Role Of Brm In Skin Tumour Progression From Benign To Malignant
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$457,267.00
Summary
Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world. Skin cancer is 3 times as common as all other cancers combined and continues to increase in incidence, particularly in the aging population. Skin cancer is caused by exposure to the ultraviolet radiation found in sunlight. Ultraviolet radiation causes the appearance of solar keratosis, or sunspots, benign lesions that are not particularly dangerous to human health. Some of these develop into malignant squamous cell carcinomas that ....Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world. Skin cancer is 3 times as common as all other cancers combined and continues to increase in incidence, particularly in the aging population. Skin cancer is caused by exposure to the ultraviolet radiation found in sunlight. Ultraviolet radiation causes the appearance of solar keratosis, or sunspots, benign lesions that are not particularly dangerous to human health. Some of these develop into malignant squamous cell carcinomas that can spread to other tissues and are potentially fatal. Little is known about the biological mechanisms involved in solar keratosis development into squamous cell carcinomas. We have identified the gene brm as being involved in this process. It has not previously been recognised that this gene is important for skin cancer development and therefore our preliminary studies have identified a potential new target. We will study the role of this gene in ultraviolet radiation induced skin carcinogenesis, determine whether it is mutated by ultraviolet radiation in human skin cancer, and what role in plays in some key biological processes in skin cancer development. This study will expand our understanding of malignant conversion during human skin carcinogenesis, the most prevalent human cancer in Australia.Read moreRead less
Low Cost High Precision Radiotherapy: A Synergistic Framework For Tumour Tracking During Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Advances in technology have enabled radiotherapy to become more sophisticated and more efficient at treating cancer. Yet, despite its sophistication, today radiotherapy suffers from a major problem: whilst we routinely image patients prior to treatment, no anatomical information is available during treatment. This project aims to solve this problem by making use of a number of sensors that are already available in a radiotherapy to track the tumours positions during treatment, when it counts.
The Economic And Social Impacts Of Genetic Sequencing For Intellectual Disability
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,263,576.00
Summary
In this project we will quantify the social and financial costs to families of severe intellectual disability that is genetic in origin. We will assess these impacts in terms of poorer carer health, relationship breakdown, lost income and risk of poverty, as well as increased dependence on government, particularly on welfare payments, and reduced personal income tax paid. We will then determine the extent to which modern clinical genomics can contribute to ameliorating these impacts.
Mathematical Modelling For Improved Planning Of Infectious Diseases Control Policy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,750,000.00
Summary
We will develop high-level technical capacity in mathematical modeling of infectious disease transmission and control in Australia, with a focus on research that informs health policy. The aim is to assist Australia to have efficient and effective control strategies and help to prepare us against the threat of emerging infections. Priority areas are vaccination programs, HIV-AIDS, emerging infections and bio-terrorism. Six talented young researchers will be trained by the lead applicant team. To ....We will develop high-level technical capacity in mathematical modeling of infectious disease transmission and control in Australia, with a focus on research that informs health policy. The aim is to assist Australia to have efficient and effective control strategies and help to prepare us against the threat of emerging infections. Priority areas are vaccination programs, HIV-AIDS, emerging infections and bio-terrorism. Six talented young researchers will be trained by the lead applicant team. Together, we will develop a prominent and experienced research team capable of sustaining international quality research into the future. Their work will meet immediate, existing policy needs at state, national and global levels. The program includes the establishment of a Network of Infectious Diseases Modellers of Australia (NIDMA) as a research resource of national expertise, peer support and a means of ongoing communication and collaboration in infectious diseases control. The critical mass of modeling expertise that we create will be sustainable long-term, and will expand to support research concerned with chronic and other non-infectious diseases after the lifetime of the grant.Read moreRead less
Increasing the effectiveness of quantitative verification. The ability to analyse the performance of complex systems and protocols is a vital part of the development of large-scale computer applications. Methods that improve the effectiveness of the analysis task would increase the competitiveness of the software industry, and would attract future development work (in complex systems) to Australia. The results of this project will have a direct influence on currently available design tools; the ....Increasing the effectiveness of quantitative verification. The ability to analyse the performance of complex systems and protocols is a vital part of the development of large-scale computer applications. Methods that improve the effectiveness of the analysis task would increase the competitiveness of the software industry, and would attract future development work (in complex systems) to Australia. The results of this project will have a direct influence on currently available design tools; the fact that Australian institutions will be (in part) responsible for key theoretical results in this growing field will strengthen Australia's position worldwide as an international centre for computer science.Read moreRead less
Bayesian Inference for Multivariate Hierarchical Regression Models. This project will develop Bayesian methodology for analysing multivariate regression models. The distribution of each measurement can be discrete or continuous, with the dependence between measurements obtained through the correlation matrix of a Gaussian copula. Model parsimony is obtained by identifying zero elements in the correlation matrix or its inverse and by variable selection on the regression parameters. The results wi ....Bayesian Inference for Multivariate Hierarchical Regression Models. This project will develop Bayesian methodology for analysing multivariate regression models. The distribution of each measurement can be discrete or continuous, with the dependence between measurements obtained through the correlation matrix of a Gaussian copula. Model parsimony is obtained by identifying zero elements in the correlation matrix or its inverse and by variable selection on the regression parameters. The results will be applied to solve problems in finance, health management and marketing. In all these fields multiple observations are often taken per individual or time period and the models need to incorporate measures of dependence and uncertainty.Read moreRead less
Optimising Intervention Strategies To Reduce The Burden Of Group A Streptococcus In Aboriginal Communities
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$856,896.00
Summary
Skin sores are highly prevalent in remote Australian Indigenous communities and can lead to invasive infections and rheumatic heart disease. We will develop mathematical models to understand the transmission of skin sores, allowing us to define the optimal extent (household, community, region), timing and triggers for interventions to interrupt transmission. This will guide public health policy in reducing the prevalence of skin sores and scabies, and their accompanying disease burden.
Biofocussed Prostate Cancer RadioTherapy (BiRT): A Personalised Approach To Delivering The Right Dose To The Right Place
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$753,565.00
Summary
We propose a new approach to treating prostate cancer with radiotherapy to move from the standard whole prostate treatment to a personalised treatment that varies radiation intensity throughout the prostate. We will mathematically combine features that influence radiotherapy effect from advanced imaging, clinical and biopsy information. This model will map out the radiotherapy dose required at each part of the prostate, to maximise killing of the cancer whilst minimising harm to normal tissue
Modelling The Impact Of Strategies To Control Gonorrhoea And Minimise The Threat Of Antimicrobial Resistance In Remote Indigenous And Other High Risk Populations
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$467,079.00
Summary
Gonorrhoea is a serious public health issue in Australia. Notification rates are disproportionately high among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and men who have sex with men, and there is evidence of an emerging epidemic in the general heterosexual population. Additionally, available treatments are under threat from resistant strains. We will use mathematical modelling to evaluate strategies for controlling gonorrhoea and for minimising the threat of antimicrobial resistance.
A New Approach to Air Traffic Management to Deliver Significantly Reduced Environmental Impact and System-wide Efficiencies. Aviation is often cited as a major contributor to harmful emissions in the upper atmosphere. The primary outcome of this project is the development of tools that will enable aviation industry stakeholders to optimise the deployment of 4-Dimensional User Preferred Trajectories across Australian airspace. It is expected that this will result in significant environmental bene ....A New Approach to Air Traffic Management to Deliver Significantly Reduced Environmental Impact and System-wide Efficiencies. Aviation is often cited as a major contributor to harmful emissions in the upper atmosphere. The primary outcome of this project is the development of tools that will enable aviation industry stakeholders to optimise the deployment of 4-Dimensional User Preferred Trajectories across Australian airspace. It is expected that this will result in significant environmental benefit, through reductions in fuel burn for each flight, and increases in system effectiveness. The project will enable better analysis of Australian aviation environmental effect, whilst at the same time allowing the aviation industry to continue to contribute to Australia's sustainable economic growth. Read moreRead less