Next Generation Cybernetics: Long Term Carbon Fibre Dual Stimulation / Recording Electrode Arrays For Closed Loop Neural Implants
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$679,670.00
Summary
Electrodes implanted in the brain have enormous potential for treating a range of conditions from epilepsy to control of prosthetics for patients with limb loss. Currently, the electrodes used in such system fail rapidly because they are rejected by the body. We aim to use diamond with ultra-fine carbon fibre electrodes to make arrays that are invisible to the human immune system. Such arrays will function for the lifetime of the patient without needing replacement.
I am a neuroscientist who is fascinated by the ways in which peripheral and spinal neurons respond to environmental changes. By understanding these responses, I hope to develop new ways to treat neural conditions caused by injury, endocrine disturbances and inflammation.
Regulation Of Neural Cell Production In The Normal And Diseased Brain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$6,888,658.00
Summary
Members of this team are at the forefront of research into the molecular control of nerve cell production and function in the developing and adult brain. They were responsible, often through collaboration, for many of the major discoveries demonstrating that stem cells in the brain of adult animals can generate new nerve cells; this revolutionised our concept of the brain and opened-up the possibility of therapeutic repair of neural damage through stimulation of a patient?s own stem cells. Disco ....Members of this team are at the forefront of research into the molecular control of nerve cell production and function in the developing and adult brain. They were responsible, often through collaboration, for many of the major discoveries demonstrating that stem cells in the brain of adult animals can generate new nerve cells; this revolutionised our concept of the brain and opened-up the possibility of therapeutic repair of neural damage through stimulation of a patient?s own stem cells. Discovering the molecular mechanisms controlling this process is the goal of the present program. In order to achieve this aim we have formed a team on the basis of considerable past success, as well as future requirements. The team members have the complementary skills to assess all aspects of the problem, including crucial functional and clinical expertise. By combining resources we will position ourselves at the very forefront of the international competition to discover and to evaluate clinically the molecular mechanisms underlying neural repair and regeneration. This is of enormous significance in determining how we best treat stroke, injury and other neurodegenerative diseases in the next 10 years, and will lead to the development of new therapeutics of immense value. The team will use innovative approaches such as cell-sorting to obtain pure populations of stem cells and their progeny in order to identify new therapeutic targets; these will then be validated in animal models of neurological disease. Since team members have previously been involved in progressing molecular discovery to clinical trials, we are also in a good position to exploit these discoveries in partnership with the biopharmaceutical industry.Read moreRead less
Molecular And Cellular Mechanisms Of Vertebrate Brain Development
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$586,428.00
Summary
The essential steps in forming a normal functioning brain occur during life as an embryo. If these processes go haywire, there can be serious repercussions for life after birth. This project seeks to understand how the brain forms during embryonic stages so that better treatments and procedures can be developed to deal with developmental problems.
The Proteins Associated With The Neurotrophin Retrograde Transport Signalling Endosome
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$243,000.00
Summary
According to estimates taken from the Australian Bureau of Statistics population projection series, during the next forty years the incidence of Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia in Australia is predicted to increase by 254%. One of the key issues in neurobiology is to understand the mechanisms regulating the survival of nerve cells. Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) acts to cause nerve cell survival by being transported from the target tissue to the cell body in a discrete organelle described a ....According to estimates taken from the Australian Bureau of Statistics population projection series, during the next forty years the incidence of Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia in Australia is predicted to increase by 254%. One of the key issues in neurobiology is to understand the mechanisms regulating the survival of nerve cells. Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) acts to cause nerve cell survival by being transported from the target tissue to the cell body in a discrete organelle described as the Signalling Endosome. This process is termed Retrograde Axonal Transport. The signalling endosome is assembled in the nerve terminal and also contains proteins normally activated by NGF known as Second Messengers. Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, occur due to the death of nerve cells and a disturbance of the retrograde axonal transport of NGF may contribute to this death. NGF has been shown to have clinical potential as it can promote neuronal repair and survival after injury. However clinical trials have demonstrated an unacceptable toxicity for this protein. Therefore, another approach taken to produce the restorative benefits of NGF is to stimulate second messenger pathways downstream from the NGF receptor. This approach could provide important new therapeutic potentials as we can target more selective components of these survival pathways and have a greater chance to find less toxic drugs. This project will identify the second messengers normally accompanying NGF from the nerve terminal which promote nerve cell survival. We will describe the way these proteins are recruited to the signalling endosome. Survival of nerve cells requires the activation of these proteins and we shall determine where this occurs. Understanding the molecular basis for the delivery of the retrograde survival signal in neurons is vital if new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease and traumatic nerve damage are to be developed.Read moreRead less
Suppressor Of Cytokine Signalling-2 (SOCS2) And Its Role In Neuronal Development And Function
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$451,980.00
Summary
Injury to the brain or spinal cord at present often results in permanent damage, such as paralysis, which is largely due to a failure of neurons to regrow at the injury site. In order to overcome this, we are trying to find ways of making new neurons grow, either from stem cells present in the nervous system or transplanted from cells grown in tissue culture. However, little is known about how a neural stem cell decides to become a neuron or another cell type, such as a glial cell and so we are ....Injury to the brain or spinal cord at present often results in permanent damage, such as paralysis, which is largely due to a failure of neurons to regrow at the injury site. In order to overcome this, we are trying to find ways of making new neurons grow, either from stem cells present in the nervous system or transplanted from cells grown in tissue culture. However, little is known about how a neural stem cell decides to become a neuron or another cell type, such as a glial cell and so we are examining factors which influence this process, which is called differentiation. Growth factors are important mediators of this process and suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS) proteins are important in determining how cells respond to growth factors. The overall aims of this project are to determine the role that SOCS genes and in particular, SOCS2 play in neural stem cell differentiation into neurons and glia, neuron process outgrowth and neuronal and glial injury responses in the nervous system. This will be examined in normal cells and cells which over-express or do not express SOCS2 genes. Understanding the biology of neural growth factor responsiveness may eventually allow us to devise therapeutic strategies for use following brain-spinal injury or disease, including generation of neurons from stem cells.Read moreRead less
Membrane Fusion In Axonal Regeneration: Molecules And Mechanisms
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$461,597.00
Summary
Limited nerve regeneration is the main obstacle for recovery from spinal cord and brain injuries. Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying axonal regeneration is an essential step toward the development of novel effective therapies to enhance this process. In this proposal, we use the powerful molecular and genetic tools available for the small nematode worm C. elegans to identify and study axonal regeneration and discover the key molecules involved.
Regulation Of Astrocytic Gliosis And Axonal Regeneration In EAE By EphA4
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$532,352.00
Summary
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating disease with currently no effective cure. Apart from losing the protective insulating sheath called myelin, nerve cells are damaged and a scar forms. If this could be prevented then MS may be better treated. Using a model of MS called EAE, the role of a molecule, EphA4, will be examined for its ability to induce nerve loss and scar formation and to determine whether blocking it will promote repair, leading to a therapy for MS.
Segmentation Of The Peripheral Nervous System - The Role Of Axon Guidance Factors.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$190,331.00
Summary
Injury to the nervous system results in great loss to the individual and society at large. To repair a damaged nerve pathway so that functional recovery may ensue is the pre-eminent goal of neuroscience research. An understanding of how factors that guide nerve processes coordinate the wiring of the nervous system during development of an embryo will provide an insight into what strategy is required to repair a damaged nerve pathway in the mature nervous system. In this research project we propo ....Injury to the nervous system results in great loss to the individual and society at large. To repair a damaged nerve pathway so that functional recovery may ensue is the pre-eminent goal of neuroscience research. An understanding of how factors that guide nerve processes coordinate the wiring of the nervous system during development of an embryo will provide an insight into what strategy is required to repair a damaged nerve pathway in the mature nervous system. In this research project we propose to investigate what factors guide the formation of the peripheral nervous system which controls the body. We will use a novel model system whereby a whole chick embryo is grown in a culture dish and the developing nerve pathways can be manipulated to discover what are the exact factors that guide nerve processes to wire up pathways to the limbs and other body parts. This research will provide an opportunity to study the basic principles of nerve pathfinding which may then be applied to more complicated circuits within the brain and to the repair of injured nerve pathways.Read moreRead less