Benefit Of 2D-strain Surveillance In Improving Cardiovascular Outcomes In Cancer Patients Undergoing Cardiotoxic Chemotherapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,391,979.00
Summary
Cancer survivors are susceptible to heart failure (HF) caused by heart muscle damage from chemotherapy. The current testing for this problem is based on a measure that cannot identify minor changes of cardiac function. Cardiac strain is a sensitive new marker of cardiac function which is predictive of overt dysfunction & HF. This study seeks to identify whether strain can be used to assign treatments that lead to improved cardiac function and are eventually associated with a reduction in HF.
Formyl Peptide Receptor Biased Agonists As Novel Cardioprotection From Myocardial Infarction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$948,291.00
Summary
Heart attack is caused by a blocked heart blood vessel. Current therapy focuses on rapid reopening of the vessel, to allow blood supply to return. However, even if this is successful, affected patients are often left with impaired heart muscle pumping function, ultimately progressing to heart failure. We have discovered an exciting new mechanism to protect heart muscle from injury and preserve its function, and we plan to develop new drugs for heart attack based on this mechanism.
Screening Evaluation Of The Evolution Of New Heart Failure Extension Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$849,992.00
Summary
Heart failure is a major burden on patients with this condition and on the community. The SCReening Evaluation of the Evolution of New Heart Failure (SCREEN-HF) study is evaluating the use of a blood test to identify individuals with undiagnosed heart failure and abnormal heart function, and those at increased risk of these conditions, so that more people can benefit from currently available therapies for the treatment and prevention of heart failure.
Novel Aspects Of The Renin Angiotensin System In Cardio-renal Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$497,330.00
Summary
Cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease are major public health problems with increasing incidence and prevalence in Australia. There are complex causal relationships between these diseases, and each of them may be caused by or be a complication of the other. This proposal will investigate the role of an important hormone system, the renin angiotensin system, in experimental models and in patients with heart and kidney disease. The results may identify novel markers in the blood that c ....Cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease are major public health problems with increasing incidence and prevalence in Australia. There are complex causal relationships between these diseases, and each of them may be caused by or be a complication of the other. This proposal will investigate the role of an important hormone system, the renin angiotensin system, in experimental models and in patients with heart and kidney disease. The results may identify novel markers in the blood that can predict if someone will develop kidney disease.Read moreRead less
Therapeutic Approaches To Circumvent NO• Resistance In The Type 2 Diabetic Heart And Vasculature
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$563,337.00
Summary
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is Australia’s fastest growing chronic disease, affecting almost 2 million Australians (who face poor cardiovascular health outcomes). We have discovered an exciting new avenue that may potentially more effectively counteract heart and blood vessel disorders in T2D patients in an acute cardiovascular emergency, of substantial clinical importance.
ANNEXIN-A1 MIMETICS: A NOVEL THERAPEUTIC APPROACH FOR TARGETING THE CARDIAC COMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$815,185.00
Summary
Diabetes affects almost 2 million Australians, creating an increasing heart failure burden. A/Prof Rebecca Ritchie’s team at Baker IDI are interested in the precise role of cardiac inflammation in the progression of cardiomyopathy resulting from diabetes. Using her exciting discovery that a naturally-occurring anti-inflammatory protein is a key regulator of cardiac muscle cell survival and function, A/Prof Ritchie’s team will develop therapies for diabetic cardiomyopathy based on this protein.
Annexin-A1 Agonists Rescue Cardiac Contractile Function After Myocardial Infarction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$621,419.00
Summary
Myocardial infarction (or heart attack, a result of reduced coronary blood flow) and subsequent heart failure are the major cause of death in Western societies; this is expanding to all corners of the globe. New treatments for heart attack are thus essential. We have discovered that the natural hormone annexin-A1 rescues heart muscle function over the short-term, and propose that drugs based on annexin-A1 will prevent cardiac dysfunction of heart muscle up to several weeks after heart attack.
Innovative Use Of Hydrogel Technology To Recapitulate And Investigate Cardiac Pathology.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$716,162.00
Summary
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of sudden death in the young. No treatment exists that can reverse or prevent it, primarily because the underlying mechanisms of the disease have not been fully elucidated. I will use innovative hydrogel technology to simulate the disease state. I will use this as a tool to identify the mechanisms involved with development of the disease. This will enable identification of potential therapeutic targets for prevention of the disease.
The Role Of Dynamin In Spermatogenesis, Sperm Maturation And Sperm-oocyte Interactions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$551,950.00
Summary
Male infertility is an extremely common condition affecting 1 in 20 Australian men. One of the major reasons for this pathology is that the spermatozoa have lost their ability to interact with the egg and penetrate its outer vestments. In this project we shall investigate the role of dynamin in the regulation of these events. This research will provide new and powerful insights into the causes of male infertility, with practical implications for diagnosis and treatment of this condition.
In Vivo Analysis Of The Molecular And Neural Mechanism That Underly An Association Of MiRNAs With Mental Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$593,778.00
Summary
Genetic studies on autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression suggest that these disorders affect the formation and maintenance of connections between neurons. A group of brain-specific microRNAs, which are regulatory molecules, are predicted to regulate connectivity. Levels of these molecules are found to be abnormal in brains of patients with schizophrenia. This proposal aims to elucidate the function of these microRNAs in the number of neuronal connections, and early motor b ....Genetic studies on autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression suggest that these disorders affect the formation and maintenance of connections between neurons. A group of brain-specific microRNAs, which are regulatory molecules, are predicted to regulate connectivity. Levels of these molecules are found to be abnormal in brains of patients with schizophrenia. This proposal aims to elucidate the function of these microRNAs in the number of neuronal connections, and early motor behavior in transgenic zebrafish.Read moreRead less