Annexin-A1 Agonists Rescue Cardiac Contractile Function After Myocardial Infarction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$621,419.00
Summary
Myocardial infarction (or heart attack, a result of reduced coronary blood flow) and subsequent heart failure are the major cause of death in Western societies; this is expanding to all corners of the globe. New treatments for heart attack are thus essential. We have discovered that the natural hormone annexin-A1 rescues heart muscle function over the short-term, and propose that drugs based on annexin-A1 will prevent cardiac dysfunction of heart muscle up to several weeks after heart attack.
Local Sleep In The Awake Brain: An Underlying Cause Of Neurobehavioural Deficits In Sleep Apnea?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$582,330.00
Summary
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder which significantly impacts daytime functioning leading to excessive sleepiness, and problems with attention and thinking. Currently, the causes for cognitive impairment in OSA (including attentional lapses and performance deficits) are poorly understood. In the awake state, groups of neurons can briefly go “offline” as they do in sleep. These periods of “local sleep” may explain impaired task performance in OSA.
Regulation Of Mammalian Heart Regeneration By The MiR-15 Family.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$435,859.00
Summary
The inability of the adult heart to regenerate following a heart attack is a major contributor to the burden of heart disease in the developed world. We have recently discovered that, for a brief period after birth, the newborn heart can completely regenerate itself following injury. Understanding how and why the heart loses this remarkable capacity for regeneration shortly after birth may hold the key for developing cardiac regenerative therapies.
The Role Of C-reactive Protein (CRP) In Localising Inflammation To Misfolded Proteins And “stressed” Cells: A Basis For The Development Of New Anti-inflammatory Reagents?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$723,488.00
Summary
Many diseases are exacerbated by inflammatory reactions. We describe how a protein circulating in the blood is a major driver of inflammatory reactions and how it is transformed from an inactive state to an active, highly pro-inflammatory state. Our project aims to understand how this transformation occurs at the molecular level, and to develop diagnostic techniques and innovative drugs to treat diseases such as heart attack, Alzheimer’s disease and other inflammatory diseases.
Restoring Microcirculatory Perfusion In ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction: The RESTORE MI Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,274,537.00
Summary
Current heart attack treatments have focussed on re-opening the blocked coronary artery but despite this, many patients still suffer significant heart damage because of inadequate blood flow to the heart muscle due to damage to the small blood vessels - the microcirculation. This study seeks to identify heart attack patients with damage to the microcirculation and will conduct a randomised trial of clot busting medications to reduce microcirculation damage and to improve heart function.
Defining Therapeutic Cells As Well As Establishing Cell Targeting And Tracking Technology For The Treatment Of Myocardial Infarction And Atherosclerosis.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$664,611.00
Summary
Regenerative cell therapy holds great promise for many diseases. However, studies so far such as preventing and treating heart attacks, often showed limited success. We will address the current three limitations of regenerative cell therapy: 1) Identify the beneficial “therapeutic” cell type. 2) Develop a technology that selectively delivers cells to the area of need. 3) Develop cell tracking technology. This study has the potential to provide major advances in regenerative cell therapy.
Autoimmune Rheumatic Disease And Outcomes After Acute Myocardial Infarction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$151,214.00
Summary
Patients with inflammatory arthritis have an increased risk of heart disease and may have worse outcomes after heart attack than the general population. This research project looks at the risk of death after heart attack in people with inflammatory arthritis. This project also compares the treatment that people with arthritis receive after a heart attack with the treatment provided to the general population.
Schizophrenia is a serious and debilitating psychotic illness often characterized by delusions: fixed, false beliefs that preoccupy the patient and affect behaviour, and which are resistant to current drug treatments. This project investigates dysfunctions in belief mechanisms that allow delusions to form and be maintained. This will help clinicians design more effective programs of cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis by allowing more focussed interventions to reduce delusions.
Investigating The Mechanisms That Increase Nerve-evoked Vasoconstriction Following Spinal Cord Injury
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,547.00
Summary
People with spinal cord injury not only lose control of their arms and legs but also lose control of their bladder and bowel. They also have poor control of blood pressure and an overfull bladder or bowel can lead to dangerously high blood pressure. In this project, we are investigating how this abnormal high blood pressure is generated. The aim is to develop treatments which target the mechanisms which increase the blood pressure responses elicited by the bladder and bowel.
Heparin-induced Thrombocytopenia And Thrombosis: Better Understanding Of Pathogenesis And Improving Diagnosis And Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$653,137.00
Summary
Heparin, a widely used drug, can cause an adverse effect which results in a fall of the platelet count and the development of serious thrombosis. This drug complication is mediated by an immune mechanism. This proposal aims to provide a better understanding of the disease mechanism. It also aims to develop a new test that will improve the diagnosis, and to produce a novel drug that will effectively suppress the immune reaction and improve the treatment.