal in cystic fibrosis (CF), the most common lethal inherited disease affecting Australians. In CF, an abnormal gene disrupts one of the major mechanisms for salt and water movement in the air passages. This abnormal salt transport causes drying of the airway surface which impairs the working of the cilia. This leads to retention of mucous in the airways with repeated bacterial infections damaging the lungs. Over the last 10 years, we have developed a series of simple tests to measure the abnormalities in the CF airway of human subjects. We have isolated an exciting new clinical application for sodium citrate, a substance used in blood transfusions. Citrate appears to alter both the salt transport abnormalities found in CF. This research proposal seeks to better understand the dual effects of citrate and to test similar compounds that may have stronger effects. The ultimate aim of our research is to have sufficient knowledge to work out the best way to develop a new treatment for CF.Read moreRead less
Effectiveness Of Training Somatosensation In The Hand After Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$180,660.00
Summary
Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, requiring provision of rehabilitation services to help minimize impairment and its impact on the ability to resume daily activities. The ability to feel textures and objects through touch and to know where one s limbs are in space are impaired in up to 85% of people who have suffered a stroke. People with this loss are handicapped by difficulties in exploring objects through touch and in performing everyday tasks that require grasp and manipulat ....Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, requiring provision of rehabilitation services to help minimize impairment and its impact on the ability to resume daily activities. The ability to feel textures and objects through touch and to know where one s limbs are in space are impaired in up to 85% of people who have suffered a stroke. People with this loss are handicapped by difficulties in exploring objects through touch and in performing everyday tasks that require grasp and manipulation of objects. Yet clinicians are either not treating the problem or are using methods without a sound theoretical basis and controlled evidence to support their application. We have systematically investigated optimal methods of sensory training across different sensory abilities using a series of single-subject experiments. Marked improvement in the ability to discriminate trained and related untrained texture stimuli and limb positions was achieved and maintained in most participants. These findings have provided the foundation for development a scientifically based and clinically focused sensory retraining program that has apparently excellent therapeutic potential. The purpose of the proposed study is to test the effectiveness of this scientifically based, clinical sensory retraining program in a broad group of stroke clients using the internationally recommended randomized controlled group design. The program will train a range of functionally important sensory discrimination tasks, i.e. texture discrimination, limb position sense and tactual object recognition, in clinical and home environments. Demonstration of clinically important and statistically significant training effects will provide the evidence necessary to recommend the introduction of the program into routine health service delivery. Investigation of patient characteristics that may impact on the ability to benefit from training will assist in the targeting of services to appropriate individuals.Read moreRead less
An Integrated Approach For The Efffective Adoptive Immunotherapy Of Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$468,119.00
Summary
Killer T lymphocytes can penetrate tumors and their transfer into cancer patients has demonstrated some encouraging results, but this form of immunotherapy remain ineffective in most cancer patients. We propose to improve the tumor trafficking and anti-tumor activities of killer cells by genetically engineering them with proteins that will enable them to recognise and destroy cancer cells. The outcomes of this project will validate this novel approach for treatment of cancer patients.
GENETIC MANIPULATION OF TUMOURS TO INDUCE IMMUNE REJECTION
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$396,342.00
Summary
The ability to be able to modify tumour growth and bring about tumour rejection by activating the host immune system is a prime objective in many laboratories throughout the world. Our aim is to take advantage of the considerable advances in molecular technology of recent years to develop effective approaches to the modification of tumour cells so that their growth can be inhibited in vivo. The project has three main aims: (i) to identify combinations of genes which, when administered to or expr ....The ability to be able to modify tumour growth and bring about tumour rejection by activating the host immune system is a prime objective in many laboratories throughout the world. Our aim is to take advantage of the considerable advances in molecular technology of recent years to develop effective approaches to the modification of tumour cells so that their growth can be inhibited in vivo. The project has three main aims: (i) to identify combinations of genes which, when administered to or expressed in tumour cells will induce protective immune responses against the tumour (ii) to investigate the effectiveness of combination approaches to gene therapy whereby genetic manipulations which cause destruction of tumour cells, or inhibition of blood vessel growth in tumours can be combined with administration of immunologically relevant genes to enhance tumour destruction (iii) to identify molecules which can act as target tumour antigens for the immune response or which are involved in promoting tumour survival so that these genes may be manipulated to enhance the development of anti-tumour immunity. The model we will use to investigate these issues will be malignant mesothelioma (MM). This tumour type is currently untreatable and is resistant to all available forms of therapy. Achievement of the aims described above would lead to the capacity for early treatment of MM. The identification of suitable target antigens has the potential to lead to vaccination protocols for therapy or as a preventative measure. Furthermore, the principles defined in this project will be applicable to the treatment of a variety of other solid tumours which are currently resistant to conventional therapy.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Aire In Immunological Tolerance And Autoimmunity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$434,134.00
Summary
The immune system is designed to protect us from foreign pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and parasites. This is achieved through lymphocytes which recognise foreign pathogens. However in 5-6% of the population the immune system attacks the host and induces autoimmunity. We aim to understand the mechanisms which control the production of self-reacting lymphocytes and how we may reduce the incidence of autoimmunity.