The routes of infection with sheep scrapie and agents that cause related prion diseases. We will define the routes by which the infective agents for scrapie, a debilitating disease of sheep, reach the nervous system after being consumed with food. Scrapie is from the same disease group (prion diseases) as mad cow disease. There would be a large economic cost were prion diseases to infect agricultural animals in Australia, through bioterrorism or accident. An outbreak in sheep could ruin the indu ....The routes of infection with sheep scrapie and agents that cause related prion diseases. We will define the routes by which the infective agents for scrapie, a debilitating disease of sheep, reach the nervous system after being consumed with food. Scrapie is from the same disease group (prion diseases) as mad cow disease. There would be a large economic cost were prion diseases to infect agricultural animals in Australia, through bioterrorism or accident. An outbreak in sheep could ruin the industry, as our export markets would be immediately blocked, and thousands of animals would be killed to stop disease spread. The benefit of clearly understanding how the infective agents reach the nervous system is that this may lead to strategies to intervene, and thus limit the spread and seriousness of infection.Read moreRead less
Anti-ageing role for relaxin in blood vessels. Arteries stiffen with age. This is due to increased arterial smooth muscle tone and alterations in the extracellular matrix. In a sense, the artery undergoes ?fibrosis? with aging. In light of the anti-fibrotic attributes of the peptide hormone relaxin observed in other tissues, this collaborative project will investigate the potential role for relaxin in opposing arterial ?fibrosis? associated with aging. We will test the hypothesis that a reductio ....Anti-ageing role for relaxin in blood vessels. Arteries stiffen with age. This is due to increased arterial smooth muscle tone and alterations in the extracellular matrix. In a sense, the artery undergoes ?fibrosis? with aging. In light of the anti-fibrotic attributes of the peptide hormone relaxin observed in other tissues, this collaborative project will investigate the potential role for relaxin in opposing arterial ?fibrosis? associated with aging. We will test the hypothesis that a reduction in arterial relaxin expression in older animals is a major cause of arterial stiffening. Further studies will investigate the mechanisms by which relaxin administration can alleviate this phenomenon.Read moreRead less
Characterisation of insulin-independent glucose uptake mediated by guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G-proteins) coupled receptors. This project will provide first class postdoctoral training for Dr Sato in the laboratory of A/Prof Bengtsson one of the pioneers in the field of cell metabolism. He will learn new approaches to the study of cell signalling including the use of ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) technologies and of a series of functionally altered mutants of phosphatidylinosito ....Characterisation of insulin-independent glucose uptake mediated by guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G-proteins) coupled receptors. This project will provide first class postdoctoral training for Dr Sato in the laboratory of A/Prof Bengtsson one of the pioneers in the field of cell metabolism. He will learn new approaches to the study of cell signalling including the use of ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) technologies and of a series of functionally altered mutants of phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase that he will bring back to Monash University. A better understanding of the cell signalling mechanisms involved in glucose transport will be of enormous benefit in developing new approaches to the treatment of diseases such as type II diabetes.Read moreRead less
Understanding how the brain uses sensory information to guide reaching and grasping movements. Reaching, grasping and manipulating objects are crucial aspects of our daily lives, which are performed so effortlessly that they tend to be taken for granted. We know however that these functions take a relatively long time to mature (think of a baby learning how to get an object), and that they can be impaired by brain lesions involving a region called the posterior parietal cortex. We also know that ....Understanding how the brain uses sensory information to guide reaching and grasping movements. Reaching, grasping and manipulating objects are crucial aspects of our daily lives, which are performed so effortlessly that they tend to be taken for granted. We know however that these functions take a relatively long time to mature (think of a baby learning how to get an object), and that they can be impaired by brain lesions involving a region called the posterior parietal cortex. We also know that this region has multiple subdivisions, but how exactly these interact in allowing the sensory information to guide arm and hand muscles is unknown. Discovering how this happens in terms of cellular interaction can have profound implications for the creation of new technologies such as artificial limbs and autonomous robots, and result in health benefits.Read moreRead less
Physical factors affecting deposition of combustion submicrometer particles in the human lung. Particles generated from combustion sources have a profound effect on human health, yet there is lack of scientific understanding of the role of different physical mechanisms on particle deposition in the lung. This program will advance scientific knowledge in this field through multidisciplinary efforts of a team from QUT and the University of Salzburg, Austria. It aims at quantification of particle d ....Physical factors affecting deposition of combustion submicrometer particles in the human lung. Particles generated from combustion sources have a profound effect on human health, yet there is lack of scientific understanding of the role of different physical mechanisms on particle deposition in the lung. This program will advance scientific knowledge in this field through multidisciplinary efforts of a team from QUT and the University of Salzburg, Austria. It aims at quantification of particle deposition in human lung through experimental studies and advanced modelling. The program will enhance and strengthen the existing collaboration between the universities and its outcome will be of significance in the vital area of human health and risk assessment.Read moreRead less
Computational methods for precise reconstruction of white-matter fibre tracts in the human brain using diffusion tensor imaging. One in five Australians will experience a mental illness. This project will facilitate a new method for: (1) brain researchers to advance the fundamental understanding of mental illnesses and brain disorders; (2) medical clinicians to diagnose and assess the growing incidence of mental illness confronting Australia's ageing population, thereby addressing the ageing wel ....Computational methods for precise reconstruction of white-matter fibre tracts in the human brain using diffusion tensor imaging. One in five Australians will experience a mental illness. This project will facilitate a new method for: (1) brain researchers to advance the fundamental understanding of mental illnesses and brain disorders; (2) medical clinicians to diagnose and assess the growing incidence of mental illness confronting Australia's ageing population, thereby addressing the ageing well and ageing productively national research priority; and, (3) neurosurgeons to guide surgery via localisation of major neural tracts. In addition to contributing to the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of Australia's endemic mental health burden, this project will advance Australia's skill-base and international standing in basic scientific research.Read moreRead less
Development of Knowledge Discovery for High Dimensional Biomedical Data. The recent progress in experimental techniques of molecular genetics has made available a wealth of genome data and raised the interest for analysis of DNA sequences. As the human and mouse genome projects are in a phase of systematic sequencing, computational tools based on concepts used in science fields have recently played a prominent role. Significant contributions to this project will increasingly depend upon original ....Development of Knowledge Discovery for High Dimensional Biomedical Data. The recent progress in experimental techniques of molecular genetics has made available a wealth of genome data and raised the interest for analysis of DNA sequences. As the human and mouse genome projects are in a phase of systematic sequencing, computational tools based on concepts used in science fields have recently played a prominent role. Significant contributions to this project will increasingly depend upon original application and development of algorithms for the analysis of genomic data, and of the computational systems that support them. These challenges have fostered major progress in computer science, leading to collaborative research of global significance.Read moreRead less
A comparison of housing wealth and the welfare behaviour of Australians and Britons. This comparison of housing wealth as a cushion against adverse life course events in Australia and the UK will improve understanding of how government interventions impede or promote homeowner ability to unlock housing equity to meet welfare needs and uncover types of events precipitating housing equity withdrawal, and the ways this helps or hinders wellbeing in subsequent years of a household's life course. Giv ....A comparison of housing wealth and the welfare behaviour of Australians and Britons. This comparison of housing wealth as a cushion against adverse life course events in Australia and the UK will improve understanding of how government interventions impede or promote homeowner ability to unlock housing equity to meet welfare needs and uncover types of events precipitating housing equity withdrawal, and the ways this helps or hinders wellbeing in subsequent years of a household's life course. Given the paucity of knowledge about consequences of housing equity withdrawal, anticipated national benefits of this research include greater appreciation of sensible and sustainable use of housing equity withdrawal and sound management of the accompanying debt. Outcomes will impact positively on the priority area, Ageing Well, Ageing Productively.Read moreRead less