Next-generation Smart Wound Dressings For Real-time, Non-invasive Monitoring Of Infection And Neovascularisation In Burns
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$899,877.00
Summary
Real-time assessment of infection and wound progression in burns is critical to reduce complications and improve long-term recovery. We propose a smart dressing that can assess a wound without needing to remove the dressing. It consists of a biocompatible silk membrane enriched with nanodiamonds and pH-sensitive fluorophores to detect infection, and allow optical assessment of blood vessel regrowth. This project will prototype and validate the smart dressing in preparation for human trials.
This project will develop a smart bone healing gel to bridge fragments of bone defects leading to stem cell recruitment, reduced inflammation, and blood supply for fracture healing. The design of the smart bone healing gel is based on the structures and properties of functional tissue healing hematoma in wound healing.
Hijacking A Death Switch In Pancreatic And Lung Cancer Cells To Develop A Novel Therapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$738,947.00
Summary
Pancreatic (PC) and lung (LC) cancer have a high mortality rate and poor response to current treatments. We have identified a protein whose inhibition in both PC and LC cells sensitises them to a cancer-cell specific therapy called TRAIL and switches signals that normally promote tumour growth into tumour death signals. This project aims to develop a novel therapeutic that inhibits our target and delivers TRAIL to PC and LC tumours, and could potentially improve survival for PC and LC patients.
Novel Modelling To Improve Decision-making For Neighbourhood Design To Reduce Chronic Disease Risk
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$901,564.00
Summary
Research on urban design that might support liveability and health (the 20-minute neighbourhood concept) has used analytic methods that do not account for the complexity of urban environments. This study innovatively uses a flexible and applicable approach (Bayesian Networks) to show where neighbourhood features operate uniquely or not, which features can be prioritised, which are cost effective, and how much of each feature is needed to achieve improvement in reducing risk of chronic disease.
Evidence For Action On Cold, Damp And Mould In Australian Homes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$955,649.00
Summary
We know that living in cold and damp homes is bad for people's health. Surprisingly in Australia we do not know how much exposure to poor conditions and financial hardship combines to generate poor health at the population level. We will quantify this impact and estimate the benefit of interventions (such as mould removal and assistance for paying utility bills). This project will provide governments with evidence for tackling this housing-related health problem.