The Role Of IGF2 And MTOR In Placental Development In Normal And Pregnancy Perturbations
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$207,002.00
Summary
20% of Australian women develop a problem during pregnancy which can cause illness or death of mother or baby. These are linked with poor placental growth and function. This project will identify novel regulators of human and mouse placental development using state-of-the-art molecular and cellular techniques. This will provide a better understanding of placental development and potentially direct future diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for pregnancy complications
Controlling The Development And Function Of Hindbrain Commissures In Vertebrate Animals: The Role Of Robo3 Receptor
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$393,834.00
Summary
Commissural axons connect and coordinate activity between neurons of the left and right sides of the central nervous system. In the forebrain, formation of commissural axons is determined by guidance factors at the midline between the two hemispheres, and abnormalities in guidance can cause developmental malformations. The aims of this project are to elucidate function of the Robo/Slit family of molecules in regulating axon guidance of commissural neurons, particularly in the corpus callosum.
Analysis Of The Apoptotic And Therapeutic Effects Of Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors On Multiple Myeloma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$287,321.00
Summary
Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable progressive cancer of plasma cells within blood. It is the second most common blood cancer and represents 2% of all cancer-related deaths. Statistics show increasing incidence and decreasing age of onset. The cause and progression of MM is poorly understood and current treatments are frequently followed by relapse. This project will assess exciting new therapies against the survival of MM cells leading to more effective treatments in the future.
Insights Into The Biology Of The Carcinogenic Blood Fluke, Schistosoma Haematobium – A First Response To The Wake-up Call
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$307,946.00
Summary
Schistosoma haematobium is a seriously neglected parasite that infects > 100 million people. Chronic infection severely affects the urino-genital system and causes malignant bladder cancer. Advanced technologies will be used to explore, for the first time, the molecular biology of this parasite, design new strategies to fight this insidious pathogen and understand how it induces cancer.
Identifying Novel Genome Instability Signatures In Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$320,891.00
Summary
Cancer is the single biggest clinical problem facing the world. An underlying hallmark of cancer is the accumulation of errors in the genetic information of a cell which arises through genomic instability. This research project aims to investigate novel molecules identified by our screening that function in response to genomic instability in cancer. This study is expected to define roles for each molecule in the maintenance of genomic stability and predict for patient diagnosis and outcome.
Structural And Functional Studies On Leptospiral Antigens Central To Pathogenesis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$287,321.00
Summary
Leptospirosis, also known as Weil's disease and canefield fever, is a potentially fatal disease caused by infection with the bacteria Leptospira. Leptospira is able to infect a broad range of animals including livestock and humans. Human infection typically occurs through contact with water or vegetation that has been exposed to the urine of an infected animal. This project focuses on a key step in the bacterial infection in trying to understand how these bacteria adhere to human cells.
Mechanisms Of Cortical And Respiratory Degenerations In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$333,900.00
Summary
This study will be the first to chronicle how and when motor neurons (MNs) in the brain and spinal cord degenerate before, during and after ALS symptoms in 2 different mouse models. The MNs studied control breathing muscles and are a key disease progression and mortality indicator in patients. I expect drastic shape and electrical abnormalities, providing information useful to clinicians about how and when brain and spinal cord MNs degenerate, uncovering new therapeutic targets and time-points.
The Biological Impacts Of Nanoparticle Interactions With Proteins
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$385,321.00
Summary
The proposed research will investigate the molecular basis of how synthetic nano-sized materials interact with the biological system. Using a systematic approach, we aim to establish a novel methodology for better assessing the biological properties of nanoparticles. The outcomes of this study will provide important information for predicting the biosafety of new nanomaterials, as well as for design of safer and more efficient nanoparticles in therapeutic applications.
Improving The Bioavailability Of Peptide-based Therapeutics For The Treatment Of Multiple Sclerosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$341,123.00
Summary
Many diseases are controlled at the molecular level by proteins and their interactions with other proteins. Harmonin is a key protein in Usher syndrome, the most common form of deaf-blindness in humans, and harmonin has similarities to some proteins involved in Alzheimer’s disease. We seek to understand how harmonin works. The findings of this study may lead to new treatments for deaf-blindness and Alzheimer’s disease.