The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) invites you to participate in a short survey about your
interaction with the ARDC and use of our national research infrastructure and services. The survey will take
approximately 5 minutes and is anonymous. It’s open to anyone who uses our digital research infrastructure
services including Reasearch Link Australia.
We will use the information you provide to improve the national research infrastructure and services we
deliver and to report on user satisfaction to the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research
Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) program.
Please take a few minutes to provide your input. The survey closes COB Friday 29 May 2026.
Complete the 5 min survey now by clicking on the link below.
Role Of Vasoactive Hormones And Cytokines In Diabetic Nephropathy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$361,650.00
Summary
Kidney disease is a major cause of disability and premature death in the Australian population. In diabetic kidney disease a major factor which accelerates the progression of this disorder is the presence of hypertension. Indeed international and national organisations now recommend aggressive blood pressure treatment in the diabetic patient. This proposal aims to optimise blood pressure treatment in diabetes and evaluate novel more potent blood pressure lowering agents which block within the ki ....Kidney disease is a major cause of disability and premature death in the Australian population. In diabetic kidney disease a major factor which accelerates the progression of this disorder is the presence of hypertension. Indeed international and national organisations now recommend aggressive blood pressure treatment in the diabetic patient. This proposal aims to optimise blood pressure treatment in diabetes and evaluate novel more potent blood pressure lowering agents which block within the kidney important hormonal pathways implicated in diabetic kidney disease. This approach will assist in determining key factors which mediate the damage to the kidney induced by elevated blood pressure. It is anticipated that these studies will lead to more rational, targeted and powerful antihypertensive agents which will retard or prevent the development of diabetic nephropathy.Read moreRead less
Progressive Renal And Vascular Disease: Pivotal Role Of The AT2 Receptor
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$283,875.00
Summary
Diabetes and renal disease are commonly associated with a range of vascular complications. I have been investigating a particular hormone system known as the renin-angiotensin system in promoting kidney and vascular complications in various diseases including diabetes. This system is a pathway which ultimately generates a hormone called angiotensin II which has many actions which could be harmful to the kidney and blood vessels. The importance of this hormone system has been demonstrated by the ....Diabetes and renal disease are commonly associated with a range of vascular complications. I have been investigating a particular hormone system known as the renin-angiotensin system in promoting kidney and vascular complications in various diseases including diabetes. This system is a pathway which ultimately generates a hormone called angiotensin II which has many actions which could be harmful to the kidney and blood vessels. The importance of this hormone system has been demonstrated by the beneficial effects particularly on the kidney of drugs which block this pathway. It has been demonstrated that angiotensin II acts via 2 different receptors, the AT1 and AT2 subtypes. Initially the AT1 receptor was viewed to mediate most of the biological effects of angiotensin II. However, as demonstrated by our own and other groups, the AT2 receptor may play a role in mediating various effects of angiotensin II particularly in disease states. We have identified expression of this receptor in the adult kidney and in the vessel wall which may be upregulated in various disease states. The status of the AT2 receptor is not well characterised in diabetes and many other kidney diseases and this proposal will address this issue in a comprehensive manner by evaluating various sites of injury in diabetes including the kidney and vascular tree. This proporsal includes different approach to moduate this receptor involving drug blockers and animal model where this receptoris either deleted or overexpressed. These studies potentially have major implications for the management of diabetic and renal complications. It remains to be determined if the AT2 receptor confers beneficial or deleterious effects in diabetic nephropathy or other renal diseases, if these effects vary among the various organs to be studied and whether AT2 receptor antagonists may themselves be of therapeutic value in individuals at high risk of kidney and vascular disease such as people with diabetes.Read moreRead less
Altered Intracellular Signalling In Response To Hyperglycaemia Reflects An Inherent Predisposition To Nephropathy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$164,061.00
Summary
Diabetic nephropathy affects 30-50% of patients with diabetes mellitus. The reasons as to why only a proportion of patients develop this devastating complication is not clear. Poor control of blood sugar levels has been well characterised as being of aetiological importance in its genesis, but is clearly not the sole factor responsible. Genetic factors appear to predispose individuals to developing diabetic nephropathy, with a significantly higher number of affected patients having a family hist ....Diabetic nephropathy affects 30-50% of patients with diabetes mellitus. The reasons as to why only a proportion of patients develop this devastating complication is not clear. Poor control of blood sugar levels has been well characterised as being of aetiological importance in its genesis, but is clearly not the sole factor responsible. Genetic factors appear to predispose individuals to developing diabetic nephropathy, with a significantly higher number of affected patients having a family history of hypertension and vascular disease. Our own preliminary studies using cells from human kidneys have demonstrated that there are clearly 2 responses observed with respect to alterations in intracellular signalling after exposure to high glucose concentrations and hormones known to be of importance in the development of diabetic nephropathy (such as angiotensin II and insulin-like growth factor-1). These responses appear to be specific to the patient from which the kidney tissue is derived. Thus the aim of the present study is to determine prospectively, whether the groups differ with regards their intracellular signalling and subsequent development of tubulointerstitial pathology in an in vitro model of diabetes mellitus.Read moreRead less