Systematic Medical Assessment, Referral And Treatment For Diabetes Care In China Using Lay Family Health Promoters - SMART Diabetes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,385,858.00
Summary
Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) affects 113.9 million people in China. Prevalence has risen dramatically to over 10% and is expected to continue rising. Few Chinese with T2DM are achieving adequate management targets to prevent complications and the current health system infrastructure is struggling to meet these gaps in care. Our project will expand the family health promoter model to develop a scalable model for low cost, high quality diabetes care in urban and rural China.
Neuroprotective Functions Of Autophagy Regulators In Alzheimer's Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$434,644.00
Summary
The accumulation of the beta amyloid protein has a central role in AD and enhancing its removal improves memory loss in animal AD models. This project builds on my recent finding of regulators of a cell housekeeping system, “autophagy” which accelerate removal of beta amyloid in cells. This study will advance knowledge into the protective functions of the autophagy regulators in reducing AD symptoms. Findings from this work might provide the basis for developing effective anti-AD therapeutics.
Prevention Of Depression Using E Health Technologies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,750,000.00
Summary
The number of people experiencing depression in Australia could be reduced radically if we do two things: Provide prevention programs to young people AND reduce the stigma people feel if they seek help. This research aims to develop effective, personalised school prevention programs, and deliver them to every school student in Australia. It also aims to determine how we can lower stigma across Australia by using social media.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is the most common form of dementia, accounting for between 50-70% of all cases. There is general agreement that current treatments for AD/dementia are inadequate so new treatment strategies are desperately needed. I am addressing these challenges by developing new technologies to generate next generation treatments for AD.
Social Well-being And Engaged Living (SWEL) Intervention For Australian Youth At Risk Of Mental Health And Other Adverse Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,305,236.00
Summary
Adolescence is a period of rapid physical, emotional and social growth. Many young people lack the socio-emotional skills to negotiate the transition thorough adolescence, and are at risk of disengaging from education, family and community. This is the first clinical trial to investigate the efficacy of a telephone delivered intervention for increasing social engagement, emotional health and well-being of disengaged rural and urban youth.
The Role Of Copper In Ubiquitin-dependent Protein Degradation In Alzheimer's Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$588,622.00
Summary
Ubiquitin’s are small proteins that tag other proteins in a process known as “Ubiquitination”. Often this is to target them for degradation once they are no longer needed i.e. to take out the rubbish. This process is disrupted in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which may contribute to the disease. This project aims to find out if copper, an essential metal for life, is required for this process. Drugs that are designed to deliver copper to brain cells have been effective in small AD clinical trials.
Investigating The Iron Proteome In Alzheimer’s Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$514,644.00
Summary
Iron is essential for brain function. When the delicate balance of metals in the brain is disturbed, neurodegenerative effects such as those seen in Alzheimer’s disease are observed. Although we know there is a link between iron and Alzheimer’s disease, we do not know which specific iron proteins are involved. This project will provide the first characterisation of different iron proteins in the brain to understand the mechanisms of disease and help in the search for new treatments.
How Do Mutations In Autophagy Receptors Cause FTD And ALS?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$566,966.00
Summary
As cells age the "garbage disposal" process within cells slows down, becoming less functional. In inherited forms of dementia the genes involved often code for damaged proteins that "clog up" the disposal system or directly affect the “garbage men”. These defective garbage men genes include SQSTM1/p62, OPTN, VCP and UBQLN2. We will determine how these defective genes lead to build up of garbage in neuronal cells and how leads to disease.
Development Of Blood-based Biomarkers For The Early Detection Of Brain Amyloid And The Investigation Of The Natural History Of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$720,144.00
Summary
To have a direct impact on the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases we need a detailed molecular understanding of the proteins that drive the disease. My laboratory develops and applies the most advanced analytical tools available to develop blood-based markers that can detect the development of Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms occur. This Fellowship will allow me to expand our understanding of the natural history of Alzheimer’s disease.
Establishing A Blood-based Biomarker Panel For Pre-clinical Alzheimer’s Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$716,778.00
Summary
The current gold standard biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are uneconomical and invasive, thus impeding early treatment prior to irreversible damage. I posit that biochemical changes associated with the disease are reflected in the blood several years prior to the clinical manifestation of the disease. Therefore, I propose to investigate these changes in individuals predisposed to AD, prior to the appearance of clinical symptoms, to identify biomarkers for the early diagnosis of AD.