Impact Of DTP Schedules On The Immunogenicity Of 2 Doses Of 13v-PCV Followed By An Early Booster
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,651,687.00
Summary
This project aims to come up with a vaccination schedule to make pneumococcal vaccines more effective and affordable for Fiji and other developing countries. We will evaluate schedules involving a 2 dose primary series in early infancy with a booster at 9 months of age. We will compare the immune responses to 3 different primary series and 2 booster options. The results of this project will be used to provide advice, at global and country levels, regarding introduction of pneumococcal vaccines.
Neuronal Substrate Of Choice In The Rat Whisker System
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$405,851.00
Summary
Humans and other animals can optimise their goal-directed behaviour by linking stimuli or actions to consequent positive and negative rewards. How does an animal generate such associations, and make decisions in the natural environment where the associations are often uncertain, at times contradictory, and continuously changing? This project uses rat whisker system as an animal model to identify the neuronal basis of perceptual decision making and the role of context.
THE EFFECT OF STRESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT ON DISEASE PROGRESSION IN MESIAL TEMPORAL LOBE EPILEPSY
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$578,201.00
Summary
Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, the most common form of drug-resistant epilepsy in adults, is a progressive neurodegenerative condition for which there is currently no effective disease modifying treatment. This proposal will explore whether co-morbid stress accelerates disease progression in MTLE, and whether targeting stress pathways by medical and environmental manipulations can mitigate against this.
A Multi-national Trial To Predict Treatment Response In Subtypes Of Depression
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$387,489.00
Summary
Treatment of MDD using trial and error can have serious consequences. It can prolong the patient’s suffering (depression is associated with substantial morbidity, and mortality), prolong their absence from work and other productive activity and increase the burden on their family-carers. This multi-national study will collect genetics, brain function and behavioural data from a large number of participants, allowing for sensitive predictors of response to be determined.
Predictors Of Response To Antidepressants: Utility Of Behavioural, Neuroimaging And Genetics Data
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$310,071.00
Summary
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is projected to cause the second greatest global burden of disease by 2020, highlighting the urgent need for valid predictors of effective treatment response. Currently, there are no accurate predictors of response to antidepressants in MDD, and successful treatment relies greatly on 'trial and error'. This process is demanding on health resources, and may be a factor in the high suicide rates in depressed patients. Previous research on treatment response has been ....Major depressive disorder (MDD) is projected to cause the second greatest global burden of disease by 2020, highlighting the urgent need for valid predictors of effective treatment response. Currently, there are no accurate predictors of response to antidepressants in MDD, and successful treatment relies greatly on 'trial and error'. This process is demanding on health resources, and may be a factor in the high suicide rates in depressed patients. Previous research on treatment response has been limited by recruitment of small, heterogeneous patient samples, lack of placebo control, and a failure to examine task related activity in brain imaging studies. Perhaps one of the more troubling aspects of research that aims to predict treatment response to antidepressant medications is the use of commonly used outcome measures such as the Hamilton Rating Depression Scale (HAM-D), which were developed long before current classification systems of depression came into use. The US Federal Drug Administration has recently identified what they call a translational gap such that behavioural and biological measures are the most robust for detection of disorders such as depression, yet these measures remain to be translated into clinical tools that can be used to evaluate treatment. The aim of the current study therefore is to determine whether genetic variability is related to treatment outcome as defined by a more objective outcome measure (facial expression perception) using a randomised controlled design. The study will also determine whether brain measures (fMRI, EEG) enhance the prediction of SSRI response to both clinical and behavioural measures, over and above the genetic contribution.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Corticothalamic Feedback On The Response Dynamics Of Thalamic Neurons
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$351,852.00
Summary
A fundamental question in neuroscience is how the brain selectively processes sensory information to generate a reliable representation of the world. Positioned in the centre of the brain, the thalamus plays a key role in sensory processing. This project investigates how the interaction between thalamus and cortex shapes the selection and gating of sensory information. This is a fundamental question in basic neuroscience with the potential to increase our knowledge about attentional deficits.
Immunomodulatory Vaccines In The Treatment Of Peanut Allergy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$678,899.00
Summary
Peanut allergy is the most common cause of food-induced anaphylactic reactions in Australia and is a major burden to our healthcare system. Current clinical practice advice dietary avoidance to prevent fatal anaphylactic responses. We propose the use of an immunomodulatory vaccine to re-write the immune response to peanut antigens, from an allergic to a tolerant phenotype. This study will provide novel insights into rational approaches for manipulating immune memory to food allergens.
The Role Of Novel G-Protein Coupled Receptors In Immunity And Inflammatory Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$69,684.00
Summary
Recent advances in molecular biology techniques have resulted in the identification of many novel GPCRs. Novel GPCRs expressed selectively on immune cells display a potential target for novel therapies for inflammatory diseases such as Asthma and Rheumatoid arthritis. This project aims to define the activity and significance of a novel group of GPCRs, the GPR40 family. Outcomes of this project will be further understanding of immune cell development and inflammatory disease development.
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR140100001
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$35,000,000.00
Summary
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Australian Type 1 Diabetes Research Network and Program. This Proposal continues the development of the initial Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Research Network (CRN), launched by JDRF in June 2011 with a $5m grant from the Australian Government.
The principal goal of the CRN is to positively impact the life of people with T1D in Australia through the support and promotion of clinical research. A further electoral commitment of $35m over 5 years will enable f ....The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Australian Type 1 Diabetes Research Network and Program. This Proposal continues the development of the initial Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Research Network (CRN), launched by JDRF in June 2011 with a $5m grant from the Australian Government.
The principal goal of the CRN is to positively impact the life of people with T1D in Australia through the support and promotion of clinical research. A further electoral commitment of $35m over 5 years will enable further progress towards finding a cure for T1D, including delivering better and faster access to new therapies and treatments that can help prevent and manage the disease.
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