A Dietary Intervention In Gestational Diabetes To Reduce Child Obesity: A Randomised Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$354,715.00
Summary
Women with gestational diabetes (GDM) whose blood glucose levels (BGL) are not well controlled have a higher chance of giving birth to large babies. These babies are at high risk of becoming overweight children and adults. Preventing child obesity therefore requires appropriate intervention during pregnancy complicated with GDM. This study will determine the ability of specific dietary advice (aimed at reducing maternal BGL) to reduce the risk of large babies in a typical ante-natal setting.
Epigenetic Regulation Of Inflammatory Genes In The Fetal Membranes: Role In Term And Preterm Birth
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$468,534.00
Summary
Preterm birth is the leading cause of death among newborns and the biggest contributor to disability among infants. Here we propose research to define the mechanism that controls the length of pregnancy and is disrupted in preterm birth. Specifically, we will determine what causes the repression of the labour-promoting inflammatory genes in the uterus during pregnancy and what activates them at labour. We will identify new targets for interventions to block or prevent preterm birth.
Defining Epigenetic Predictors Of Long-term Outcomes Of Preterm Birth
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$409,408.00
Summary
On average, those born premature do worse health-wise than those born at term. However, some do worse than others. Our aim is to identify these people at birth to better help doctors and parents to closely monitor their health. For this, we will be “reading the diary of pregnancy” in the molecules added to chromosomes in blood during pregnancy in young adults with will characterised states of health. We will analyse DNA from blood that we will extract from stored heel prick spots.
Pathways Of Neurosteroid-mediated Protection Following Compromised Pregnancy And Preterm Birth
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$565,785.00
Summary
The hormonal environment of pregnancy is essential for normal development of the fetal brain. Levels of key hormones fall following premature birth and are further suppressed if the fetus is small or subjected to stress. This leads developmental problems in infants from the pregnancies. This project will examine effectiveness of replacement and supplementation treatments with critical neurosteroid hormones in reversing the adverse neurological effects of these complications of pregnancy.
Community-wide Active Case Finding For Tuberculosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,422,325.00
Summary
During 2010, 8.8 million people developed TB and 1.45 million people died due to the disease. In this project, which will be conducted in Vietnam, one of the countries in our region with a particularly high prevalence of TB, we will test a new form of an old intervention: community-wide screening for TB, not with x-rays but by testing sputum. If the project is successful it has the potential to lead to a giant leap forward towards the elimination of TB as a global health problem.
A Transmission-Blocking Vaccine To Prevent Toxoplasmosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$850,225.00
Summary
Toxoplasma gondii causes a globally important zoonotic disease. It is transmitted by cats, and finds its way into our food chain via infected meat and contaminated water. We have used a unique functional genomics pipeline to discover proteins crucial for reproduction of Toxoplasma in the cat. We will now test combinations of these proteins to immunise cats and prove that we can develop a vaccine that blocks transmission of this highly significant parasitic disease.
Defining The Molecular Effectors Of Gene/environment Interaction On Mouse Heart Development
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$749,271.00
Summary
One third of all birth defects involve the heart, and are the most common cause of infant death. Some defects are due to genetic factors, but others arise when the pregnant mother is exposed to environmental stress. We will examine how one stress (low oxygen levels) causes abnormal heart formation in the embryo, look at what causes this at a molecular level, and explore if such stress increases the risk of heart defects in families with a history of such abnormalities
Group A Streptococcal Human Challenge Study: Accelerating Vaccine Development
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,018,741.00
Summary
Infection with group A streptococcus (GAS) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, including in the Aboriginal population of Australia. Concerted efforts for vaccine development have been hampered by the absence of a suitable animal model. To address this critical knowledge gap we propose to develop a controlled human infection model of GAS infection. This model will provide a direct pathway for the future appraisal of novel GAS vaccines.
How Does Paternal Obesity Influence Offspring Glucose Tolerance?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$503,398.00
Summary
Obesity and diabetes are closely related to these conditions in either parent, but how the father contributes is unclear. We have shown that normal females mated with obese fathers consuming high fat diet, produce offspring who develop glucose intolerance and impaired insulin secretion. This work will examine the mechanisms underlying this effect in the rat, testing a novel role for environmental factors in the father on disease in offspring that may be relevant to the growing obesity epidemic.
Understanding Sphingolipid Mediators Of Insulin Resistance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$643,447.00
Summary
Sphingolipids are a class of lipid metabolites that have a variety of functions within cells. It has been known for some time that an accumulation of excess lipid, including certain sphingolipids, can adversely impact insulin action and glucose metabolism in cells. In this project we will a combination of strategies to test the hypothesis that the sphingolipid profile can be manipulated to have favourable effects on metabolism.