Exploring Roles For MicroRNAs In Cancer Using Bioinformatics And Gene Expression Tools.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$292,639.00
Summary
microRNAs are newly discovered chemicals that were the subject of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Medicine. These chemicals decrease the amount of specific molecular ‘targets’ in cells, and play an important role in cancer. Currently we do not understand how these chemicals choose their targets, and we propose to use a computer-based approach to discover how they affect genes in cancer. This will improve our understanding of cancer and thereby lead to the discovery of novel anti-cancer therapies.
Functional Characterisation Of Long Spliced NcRNAs
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$649,230.00
Summary
Genome sequencing projects suggest we only have approximately thirty thousand coding genes which was previously considered to be far too few to provide the blueprint for generation of human complexity. More surprising was the discovery that 3-5% of the genome is transcribed but not translated into protein. The function of these non-coding RNAs is unknown but hotly debated. Is it junk? Or does it play a new key role in programming development? This grant will address this question directly.
Role Of DNA Methylation And Non-coding RNA In Human Centromere Function
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$499,000.00
Summary
A chromosome is a grouping of coiled strands of DNA, containing many genes. Every human cell has 23 pairs of chromosomes, which together comprise the genome. Both gain and loss of any of these chromosomes will lead to severe medical problems including birth defects and cancer development. Thus, the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the exact passage of these chromosomes from a parental cell to two new cells during cell division, and how the information is copied from from one cell gener ....A chromosome is a grouping of coiled strands of DNA, containing many genes. Every human cell has 23 pairs of chromosomes, which together comprise the genome. Both gain and loss of any of these chromosomes will lead to severe medical problems including birth defects and cancer development. Thus, the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the exact passage of these chromosomes from a parental cell to two new cells during cell division, and how the information is copied from from one cell generation to another, is an important area of research, however, much remains to be learnt about the mechanisms. Our laboratory was the first to discover a key component of the chromosome that is involved in the regulation of the cell division process, ensuring the accurate segregation of chromosomes. This structure, known as a neocentromere, is an ideal model system to study important aspects of chromosome segregation. The present project proposes to study the properties of this neocentromere in detail. The outcome will contribute to our knowledge on the processes underlying cell and chromosome division, which will ultimately have a direct impact on our understanding of the causes for some of the most common clinical conditions that affect human health.Read moreRead less