Effect Of Liver Pathophysiology On Hepatic Pharmacokinetics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$457,500.00
Summary
The liver is the main organ in the body for the metabolism and biliary excretion of natural and foreign solutes. Various liver diseases such as cirrhosis, alcoholic liver disease, diet and drug induced fatty livers can affect the uptake and metabolism of drugs and their suitability- dosing needs. Some liver diseases such as fatty livers are very common but how rapidly drugs are metabolised in these patients is not well described. The work is important as it may help us better design new drugs an ....The liver is the main organ in the body for the metabolism and biliary excretion of natural and foreign solutes. Various liver diseases such as cirrhosis, alcoholic liver disease, diet and drug induced fatty livers can affect the uptake and metabolism of drugs and their suitability- dosing needs. Some liver diseases such as fatty livers are very common but how rapidly drugs are metabolised in these patients is not well described. The work is important as it may help us better design new drugs and better choose which drugs to give and, if so, in what doses. In addition, many liver diseases require a biopsy for a definite diagnosis of the likely function of the liver. Estimation of liver function is particularly important in estimating whether there will be sufficient reserve on resection of a cancer or deciding if a liver transplant is needed. The liver is also a very complex organ which can trap or breakdown solutes by a range of different systems. Also of importance is how those diseases affect drug disposition in the liver given that an altered hepatic drug disposition may affect systemic response to the drugs and their metabolites. This work seeks to answer these questions.Read moreRead less
QUARTZ: Quality Of Life After Radiotherapy And-or Steriods
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$63,000.00
Summary
Lung cancer is the commonest cause of cancer related death worldwide. In this group, one in four people will be diagnosed with brain metastases during their illness. This makes brain metastases a major health resource issue. For this group, the diagnosis of brain metastases is often associated with survival of less than 3 months. It is therefore important that this short survival period, which is often compromised by the effects of the disease, is not compromised further with the use of potentia ....Lung cancer is the commonest cause of cancer related death worldwide. In this group, one in four people will be diagnosed with brain metastases during their illness. This makes brain metastases a major health resource issue. For this group, the diagnosis of brain metastases is often associated with survival of less than 3 months. It is therefore important that this short survival period, which is often compromised by the effects of the disease, is not compromised further with the use of potentially toxic treatment. Whole Brain Radiotherapy (WBRT) is often used to treat these people. There is no current evidence to confirm that WBRT improves their quality of life. Most people with brain metastases routinely receive steroid medicine either as sole treatment or in addition to WBRT. Despite their potential side effects, steroids can control the symptoms of brain metastases and improve a person's quality of life. It is possible that the addition of WBRT adds nothing to steroids used alone or that only subgroups of these people benefit from WBRT. If these subgroups could be identified, treatment could be better tailored to the individual and minimise unnecessary hospital visits for these terminally ill patients. This could also potentially benefit the oncology community by translating into reduced radiotherapy waiting times. This is a unique, international collaborative study which aims to enroll 1000 people over a 3 year period from the UK, Australia and Canada .The main research question in this study is: Do the overall disadvantages of WBRT for lung cancer sufferers outweigh the advantages? It will be comparing the overall combination of quality and duration of survival in a) people receiving steroids and optimal palliative care alone to b) people receiving steroids, optimal palliative care and WBRT. The secondary research aims are to compare the two treatment groups in terms of symptoms experienced by the person and treatment side effects.Read moreRead less
A Study Of Muscarinic Receptors In Brain Tissue Obtained Postmortem From Subjects With Schizophrenia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$354,810.00
Summary
The research outlined in this proposal will examine the molecular make up of certain regions of the human brain and determine if components within those regions are altered in tissue from subjects with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a serious psychiatric illness that affects approximately 1% of the Australian population and the research described in this proposal seeks to help understand the cause of the illness and-or to assist in the development of new drugs with which to treat the illness. T ....The research outlined in this proposal will examine the molecular make up of certain regions of the human brain and determine if components within those regions are altered in tissue from subjects with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a serious psychiatric illness that affects approximately 1% of the Australian population and the research described in this proposal seeks to help understand the cause of the illness and-or to assist in the development of new drugs with which to treat the illness. The goal of the research outlined in this proposal is to determine if there are changes in specific molecules in the brain, termed muscarinic receptors. The muscarinic receptors are one way that a chemical in the brain called acetylcholine can communicate with the nerve cells in the brain. Acetylcholine is known to control important functions of the brain such as in memory, cognition and learning, all of these functions are thought to be affected in schizophrenia. Importantly, the control of all these functions involve muscarinic receptors and therefore, changes in those receptors could well produce some of the symptoms of schizophrenia. We now wish to extend our early studies which suggest there may be changes in muscarinic receptors in the brain of subjects with schizophrenia to determine which of the 5 muscarinic receptors are affected in which region of the brain by the pathology of the illness. From our existing data, we would predict that these studies will add weight to the argument that muscarinic receptors are altered in schizophrenia and provide vital information as to how drugs that target these receptors may be used to treat the illness.Read moreRead less
This Senior Principal Research Fellowship will support a program of translational research and leadership for the Therapeutics Research Centre that is based at the Translational Research Institute in Brisbane and The Basil Hetzel Institute in Adelaide and for future researchers/research leaders in clinical medicine. A key research focus will be in improving the safety and efficacy of products and nanosystems, especially after application to the skin and/or absorption into the body.
Exploiting The Pharmacokinetic And Pharmacodynamic Properties Of Bile Acid Receptor Agonists To Treat Liver Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$653,952.00
Summary
We have generated preliminary data suggesting that chemicals made by the liver, called bile acids, act on fat cells to release a hormone called adiponectin. In liver disease adiponectin has favorable effects, including reducing liver inflammation and fibrosis (scarring). By using drugs that mimic the action of bile acids we expect that adiponectin production by fat cells can be increased, creating a new way to treat patients with chronic liver diseases.
Afinity Maturation And Development Of An Anti-inflammatory Monoclonal Antibody
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$387,489.00
Summary
Antibodies are a relatively new class of drugs that directly target molecular mechanisms of disease. Antibody therapies, such as the breast cancer drug Herceptin, have significantly increased our arsenal of effective therapeutics. In collaboration with G2 Therapies, we will use cutting-edge genetic engineering technology to produce fully human antibodies for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.