Gene Discovery And Characterisation In The Familial Focal Epilepsies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$428,065.00
Summary
Around 2% of people have epilepsy at some time in their lives. A large proportion of cases are thought to have a genetic cause, but genes have not yet been identified for most patients. The aim of this project is to use state-of-the-art genetic methods to identify genetic mutations causing epilepsy and to then study the effects of these mutations to better understand the biological causes of epilepsy. This in turn will lead to better diagnosis of epilepsy and improved treatment for patients.
LINEs Of Mutagenesis, Selection And Evolution In Ovarian Cancer And Chemoresistance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$425,048.00
Summary
L1 elements are powerful mutagens encoded within the human genome that becomes active in epithelial tumours. I will define the broad effects of L1 elements on the evolution of chemoresistance, focusing on ovarian cancer as a model system. Ovarian cancer is characterised by a poor 5 year survival rate of ~40% with most tumours developing resistance. Understanding the impacts of L1 on this evolution will inform the development and selection of more effective treatments for ovarian cancer.
Massive Parallel Sequencing In The Genetics Of Epilepsy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$451,716.00
Summary
Epilepsy is a serious disorder which affects approximately 2% of the population at some stage in their life and around 30% of patients do not gain adequate control of their seizures with medications presently available. Approximately 70% of epilepsy in inherited and so far the majority of the genetic causes are yet to be discovered. My group aims to identify new epilepsy genes. This leads to improved diagnosis, treatment and counseling for patients and increased understanding of the biological m ....Epilepsy is a serious disorder which affects approximately 2% of the population at some stage in their life and around 30% of patients do not gain adequate control of their seizures with medications presently available. Approximately 70% of epilepsy in inherited and so far the majority of the genetic causes are yet to be discovered. My group aims to identify new epilepsy genes. This leads to improved diagnosis, treatment and counseling for patients and increased understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying seizures.Read moreRead less
Understanding And Preventing Population-level Harm From Alcohol
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$425,048.00
Summary
This project will support Dr Livingston's world-leading work to better understand the reasons that alcohol consumption and related-harm changes at the population level. It will also support projects that will directly assess the impact of changes to alcohol policies in Australia and the development of policy simulation models, to provide critical evidence and ensure well-informed policy decisions can be made to reduce alcohol-related harm.
Evaluation Of New Screening Strategies For Prevention Of Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$251,144.00
Summary
Governments, clinicians and consumers have a need for accurate and up-to-date information about the cost-effectiveness, benefits and harms of cancer screening. This project will evaluate whether further changes to cervical screening will be needed after the release of next generation HPV vaccines, whether new screening programs should be implemented for lung cancer and Lynch syndrome, the potential role of new technologies for bowel screening, and whether prostate testing can be improved.
Patient-specific Modelling Of Cardiovascular Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$428,065.00
Summary
Cardiovascular disease is undoubtedly the biggest killer in the developed world and accounts for 30% of all deaths in Australia; killing one Australian every twelve minutes. My research group and I, combine medical imaging with biomedical engineering to perform patient-specific modelling. For example, we can predict the likelihood that aneurysm will rupture or the way blood flows through the aorta. My goal is to make these modelling tools accurate and robust enough to be used in the clinic.