Intrauterine Growth Restriction And Development Of The Peripheral And Coronary Vasculature
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$437,176.00
Summary
There have been no studies which have investigated the extent to which fetal substrate restriction and associated fetal growth restriction alter the expression of nerve growth factors which determine the extent of sympathetic innervation of the peripheral vasculature and the interaction of changes within the peripheral and coronary vasculature which may explain the association between fetal growth restriction and the emergence of cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure in later life. Thes ....There have been no studies which have investigated the extent to which fetal substrate restriction and associated fetal growth restriction alter the expression of nerve growth factors which determine the extent of sympathetic innervation of the peripheral vasculature and the interaction of changes within the peripheral and coronary vasculature which may explain the association between fetal growth restriction and the emergence of cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure in later life. These studies ill provide new insights into the lifelong cardiovascular sequelae of a suboptimal intrauterine environment.Read moreRead less
Clinical Innovation Through Multidisciplinary Metabolic And Vascular Physiology: Impact Across The Obesity, Diabetes And Cardiovascular Disease Continuum
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$863,413.00
Summary
This innovative research program will address important clinical questions across the obesity, diabetes & cardiovascular disease continuum. Outcomes are directed to novel preventive, diagnostic & therapeutic strategies using a multidisciplinary approach. Potential major outcomes: 1. Novel therapies for diabetes by elevating good cholesterol 2. New anti-obesity strategies by stimulating brown fat 3. Drugs to manage peripheral artery diseases 4. A diagnostic test for sudden heart attacks
A Longitudinal Investigation Of The Efficacy Of Pharmacological Smoking Cessation Aids In Real-life Settings
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$592,837.00
Summary
Currently around 3 million Australians, or 17% of people aged 14 years and over, smoke tobacco daily. These smokers are at major risk of developing coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and a variety of cancers, including lung, laryngeal, oral, kidney, bladder, breast, pancreas and colon cancers. At any one time almost half of Australian smokers intend to quit smoking or have already set a date to do so but few (around 10%) succeed on each attempt. Clinical trials of quitt ....Currently around 3 million Australians, or 17% of people aged 14 years and over, smoke tobacco daily. These smokers are at major risk of developing coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and a variety of cancers, including lung, laryngeal, oral, kidney, bladder, breast, pancreas and colon cancers. At any one time almost half of Australian smokers intend to quit smoking or have already set a date to do so but few (around 10%) succeed on each attempt. Clinical trials of quitting aids, such as nicotine patches, gum and Zyban, suggest that smokers are around twice as likely to quit if using these. However clinical trials are conducted in artificial environments and these quitting aids appear to have a far smaller impact on successful quitting rates in the 'real world'. Pharmaceutical quitting aids are heavily advertised by drug companies and widely used in Australia. Futhermore the Commonwealth Government has invested over $133 million dollars subsidising such aids to Australian smokers in the past four years. However it is not known to what extent these quitting aids have made a difference to Australian smoking rates. Sales volumes of pharmaceutical quitting aids appear not to have translated into expected increases in numbers of smokers successfully quitting, suggesting they are less effective than clinical trials suggest. The present study aims to investigate whether pharmaceutical quitting aids actually are less effective in the 'real world', and if so, why.Read moreRead less
Inhibition Of C-Abl As A Target For Shortening Glycosaminoglycan Length On Proteoglycans And Preventing Atherosclerosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$500,750.00
Summary
The major health issue developing in Australia is vascular and cardiovascular disease resulting from obesity and diabetes. Whilst prevention strategies based on lifestyle changes are preferable, treating cardiovascular risk factors with the latest drugs has been shown to produce significant benefits but there is a large remaining component of disease. New therapies are required and these will most likely target blood vessels directly. We are working on the basic cause of atherosclerosis with the ....The major health issue developing in Australia is vascular and cardiovascular disease resulting from obesity and diabetes. Whilst prevention strategies based on lifestyle changes are preferable, treating cardiovascular risk factors with the latest drugs has been shown to produce significant benefits but there is a large remaining component of disease. New therapies are required and these will most likely target blood vessels directly. We are working on the basic cause of atherosclerosis with the aim of finding a mechanism and developing a drug to prevent the process - we have recently identified such a target and it is the subject of this research grant proposal. A group of very large molecules which have recently received increasing attention are the proteoglycans, combined protein-sugar molecules which are heavily coated with negatively charged groups. It has recently been published in the prestigious journal, Nature, that the binding of lipids in the blood to the wall of the blood vessel is the main cause of atherosclerosis. Proteoglycans are the molecules which cause the lipids to be stuck in blood vessels. Specifically, the length of the sugar (GAG) chains on the proteoglycan determines the binding of the lipids. We have now discovered a pathway and have one drug candidate which prevents the elongation of the GAG chains on proteoglycans. The exciting possibility is use of this agent with existing agents, for example, to use a statin drug to lower blood cholesterol and a new GAG elongation inhibitor to prevent the cholesterol sticking in the wall. The outcome will be the proof of the potential of a target for the direct therapy of atherosclerosis and a clear pathway for the development of a drug to be used in people susceptibility to atherosclerosis which is particularly people with diabetes.Read moreRead less