Multiscale Analysis Of Plasma Membrane Microdomains In Health And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$863,413.00
Summary
The cell surface encloses the cell in a protective barrier but it must also respond to signals coming from outside the cell. To accomplish this, the cell surface is made up of numerous regions each with a specialised role. This proposal aims to examine how lipids and proteins work together to make these specialised regions and aims to understand what goes wrong in diseases such as muscular dystrophy.
Regulation Of Cell Death, Cell Survival And Ubiquitination In Normal Physiology And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$851,980.00
Summary
The project will investigate the functions of specific genes and pathways to understand the molecular basis of various diseases. It is based on our data that indicate new roles for (i) cell death in genomic instability in cancer, and (ii) ubiquitination in hypertension, developmental defects, kidney disease, as well as iron homeostasis. The work will lead to new understanding of human disease and discovery of potential new drug targets. It will also provide training of junior scientists.
The human immune system comprises many different types of cells that can detect foreign molecules. My research will lead the way to understanding some of the most abundant, yet least well understood, cells within this system, collectively known as 'unconventional T cells'. This knowledge is essential to optimally and efficiently manipulate the immune system in health and disease.
The research focuses on how gene function is networked and the ways that cells talk to each other to coordinate their activity in the formation of organs and body parts. Knowledge gleaned from these investigations will enhance our understanding of the genetic control underpinning normal development and the errors that lead to birth defects. The elucidation of the process that turns naive cells into the right cell type is essential for the use of stem cells for cell therapy and tissue repair.
Defining The Coordination Of Immune Responses To Pathogens
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$640,210.00
Summary
Understanding how immune responses are coordinated is critical for the design of new therapies and vaccines to target infectious diseases and cancers. This project will utilise advanced imaging combined with novel tools to dissect the complex interactions that occur between immune cells as they are activated and patrol the body to eliminate infectious pathogens.
I am an cellular immunologist determining the mechanisms by which immunity to foreign organisms is generated, how tolerance to self tissues is maintained, and how the immune system iscriminates between foreign organisms and self.
Mechanisms Of Regulation Of Ribosome Biogenesis And Function In Health And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$631,010.00
Summary
The PI3K/AKT signalling pathway drives many cancers and until recently was thought to do so by preventing cancer cell death. We have shown this pathway also regulates the synthesis of ribosomes, the cellular “factories” that make protein and by interfering with PI3K/AKT regulated ribosome synthesis, can kill cancer cells. We aim to establish the mechanisms underlying this regulation of ribosome synthesis and to test the hypothesis that ribosome biogenesis is a novel target for cancer treatment.
Targeting Mechanisms That Promote Cancer Cell Survival: Genetic And Chemical Approaches To Unravel The Molecular Mechanisms That Drive Tumour Formation, Develop Novel Molecular And Chemical Probes, And Discover New Therapeutics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$751,854.00
Summary
One in three of us are likely to die from cancers. Groundbreaking research, including those made by Prof Huang, has revealed some of the reasons why cancers arise. An attractive way to transform the poor outcomes for cancer patients is to develop better medicines based on findings made by the basic researchers. Prof Huang leads a team at WEHI, including chemists, focused on developing better drugs that exploit knowledge garnered through such basic research in order to improve cancer treatment.
Delineating Immune Circuits For Innate And Adaptive Immune Protection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$876,005.00
Summary
The immune system provides the essential frame-work to protect us against infection, disease and to heal tissues after trauma. This is achieved by a complex but elegant network of different types of white blood cells. Understanding the molecular wiring of these cells will provides fundamental insights to how the body fights pathogen infections and cancer and lays the foundation to therapeutic approaches to vaccination and disease treatments.
Haematopoietic Stem Cells From Human Pluripotent Stem Cells: The Future Of Bone Marrow Transplantation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$763,845.00
Summary
Blood stem cell transplantation is a vital therapy for patients with leukaemia following chemotherapy or for patients with bone marrow failure. Because many patients lack a donor, there is a need for an alternate source of stem cells. My laboratory will make blood stem cells from human pluripotent stem cells that will treat patients needing a transplant and will be a useful research tool to help us to understand what goes wrong in the blood system in a range of illnesses.