Reduction Of Chronic Post-surgical Pain With Ketamine - ROCKet Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$4,823,395.00
Summary
Chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP) is a common complication of major surgery, and a significant burden on quality of life and ongoing health costs. Ketamine is a drug used by anaesthetists to treat severe acute surgical pain. Various small studies suggest that it may be unique in its ability to reduce the risk of CPSP. We propose a large trial of ketamine during & after anaesthesia for major surgery to test this. Demonstration of effectiveness would promote widespread change in clinical practice.
Physical, Lifestyle And Psychosocial Determinants Of Spinal Pain Development In Adolescents
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$682,800.00
Summary
This project aims to understand the development of back and neck pain in adolescence. By the age of 16 around half of all adolescents have suffered back pain and one third have suffered neck pain. For many adolescents this pain is disabling and over a third of sufferers miss school, miss recreation and seek medical help. The current understanding of back and neck pain in adolescence is quite limited - restricting the effectiveness of initiatives to prevent adolescents having to suffer spinal pai ....This project aims to understand the development of back and neck pain in adolescence. By the age of 16 around half of all adolescents have suffered back pain and one third have suffered neck pain. For many adolescents this pain is disabling and over a third of sufferers miss school, miss recreation and seek medical help. The current understanding of back and neck pain in adolescence is quite limited - restricting the effectiveness of initiatives to prevent adolescents having to suffer spinal pain and of treatment of those adolescents unlucky enough to have an episode. Better understanding and interventions for adolescent spinal pain will also have longer term implications by reducing adult spinal pain. Four out of 5 adults will experience spinal pain. In the USA treating adult back pain is the 4th largest health care cost. Many adults with chronic back pain had their first episode during adolescence. A better understanding of spinal pain in adolescence may help prevent it developing into a lifelong disability. We will collect information from 2,000 adolescents on their experience of back and neck pain and on potential physical, lifestyle and psychosocial risk factors. We believe factors such as their posture, muscle capacity, TV and computer use, mental health and social situation all combine to influence whether a person develops back or neck pain. The project is unique as it will not only collect a broad range of information during adolescence, but will also make use of a large database of health, developmental and psychosocial information already collected from these children since birth. With a better understanding of the development of spinal pain we will be able to develop guidelines to help prevent these problems. We will also be able to develop better treatment plans for sub-groups of adolescents with a particular combination of risk factors. Together these initiatives will assist in understanding and breaking the pathway to chronic spinal pain.Read moreRead less
Understanding And Applying Macrophage-mediated Effects On Liver Progenitor Cells To Treat Liver Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$628,109.00
Summary
As liver cancer risk correlates with increased liver stem/progenitor cell numbers, therapies that reduce their numbers will reduce cancer development. On the contrary, therapies to increase progenitor cell numbers will assist their use in cell therapy-based approaches or artificial liver devices to treat chronic liver disease. This project will determine how to use inflammatory cells to manipulate progenitor cell numbers.
Improving Treatment Strategies For Chronic Alphaviral Arthritic Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$643,624.00
Summary
Chikungunya virus and Ross River virus cause epidemics of acute and chronic arthritic disease in humans, which is often poorly managed with current treatments. This grant seeks to understand the mechanisms that give rise to disease in order to identify improved treatment strategies. Both the persistence of viral replication in joint tissues and unnecessary inflammatory responses appear to be important factors driving chronic disease.
Developmental-associated Dysregulation Of Innate Anti-microbial Immunity In Early Life As A Determinant Of Susceptibility To Atopic Asthma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$570,334.00
Summary
Previous NHMRC-sponsored research from the applicants has demonstrated that one of the strongest risk factors for subsequent development of asthma is having chest infections during infancy that are so severe that they trigger symptoms of fever and wheeze. It is not known what predisposes susceptible infants to these severe infections, and this project will attempt to define the mechanisms of susceptibility.
Technology is changing the lives of Australians. We need to understand the impact on health to gain the benefits with minimal harm. This fellowship will support a program of internationally leading research drawing together ergonomics, physiotherapy and physical activity expertise. Example projects include the impact of electronic games on children’s activity, walking workstations to increase physical activity of office workers and a family-based program for overweight adolescents.
I am a physiotherapist with special expertise in ergonomics. My research aims to improve health outcomes through an understanding the physical impact of new technology use.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100206
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$423,154.00
Summary
Pain: Open to interpretation? This project aims to determine how pain interpretation drives pain experience, using rigorous state-of-the-art lab research. This project expects to generate new knowledge about the psychological mechanisms maintaining pain experience and avoidance behaviour, using novel techniques to measure interpretation of pain sensations. Expected outcomes include the development of an evidence-based psychological model of pain interpretation, enhanced capacity to build interna ....Pain: Open to interpretation? This project aims to determine how pain interpretation drives pain experience, using rigorous state-of-the-art lab research. This project expects to generate new knowledge about the psychological mechanisms maintaining pain experience and avoidance behaviour, using novel techniques to measure interpretation of pain sensations. Expected outcomes include the development of an evidence-based psychological model of pain interpretation, enhanced capacity to build international collaborations, and ecologically valid methods for measuring pain interpretation. This research forms a solid platform for further translational research, to build novel, scalable interventions to improve outcomes for the one in five Australians living with chronic pain.Read moreRead less
Mechanisms Underlying Growth, Lineage Commitment And Differentiation Of Liver Progenitor Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$535,333.00
Summary
Liver disease is a serious health problem. Viral hepatitis, obesity and alcohol can result in end-stage liver disease. Organ transplant is the only treatment available. A widening gap between organ donations and recipients mandates alternative treatments are developed. Cell transplantation and artificial liver devices are alternatives which can use liver progenitor cells. We will investigate how factors grow and convert them into liver cells for treating liver disease patients.