Disease Registry Based Approaches To Determining Molecular Risk Factors For Glaucoma Blindness, And Applying Them In Clinical Practice
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$406,355.00
Summary
The Practitioner-Fellow has drawn together very large cohorts of patients from Australia, New Zealand and now internationally who have lost vision from Glaucoma and complications of Diabetes to determine the contributing factors. He has successfully identified major clinical and genetic risk factors for these diseases, and is now applying the knowledge to patients in early stages of disease, so that earlier and more aggressive treatment high risk individuals can lead to improved outcomes.
Molecular Imaging As A Critical Tool In Discovery Of The Basis Of Tumour Heterogeneity And Developing Novel Therapies To Overcome Therapeutic Resistance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$467,961.00
Summary
Determining treatment options for cancer currently relies on the size and extent of tumour deposits on imaging, combined with a biopsy. However, this approach fails to recognise the ability of tumours to evolve components that are, or become, resistant to treatment. My laboratory uses advanced molecular imaging, targeted biopsies, animal models and genetic analysis to detect and understand the basis of such resistance and thereby develop new, targeted treatments to improve patient outcomes.
Translating Advances In Molecular Oncology Into Improved Care For Patients With Haematological Malignancies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$411,327.00
Summary
The purpose of my research is to develop and integrate into routine practice better treatment paradigms for patients with blood cancers – leukaemias, lymphomas, myeloma. My research seeks to (i) bring a new class of anti-cancer targeted therapy, inhibitors of Bcl-2, into routine care; (ii) discover the genetic changes that explain why slow growing lymphoid cancers change into rapidly fatal lymphomas; and (iii) integrate new molecular tests into the management of patients with acute leukaemia.
Translating Molecular Pathology Into Cancer Diagnostics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$479,882.00
Summary
The aim of this research is focussed on translation of basic science through to the clinic by introducing novel cancer diagnostics and technologies. Other integral aims are to identify new changes in DNA and other cancer cell markers in patients, assess the clinical utility of these as biomarkers (surrogates of cancer behaviour) and to conduct novel clinical trials with newly identified molecular targets of cancer and new therapeutics and combinations to assess their efficacy.
Development Of Systemic Therapies To Improve Response And Prevent Resistance In The Treatment Of Melanoma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$569,219.00
Summary
This program of research utilises the unique resources at Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) to understand the biology of prolonged response and resistance to novel drug therapies used in metastatic melanoma, a cancer that now leads the field in the discovery of new targets for therapeutic manipulation. This program also aims to create new methods to efficiently test and develop drug therapy combinations in humans to improve patient outcomes further or prevent metastatic melanoma altogether.
Viral infections that mothers catch during pregnancy still cause much illness in babies either in the womb, or after birth. One of these infections called CMV causes more babies to be born with malformation in Australia than any other infection, and is second only to cerebral palsy as a cause of serious problems in babies. Our studies are examining CMV in mothers and babies, leading to better diagnostic tests, researching use of existing and new antiviral drugs to reduce infection in these mothe ....Viral infections that mothers catch during pregnancy still cause much illness in babies either in the womb, or after birth. One of these infections called CMV causes more babies to be born with malformation in Australia than any other infection, and is second only to cerebral palsy as a cause of serious problems in babies. Our studies are examining CMV in mothers and babies, leading to better diagnostic tests, researching use of existing and new antiviral drugs to reduce infection in these mothers and babies.Read moreRead less
Major advances in cancer treatment has been made by identifying gene mutations in cancers to which the cancer is “addicted”, such that turning off the effects of the mutations leads to death of the cancer cells. Grant McArthur has been successful in applying this principle to rare types of sarcoma bringing his work to routine clinical practice globally. In this application he will investigate targeting the BRAF, KIT and MYC genes focusing on melanoma, a major cancer problem in Australia.
This Fellowship will focus on the development of novel therapeutics for cancer, and identify mechanisms for selection of treatments best suited to individual patients. It will also develop innovative strategies to identify cancer through molecular imaging techniques.
Immunopathogenesis And Manipulation Of The HIV Reservoir
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$494,732.00
Summary
Kelleher is a Clinical immunologist with a globally recognised, sustained track record of translational research which has impacted both on our understanding of HIV immunopathogenesis and on the way HIV infection is treated. He will conduct a series of studies that encompass basic scientific techniques through to pivotal pre-clinical and clinical studies that will provide a pathway towards control of HIV-infection without daily therapy.