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Public Health Communication Strategies To Reduce Population Smoking Prevalence
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$753,300.00
Summary
This research program will investigate the potential for and impact of advanced tobacco control policies in reducing population smoking prevalence. My research will assess the effects of tobacco taxation, further tobacco marketing restrictions and mass communication strategies on smoking attitudes and behaviours. I will also extend the methods and measures I have developed in tobacco control to improve health communication in obesity prevention and alcohol harm prevention.
Understanding And Addressing Socioeconomic Inequalities In Diet, Physical Activity And Obesity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$714,745.00
Summary
Obesity is one of Australia's most significant public health problems, and is particularly prevalent amongst people experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage (e.g. with low education levels or low incomes). Currently the most effective means of addressing this increased risk is unknown. The proposed research will directly address this evidence gap by generating new knowledge on the causes of and effective strategies for reducing socioeconomic inequalities in diet, physical activity and obesity.
Type 2 Immunity: A Regulator Of Physiology, Tissue Repair And Metabolism
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$640,210.00
Summary
Intestinal helminths (worms) have evolved together with humans and induce strong type 2 immune responses effective at eradicating the parasite, mediating tissue repair and modulating the gut microbiota. My research aims to decipher the roles of type 2 immunity in regulating intestinal health and promoting tissue repair. I also plan to determine how worm infection and type 2 immunity modulate the microbiota the impact of this on health, particularly obesity.
Decoding Mechanisms Of Brain-intestinal Communication
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$640,210.00
Summary
Obesity is a worldwide concern to human health. Research into how fat is regulated in the body may provide new therapeutic options. It is not well understood how signals from the brain control fat storage. We have recently identified a gene that is important for the communication between the brain and the intestine in the control of fat levels. As such, our work will enable us to better understand this phenomenon.
Hypertension is the major driver of cardiovascular disease affecting over a billion people. The cause is increasingly lifestyle related (obesity and stress) and activation of the nervous system is a major contributor in all cases. My vision for the next 5 years is discover the key underlying mechanisms within the central nervous system and the kidney that are primarily responsible for increasing nervous activity and blood pressure.
Resistant Hypertension: Causes, Consequences, And Novel Therapeutic Approaches
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$713,517.00
Summary
Two thirds of all strokes and half of all coronary artery disease world-wide can be attributed to uncontrolled blood pressure. Patients with resistant hypertension are at specifically high risk. While the exact reasons remain obscure, work from my group suggests that sympathetic nervous system activation represents a common pathway. Based on these findings the ultimate goal of my research program is to develop novel and more effective treatment strategies for resistant hypertension.
Diabetes And Obesity: From Benchtop To Public Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$705,501.00
Summary
Obesity. Novel factors, not related to food intake or physical activity, will be explored as possible causes of obesity. The obesity paradox, in which overweight is associated with reduced mortality, will be examined. Diabetes treatment. Methods will be developed to predict which is the right drug for each individual patient. A study will test the use of nurse-led clinics. A novel insulin delivery mechanism will be developed. Novel causes and consequences of diabetes will be explored.
Obesity is associated with type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer. These inter-related diseases reduce life expectancy and their treatments come at an enormous financial cost. The overriding aim of this work is to understand the molecular and cellular regulation of lipid metabolism in skeletal muscle, liver and adipose tissue, and how this impacts endocrine function to affect the pathogenesis of types 2 diabetes and prostate cancer.
The proper trafficking and storage of lipids (e.g. cholesterol and fatty acids) are crucial to human health. For instance, aberrant cellular trafficking and distribution of cholesterol is associated with heart and neurodegenerative diseases. Overwhelmed fat storage capacity can cause type II diabetes. This proposal aims to dissect the molecular mechanisms governing lipid storage and trafficking, and to provide novel therapeutic strategies against obesity, heart and neurological diseases.