Alcoholic Chronic Pancreatitis: Induction, Progression And Reversal
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$632,211.00
Summary
Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) is a serious complication of alcohol abuse. Patients suffer from severe and often intractable abdominal pain, maldigestion and diabetes, We have recently shown that gut toxins (endotoxins) may act as a trigger factor for pancreatitis in alcoholics. The proposed project aims to characterise the effects of gut toxins on the pancreas during alcohol abuse so as to identify pathways that may be therapeutically targeted to prevent or retard the disease.
Understanding The Pathogenesis And Heterogeneity Of Autoimmunity As Failure Of Multiple Steps
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$504,023.00
Summary
Autoimmune diseases like diabetes, thyroid disease or rheumatoid arthritis affect around 1 in 15 people in Australia. It is clear that defects in a number of different genetic mechanisms can contribute to the development of autoimmunity. But it is currently not clear how these different mechanisms need to interact to prevent the onset of disease. This grant seeks to understand these interactions and how defects in two or more tolerance mechanisms can lead to autoimmunity.