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MECHANISMS OF CEREBROVASCULAR REGULATION IN HEALTH AND DISEASE
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$216,430.00
Summary
Failure of the cerebral circulation to meet the brain's immediate high nutritive requirements results in stroke in just a few minutes. Stroke continues to be a major cause of death and disability, and this major medical challenge requires urgent and significant research at the basic level to better understand mechanisms of normal, and then abnormal, regulation of cerebral artery function. The project will examine the importance of a novel mechanism in regulating brain blood flow by affecting the ....Failure of the cerebral circulation to meet the brain's immediate high nutritive requirements results in stroke in just a few minutes. Stroke continues to be a major cause of death and disability, and this major medical challenge requires urgent and significant research at the basic level to better understand mechanisms of normal, and then abnormal, regulation of cerebral artery function. The project will examine the importance of a novel mechanism in regulating brain blood flow by affecting the degree of opening of the cerebral arteries. This mechanism involves activation of an enzyme, Rho-kinase, which is present in the wall of blood vessels. The applicants believe that this process plays an important role in the normal, healthy regulation of blood supply to the brain. Moreover, there are strong reasons for us to speculate that the function of this enzyme is abnormally high in two disease states that are associated with an increased risk of stroke - high blood pressure and subarachnoid haemorrhage. We will employ a variety of techniques to assess the importance of Rho-kinase in cerebral artery function in the living body, and also in isolated segments of artery. The results are expected to provide major new insight into mechanisms that regulate brain blood flow, and the knowledge gained here may lead to better therapies to prevent or treat stroke.Read moreRead less
Airway Smooth Muscle Contribution To Remodelling In Asthma.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$211,320.00
Summary
Asthma is an airway disease that affects more than 10% of adults and 25% of children in Australia and in 1998 caused 675 deaths. The cost to the community is in excess of $720 million a year. The abnormality in asthma is not fully understood, however inflammation, changes to the structure of the airways and excessive airway narrowing are key factors. Inflammation and the allergic reactions which accompany asthma cause fluid to leak from tiny blood vessels in the lung. This fluid and the inflamma ....Asthma is an airway disease that affects more than 10% of adults and 25% of children in Australia and in 1998 caused 675 deaths. The cost to the community is in excess of $720 million a year. The abnormality in asthma is not fully understood, however inflammation, changes to the structure of the airways and excessive airway narrowing are key factors. Inflammation and the allergic reactions which accompany asthma cause fluid to leak from tiny blood vessels in the lung. This fluid and the inflammation are linked to changes in the airway which include structural protein deposition - breakdown and an overgrowth of the smooth muscle that lines the walls of the airway. Our work is focussed on understanding the relationship between the structural protein deposition - breakdown and excess muscle growth. We also hope to gain a better understanding of the way asthma treatments combat these changes in the asthmatic airways.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Connexins In Blood Pressure Regulation: Use Of A Conditional Gene Expression System
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$583,767.00
Summary
Cell coupling through gap junctions is said to play an important role in regulating blood flow and blood pressure. However data obtained from mice, in which specific gap junctions are deleted, may be compromised by compensatory changes in other junctions. We have validated a new method for rapidly and reversibly altering gap junctions in adult mice with oral sugar. This technique will enable us to directly determine whether interference with cell coupling affects blood flow and blood pressure.