Mechanobiology Of Epithelial Homeostasis In Health And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$876,005.00
Summary
Epithelial tissues, such as the lung, fundamentally protect the body from its external environment. For this, they must detect and respond to danger. My work has discovered a new biological system where cells monitor changes in mechanical forces as a sign of danger. Diseases such as inflammation and cancer occur when this detection system fails. This Fellowship builds on my lab’s pioneering work to understand how force is used to sense danger, and how disease occurs when it goes awry.
Investigating A Potential New Treatment For Stroke
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$878,522.00
Summary
Blood clots blocking blood flow to the brain (stroke) are a major cause of death and disability. Safety concerns limit approved therapies to a small subset of patients, highlighting an urgent need for safer, more effective drugs. Our studies show that inhibitors of the enzyme PI3Kbeta increase blood clot permeability, increasing clot ‘dissolvability’, without increased bleeding. This raises the possibility that PI3Kbeta inhibitors may represent a safe and effective adjuvant therapy for stroke.
Niche Regulation Of Normal And Malignant Stem Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$622,655.00
Summary
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) reside in the bone marrow (BM) and make all the cells of the blood system. We study molecules in the BM regulating normal HSC to helping them survive chemotherapy. This means cancer patients should suffer less side-effects from their therapy. Some of these molecule also help leukaemia stem cells (LSC) resist chemotherapy. Inhibitors may a) reduce patient mortality caused by chemotherapy and b) sensitise LSC to chemotherapy enabling long-term cure.