Adult Stem Cell Transplantation Therapy In Parkinsonian Rat
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$526,517.00
Summary
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterised by slowness of movement, muscle rigidity and tremor. It affects about 1% of the population at age 50 and 10% over age 80. Symptoms are caused by low levels of dopamine, a chemical in the brain that helps control movement. The symptoms increase in severity with time, leading to increasing difficulty in walking, speaking, writing, swallowing and sleeping and increasing the incidence of broken bones from falls. Parkinson' ....Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterised by slowness of movement, muscle rigidity and tremor. It affects about 1% of the population at age 50 and 10% over age 80. Symptoms are caused by low levels of dopamine, a chemical in the brain that helps control movement. The symptoms increase in severity with time, leading to increasing difficulty in walking, speaking, writing, swallowing and sleeping and increasing the incidence of broken bones from falls. Parkinson's disease is incurable but the symptoms can be controlled with medications that replace the lost dopamine. Medications become less effective as the disease progresses and there is need for new therapies. Worldwide the hunt is on to discover new cell transplantation therapies to replace the dopamine in the brain and to prevent degeneration of the still surviving dopamine cells. Although embryonic stem cells might be useful for such therapies, they raise the risk of tumour formation from the transplanted cells. This aim of this proposal is to test, in parkinsonian rat, a therapy in which adult stem cells from the patient are transplanted into their own brain to provide a new source of dopamine. We have discovered a new and unique source of adult stem cells, the sense organ of smell in the nose. Small samples can be taken through the nose and we can grow these adult stem cells from people of all ages, including people with Parkinson's disease. As adult stem cells they avoid the ethical issues associated with embryonic stem cell transplantation and as cells from the same patient, they are not rejected by the immune system. This is being tested in principle by a world-first clinical trial in which we are taking another cell type from the nose, growing it in the lab, and transplanting into the injured spinal cord in a search for a cure for paraplegia. This project takes the first steps to developing a new treatment for Parkinson's disease using a patient's own adult stem cells.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Neuronal Nicotinic Receptor Subunits In The Self-Administration And Relapse To Alcohol Seeking:Treatments For Alcohol Dependence
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$531,787.00
Summary
The World Health Organization reports that alcohol causes almost two million deaths every year and results in physical disability or shortened life span for at least 58 million others. Despite the fact that addiction represents more than 40% of brain-related illnesses, there is a dearth of innovative treatments. The overall goal of my research is to develop more effective medications for the treatment of alcohol use disorder by targeting the neuronal nicotinic receptor subtypes that have been sp ....The World Health Organization reports that alcohol causes almost two million deaths every year and results in physical disability or shortened life span for at least 58 million others. Despite the fact that addiction represents more than 40% of brain-related illnesses, there is a dearth of innovative treatments. The overall goal of my research is to develop more effective medications for the treatment of alcohol use disorder by targeting the neuronal nicotinic receptor subtypes that have been specifically altered by heavy alcohol intake.Read moreRead less
The Effects Of The Western Diet On Cognition In Rats
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$689,326.00
Summary
An unhealthy diet can affect how we think. This project will identify mechanisms by which a western diet impairs cognition, and test ways of intervening to reduce the impact of diet on the brain. We will examine changes in inflammation, and markers of nerve growth in a critical brain region, the hippocampus, in response to different periods of diet. We will also test if the diet and our interventions affect the gut biota.