'One Health Ethics': A Critical Examination Of The Use, Regulation And Prohibition Of Animals As Medicines In Complementary And Traditional Medicinal Systems
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$97,419.00
Summary
Use of traditional, complementary and alternative medicines (TCAM), including animal therapies such as shark cartilage, is growing in Australia despite controversy over its benefits and harms. This research seeks to engage with communities and stakeholders to better understand how and why animals are used as therapies in Australia. The research will inform a more lateral approach to preventing the use of animals in TCAM or at the very least ensuring that their use is sustainable and ethically ac ....Use of traditional, complementary and alternative medicines (TCAM), including animal therapies such as shark cartilage, is growing in Australia despite controversy over its benefits and harms. This research seeks to engage with communities and stakeholders to better understand how and why animals are used as therapies in Australia. The research will inform a more lateral approach to preventing the use of animals in TCAM or at the very least ensuring that their use is sustainable and ethically acceptable.Read moreRead less
Energy Supply In Glaucoma: One Cell's Trash Is Another Cell's Treasure
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$122,712.00
Summary
Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness and affects 65 million people worldwide, yet its underlying cause is not well understood. The work described in this research aims to understand the role of oligodendrocytes in provision of energy to retinal ganglion cell axons, and whether impaired energy supply in retinal ganglion cell axons and the optic nerve will lead to glaucoma. It is expected to provide new insight into glaucoma and potentially lead to new treatments.
Platelet Derived Growth Factor Mediated Activation And Rejuvenation Of Endogenous Cardiac Stem Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$102,345.00
Summary
The burden of heart failure is underpinned by the heart’s limited capacity for self-repair after injury. Recent evidence shows that PDGF can improve heart function by activating and rejuvenating resident heart stem cells. This project will build on over a decade of preliminary work in mice, validating our results in a preclinical large animal model. Outcomes of this project include expedited progression of this promising therapy where thousands of heart failure patients could one-day benefit.
Cardiomyopathy is the term used to describe diseases that affect the heart, in particular the muscle fibres which contract with each heartbeat. Dysfunction of these muscle cells is a significant cause of cardiovascular disease that can affect people of all ages. Recent studies have demonstrated that many cardiomyopathies may have an underlying genetic basis. This project will identify genes that are involved in heart disease and aid the development of improved treatment programs for these disord ....Cardiomyopathy is the term used to describe diseases that affect the heart, in particular the muscle fibres which contract with each heartbeat. Dysfunction of these muscle cells is a significant cause of cardiovascular disease that can affect people of all ages. Recent studies have demonstrated that many cardiomyopathies may have an underlying genetic basis. This project will identify genes that are involved in heart disease and aid the development of improved treatment programs for these disorders.Read moreRead less
Proof Of Principle For Minimally-Invasive Intravascular Brain-Computer Interface
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$110,068.00
Summary
Severe injury to limb or spinal cord leads to significant disability. Despite advances in many areas of modern medicine, prosthetic limbs have changed little over decades. A new field of medicine seeks to create a "brain-computer interface" that is capable of controlling a robotic limb, or any electronic device just by thinking. Brain-computer interfaces are currently implanted in an open brain operation. This project aims to demonstrate that a brain-computer interface can be be implanted in a m ....Severe injury to limb or spinal cord leads to significant disability. Despite advances in many areas of modern medicine, prosthetic limbs have changed little over decades. A new field of medicine seeks to create a "brain-computer interface" that is capable of controlling a robotic limb, or any electronic device just by thinking. Brain-computer interfaces are currently implanted in an open brain operation. This project aims to demonstrate that a brain-computer interface can be be implanted in a minimally invasive procedure.Read moreRead less
Roles Of Cascades Of Transforming Growth Factor-beta And Matrix Metalloproteinases In The Impact Of Cancer Stem Cells On The Neoplasm Formation Of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$81,793.00
Summary
Failure of treatment of oral cancer patients is because the specific cancer cells escape from chemo-radiotherapy. These cells feature self-renew and fast growth, which are called cancer stem cells (CSC). We will test our hypothesis “the genes of TGF-?1 and MMP initiate CSCs” using our cell-mouse models to arrest cancer progression, and verify the impact of CSC on cancer formation. This study is critical to know how to arrest CSC and offer an opportunity to develop a targeted anti-cancer therapy.
Exploring Models For Antibody Mediated Endocrine Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$140,949.00
Summary
Common endocrine disorders like Graves’ disease, are mediated by auto-antibodies, causing uncontrolled hormonal expression and undesirable effects. However, due to the limited understanding of the antibody interactions, the treatment is still focused on controlling the hormone production/interactions instead of targeting the underlying autoimmune processes. This project aims to further characterise the role the antibody through animal studies and developing novel treatments based on the research ....Common endocrine disorders like Graves’ disease, are mediated by auto-antibodies, causing uncontrolled hormonal expression and undesirable effects. However, due to the limited understanding of the antibody interactions, the treatment is still focused on controlling the hormone production/interactions instead of targeting the underlying autoimmune processes. This project aims to further characterise the role the antibody through animal studies and developing novel treatments based on the research.Read moreRead less
Targeted Molecular Therapies And Predictive Biomarkers In A Novel Orthotopic Xenograft Model Of Oesophageal Carcinoma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$120,253.00
Summary
Oesophageal cancer is the most rapidly increasing malignancy in Western society. This disease often presents in advanced stages with poor response to established medical and surgical therapies. Our aim is to develop a novel mouse model of oesophageal cancer, allowing us to tailor cancer-inhibiting molecular treatments to individual patients by predicting therapeutic success or resistance with the use of cellular markers identified in our animal mode.