The Ethics And Politics Of Pharmaceutical Innovation And Translation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$476,728.00
Summary
I lead a research program on the ethics and politics of pharmaceutical innovation and translation: how medicines are developed, regulated, funded and taken up into practice. I aim to help policymakers to deal with conflicts among stakeholders. Over the next 4 years I will conduct a suite of research projects on topics of immediate significance to Australian policymakers; develop a new framework for pharmaceutical ethics and create a “Pharmaceutical Ethics and Politics Network.”
The Role Of The Zinc Finger Transcriptional Repressor Znf238 During Nerve Cell Maturation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$394,264.00
Summary
Proper foetal brain assembly is critical for brain function, but the underlying genetic mechanisms remain poorly defined. In this study, I will investigate a family of proteins that “turn on” neural gene expression in combination with another protein that “turns off” their expression during nerve cell development. Understanding this novel on/off mechanism for controlling gene expression in newborn nerve cells will further our understanding of how the brain is assembled.
Targeting Central Inflammation To Combat Obesity And Obesity-related Cognitive Dysfunction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$470,144.00
Summary
The current obesity epidemic means many of us will suffer from overweight or obesity for at least some of our lives. My findings show obesity can cause inflammation throughout the brain including in regions related to learning and memory. Here I hypothesize that obesity induces long-term changes in the brain’s immune cells, that this can explain why we see susceptibility to cognitive decline in obese individuals, and that we can reverse these negative effects by targeting these immune cells.