Food allergies have emerged as a major public health concern affecting 1 in 10 Australian infants. Hospitals waiting times are in excess of 12-months for specialist services. Recent changes in the environment are driving up rates of food allergy but the mechanisms are unclear. Epigenetics is the science of how the environment influences gene behaviour. This fellowship will address the important and urgent question of how modern environments are changing our genes, leading to food allergy.
Building Evidence To Improve Health Through Optimal Diet
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$463,652.00
Summary
This research will focus on dietary patterns in population health across the life-course. We know little about how dietary patterns and their determinants vary across life and the impact of life-stage transitions on diet and health. This research will provide unique insights into dietary patterns of infants, children, young adults and older adults.
Epidemiology Of Allergic Diseases And The Role Of Early Life Eczema
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$416,306.00
Summary
Eczema prevents our children from getting a healthy start to life, increases their risk of developing asthma and hay-fever, and we don’t know how to prevent this condition. Dr. Lowe will help identify causes and the outcomes of eczema and allergic diseases in early life, by using a number of important research projects. This research includes an intervention trial that aims to prevent the development of allergic disease and sensitisation, which Dr Lowe leads
Allergic disease affects more than one in five Australian children. What foods a mother eats during pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as when to introduce solid foods to babies, is thought to be critical in reducing the increasing burden of allergies in our Australian community. I hope to use this fellowship to discover what dietary factors put children at risk of developing a food allergy, and ways we can reduce that risk.
Fat Sensing In The Gut: Role In Appetite Regulation In Health And Obesity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$391,076.00
Summary
Dr Little has an international reputation for her research relating to the sensing of nutrients in the gut. During the next 4 years her goal is to establish herself as an independent researcher leading a team and program focussed on characterising the molecular and physiological mechanisms by which fat is sensed in the gut, and the role of these mechanisms in energy intake regulation in health and obesity. These insights are likely to result in more effective management strategies for obesity.