Molecular Genetics Of Sex Determination And Gonad Development
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$4,580,898.00
Summary
Intersex disorders - ranging in severity from hypospadias (misplacement of the urethral opening) to complete sex reversal - are surprisingly common, with estimates as high as 4% of all live births. These disorders usually result in infertility, genital abnormalities, gender mis-assignment and long-term psychological trauma. The cause of these problems is most often the failure of the delicate network of gene regulation that is responsible for proper development of testes or ovaries in the embryo ....Intersex disorders - ranging in severity from hypospadias (misplacement of the urethral opening) to complete sex reversal - are surprisingly common, with estimates as high as 4% of all live births. These disorders usually result in infertility, genital abnormalities, gender mis-assignment and long-term psychological trauma. The cause of these problems is most often the failure of the delicate network of gene regulation that is responsible for proper development of testes or ovaries in the embryo. This research program will identify genes important for sex determination and development of the gonads, find out how these genes function and interact, and discover how they contribute to cases of aberrant sexual development in humans. Australia boasts three of the foremost international researchers in sex determination. Their contributions have been fundamental to the advancement of the field, including the identification and characterization of the master testis determining gene and other genes critical for sex determination. They now propose to pool their expertise in human molecular genetics, mouse developmental biology and protein chemistry to bring spectacular advances in our knowledge of human sexual development and its associated disorders. This information will be used to bring improved clinical care to patients withdisorders of sexual development.Read moreRead less
Molecular Mechanisms Of Cardiac Function And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,053,131.00
Summary
Adult-onset heart disease remains the leading cause of death and disability in our society, with almost 2 million Australians affected. Furthermore, structural heart malformations are the most common type of abnormality at birth and the leading cause of deaths in infants dying from non-infectious causes. Many of these problems are due to defects in the development, repair and-or function of heart muscle cells or cardiomyocytes. Thus, we propose to understand, in fine detail, cardiomyocyte as wel ....Adult-onset heart disease remains the leading cause of death and disability in our society, with almost 2 million Australians affected. Furthermore, structural heart malformations are the most common type of abnormality at birth and the leading cause of deaths in infants dying from non-infectious causes. Many of these problems are due to defects in the development, repair and-or function of heart muscle cells or cardiomyocytes. Thus, we propose to understand, in fine detail, cardiomyocyte as well as integrated heart development, biology, physiology and function as a prerequisite for the development of major advances in the prevention and treatment of these disorders.Read moreRead less
Advanced New Therapeutics And Diagnostics In Retinal Diseases And Glaucoma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,550,944.00
Summary
This program proposal targets the most common blinding diseases in clinical ophthalmology. The applicant team includes research and clinical ophthalmologists and basic scientists. The team have an internationally established reputation in bringing basic science discoveries to the point where they can impact directly on clinical diagnosis and therapy. The proposed research includes new treatment therapies for diabetic retinopathy, age related macular degeneration, and retinal vascular diseases. A ....This program proposal targets the most common blinding diseases in clinical ophthalmology. The applicant team includes research and clinical ophthalmologists and basic scientists. The team have an internationally established reputation in bringing basic science discoveries to the point where they can impact directly on clinical diagnosis and therapy. The proposed research includes new treatment therapies for diabetic retinopathy, age related macular degeneration, and retinal vascular diseases. A new diagnostic technique for glaucoma and new instrumentation for detecting areas of poor blood flow and oxygen supply in the eye are also to be developed. Past successes in our current program grant make us confident that we can produce clinically useful outcomes from this new proposal.Read moreRead less
Improved Respiratory Support And Outcomes For Very Preterm Babies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$9,185,907.00
Summary
Premature babies are born with lungs that are not developed enough to sustain their breathing needs after birth. As a result, they need intensive care which is the most costly and challenging problem in newborn medicine as these infants can suffer life-long diseases because of their early birth. This programs study will help to understand the causes of lung disease in premature babies and develop better ways of caring for them to improve their chances of survival without ongoing illness and disa ....Premature babies are born with lungs that are not developed enough to sustain their breathing needs after birth. As a result, they need intensive care which is the most costly and challenging problem in newborn medicine as these infants can suffer life-long diseases because of their early birth. This programs study will help to understand the causes of lung disease in premature babies and develop better ways of caring for them to improve their chances of survival without ongoing illness and disabilityRead moreRead less