Gene-environment Interactions In The Aetiology Of Myopia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$671,285.00
Summary
The rapid rise in the prevalence of shortsightedness poses a major public health challenge. The Sydney Myopia Study has collected a large database on environmental risk factors, and has documented a major protective effect of children spending more time outdoors. Other studies suggest that myopia has a major genetic component. This study will collect DNA samples from over 4000 participants in the Sydney Myopia Study, and through genome-wide scanning, will look for gene-environment interactions.
Defining Factors That Contribute To Individual Diversity In The Diet-health Axis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,668,059.00
Summary
There is a complex interplay between nutrition and genetics such that one diet maybe good for some but not for others depending on genetic makeup. Preliminary experiments in flies and mice support this. We found that for some flies, diets high in fat are harmful resulting in short life but certain flies resist the harmful effects of fat and live a longer lives. We propose to unravel the gene-environment interaction and determine which genes might lead to optimal health outcomes on certain diets.
Addressing Conflicts Of Interest In Public Health And Biomedicine: Enhancing Professional Integrity And Safeguarding The Public’s Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$583,014.00
Summary
It is common for health researchers, clinicians and policymakers to have "conflicts of interest" due, for example, to relationships with private industry. It is widely accepted that conflicts of interest can at times distort research, policymaking and practice, but there is no consensus as to how they should be conceptualised, assessed or managed In this project we will explore the causes and impacts of conflict of interest, and devise a sophisticated framework for managing them.
Characteristics Of Intervention Research That Progresses To 'real-world' Implementation”
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$555,851.00
Summary
Governments, health agencies and the public are interested in knowing whether publicly funded research “makes a difference” . This project examines 8 years of NHMRC funded research on clinical and community based interventions to change health to better understand understand factors that best promote effective research being later implemented to benefit the community. It will assist planning to facilitate more useful research being funded.
Deciphering Specific Roles For The Common Arnt Proteins In BHLH/PAS Transcription Factor Complexes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$526,421.00
Summary
Understanding the precise control of neuronal genes related to appetite and obesity, and neuropsychiatric disorders and dementia, is complicated by some gene regulating proteins having highly related sequences. This project will eludcidate how two closely related proteins can determine specific target gene outputs, information important for designing methods to control activities of neurological disease related genes within cells.
Complex Statistical Analyses Of Genome-wide Association Studies Related To Breast And Prostate Cancers Using High Performance Supercomputing
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$656,073.00
Summary
Breast and prostate cancers are the most common cancers in Australian women and men. Simple analyses of genome-wide association (GWAS) studies explain only a fraction of why these cancers run in families. The University of Melbourne now has a supercomputer that can conduct much more complex analyses. We will apply these to the world’s GWAS data for breast and prostate cancers. We hope to learn more about the causes of these cancers, and expand an expert Australian workforce in supercomputing.
Impact Of Social Adversity On The Developmental Trajectory To Mental Illness: A Study Of A Whole-population Cohort Of Children At Familial High-risk For Psychotic Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$822,385.00
Summary
The objective of this study is to use the rich multi-generational data collection that we have assembled on the life course of a large whole-population birth cohort and their parents to address specific research questions on the contribution of social adversity to the pathogenesis of mental illness, taking into account the interplay of social adversity with genetic risk and the range of other contributing factors on the developmental trajectory to mental illness.
Uptake Of Evidence To Policy: The Indigenous Burden Of Disease Case Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$439,210.00
Summary
Burden of Disease (BOD) methods were designed with the intention of assisting health policy makers in decision making. Using a unit called the Disability Adjusted Life Year, the process measures both death and disability caused by disease or illness, allowing the burden of differing diseases to be compared, and priorities clarified. This research will improve communication between researchers, community and policy makers by showing how the Indigenous BOD study has been used in policy processes.
Investigating Tumour Initiation And Growth In A Panel Of Mice Defective In Epigenetic Reprogramming.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$421,600.00
Summary
Until recently it was believed that cancer is always caused by mutations in genes. Now it has been proposed that chemical modifications to the DNA and the proteins that package the DNA may also initiate cancer. These "epigenetic" modifications control whether our genes are switched on or off. Epigenetic modifications are disrupted in cancer, but it is not known whether they can start tumour growth. I will study this using mouse models. This work may lead to preventative screening and new treatme ....Until recently it was believed that cancer is always caused by mutations in genes. Now it has been proposed that chemical modifications to the DNA and the proteins that package the DNA may also initiate cancer. These "epigenetic" modifications control whether our genes are switched on or off. Epigenetic modifications are disrupted in cancer, but it is not known whether they can start tumour growth. I will study this using mouse models. This work may lead to preventative screening and new treatments in humans.Read moreRead less
Insights Into The Epitranscriptome: Linking RNA Methylation And Intellectual Disability
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$426,878.00
Summary
The string of nucleotides in an RNA molecule can contain the information to make proteins or to regulate diverse biological processes. Chemical modifications can be added to certain nucleotides that impact the regulation, structure or function of RNA. Recently, mutations in enzymes that modify RNA have been found in patients with intellectual disability. This project focuses on identifying and characterising specific RNA modification sites in brain that when disrupted cause mental retardation.