Visualising vascular adaptation at the micro-scale in humans. The project aims to investigate fundamental issues in the mechanisms underlying vascular remodelling. It plans to develop novel optical scanning techniques to acquire high-resolution images of the cutaneous microvasculature, alongside absolute blood flow quantification. These novel tools would allow us to visualise and quantify functional and structural adaptations in the microvasculature in response to physiological stimuli such as h ....Visualising vascular adaptation at the micro-scale in humans. The project aims to investigate fundamental issues in the mechanisms underlying vascular remodelling. It plans to develop novel optical scanning techniques to acquire high-resolution images of the cutaneous microvasculature, alongside absolute blood flow quantification. These novel tools would allow us to visualise and quantify functional and structural adaptations in the microvasculature in response to physiological stimuli such as heat exposure and exercise. The non-invasive tool aims to enable us to assess adaptations in microvasculature health, improving our understanding of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes and potentially reducing the impact of costly and debilitating morbidities such as nephropathy, neuropathy, retinopathy, impotence and skin ulceration.Read moreRead less
Defining the direct effects of exercise on arterial adaptation. Understanding the mechanisms responsible for the beneficial effects of exercise is fundamental to optimising the design of preventative programs aimed at healthy ageing. These experiments will contribute to our understanding of the direct effects of changes in blood flow and pressure during exercise on vascular adaptations in humans.
Impact of shear stress on vascular adaptations in humans. Large arteries are important for the delivery of blood and oxygen to organs such as the heart and brain. A primary physiological stimulus which controls the size and function of these crucial arteries is the magnitude of flow or, more accurately, shear force that the inner wall of the artery is exposed to. We have developed novel software which enables non-invasive assessment of arterial wall velocity, diameter and blood flow. We will ass ....Impact of shear stress on vascular adaptations in humans. Large arteries are important for the delivery of blood and oxygen to organs such as the heart and brain. A primary physiological stimulus which controls the size and function of these crucial arteries is the magnitude of flow or, more accurately, shear force that the inner wall of the artery is exposed to. We have developed novel software which enables non-invasive assessment of arterial wall velocity, diameter and blood flow. We will assess the impact of acute and chronic changes in wall flow and shear on arterial size and function. We will also develop new software which measures other aspects of artery wall behaviour. These basic human physiology studies have direct implications for assessment of artery health in humans.Read moreRead less
Characterization Of Novel Regulators Of Erythropoiesis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$437,545.00
Summary
Mature red and white blood cells develop from hemopoietic stem cells in the adult bone marrow. The production of red blood cells is primarily controlled by the hormone erythropoietin (epo). The availability of this hormone in a recombinant form has aided in the treatment of numerous forms of anaemia resulting from kidney failure, malignancies, and AIDS. Previously we had identified that the protein Lyn must be present inside primitive red blood cells for epo to stimulate them to become mature fu ....Mature red and white blood cells develop from hemopoietic stem cells in the adult bone marrow. The production of red blood cells is primarily controlled by the hormone erythropoietin (epo). The availability of this hormone in a recombinant form has aided in the treatment of numerous forms of anaemia resulting from kidney failure, malignancies, and AIDS. Previously we had identified that the protein Lyn must be present inside primitive red blood cells for epo to stimulate them to become mature functional cells. We have identified six molecules which interact with Lyn in red blood cells. We have shown that amolecule called HS1 is important for epo function in individual red blood cells and now we plan to investigate its functions in whole animals, including mice that lack the HS1 gene. We have also shown that a molecule called Trip1 is important for red blood cell development. Interestingly, this molecule also interacts with the thyroid hormone receptor and can influence the effects of epo and thyroid hormone on red blood cell development. The interplay between these two hormones will be looked at in more detail both at the cell and whole animal levels in normal mice and those lacking the thyroid hormone receptor gene. The third Lyn binding molecule we isolated is a novel gene-we have named it ankyrin repeat protein in line with the molecules it is related to. This gene is expressed in red blood cells and we aim to investigate what role it plays in the development of these cells. The fourth gene is also novel and is closely related to another called AFAP-110, which can exert effects on the structure of a cell. Its role in red blood cell structure will also be investigated. Finally, the last two molecule we have identified are both novel and are unrelated to any other known proteins. As above, the effects of these two molecules on red blood cell development will be investigated.Read moreRead less
Harnessing recreational infrastructure to improve physical activity and community well-being. This project will investigate the impact that establishing a major recreational and aquatic centre has upon physical activity and measures of community well-being. It will also test the effect of different marketing strategies on community members' usage of the centre.