Development Of A Computer-based Retinal Imaging Program For Identification Of People At Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$254,714.00
Summary
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and imposes an enormous financial and healthcare burden on the Australian community. This project will develop and deliver a novel clinical prediction tool, incorporating retinal vascular imaging and assessment, to improve identification of asymptomatic people who are at high risk of cardiovascular disease at an early stage, allowing implementation of preventative strategies and medical interventions to effectively prevent CV disease.
A Novel Treatment For Ameliorating Retinal Vascular Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$366,685.00
Summary
Retinal vascular disease is a leading cause of blindness and is currently treated by laser photocoagulation surgery. Although successful, this treatment is associated with serious side effects. Recently, Ellex Pty has developed a novel laser called the 2RT laser that is likely to be effective without the accompanying side effects. This study will allow examine the effect of the 2RT laser in animal models of retinal vascular disease so as to complete preclinical development of this laser.
New Dynamometric Techniques For Predicting Glaucoma Progression
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$171,825.00
Summary
Glaucoma is a major cause of blindness in our community. The biggest risk factor for glaucoma is raised intraocular pressure. However, the exact cause of the disease remains unknown. Through our basic science studies in animals we have discovered that changes in blood flow in the vessels at the optic disk may be involved in the disease process. In recent clinical trials we discovered that the presence or absence of pulsations in the retinal veins at the disk was both an indicator of severity and ....Glaucoma is a major cause of blindness in our community. The biggest risk factor for glaucoma is raised intraocular pressure. However, the exact cause of the disease remains unknown. Through our basic science studies in animals we have discovered that changes in blood flow in the vessels at the optic disk may be involved in the disease process. In recent clinical trials we discovered that the presence or absence of pulsations in the retinal veins at the disk was both an indicator of severity and progression of glaucoma. This is a major breakthrough because there is no other means of predicting in which glaucoma patients vision loss will develop most rapidly. This information will be very helpful in deciding which patients should have the most agressive treatment to restore normal intraocular pressure. This project seeks to develop a new commercial device to make such an examination easy for any clinical ophthalmologist. The device allows the doctor to examine the vessels at the disk whilst applying slight pressure to the eye to temporarily raise intraocular pressure. A footswitch is pressed when the doctor sees the vessels pulsate. The required force is recorded by a laptop computer and the data stored along with the patients details. Now we have confirmed the ability of such a measurement to predict the rate of visual field loss in glaucoma, such a measurement will become much more widespread in clinical ophthalmology, offering a new and large scale opportunity for such instrumentation. Our device will be easy to operate, more comfortable for the patient, and will be of major diagnostic value in glaucoma clinics worldwide.Read moreRead less
External Therapeutic Device To Support Rehabilitation Of The Hand Following Trauma Or Surgery
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$175,000.00
Summary
The loss of hand function will affect every aspect of an individual’s life. This includes the ability to feed and care for themselves and the ability to work and participate in family life. For people recovering from problems such as trauma, burns or surgery affecting the hand, careful management of hand rehabilitation can influence the outcome for the patient significantly. In order to reduce the possibility of mobility difficulties occurring, including loss of joint range of motion, muscle and ....The loss of hand function will affect every aspect of an individual’s life. This includes the ability to feed and care for themselves and the ability to work and participate in family life. For people recovering from problems such as trauma, burns or surgery affecting the hand, careful management of hand rehabilitation can influence the outcome for the patient significantly. In order to reduce the possibility of mobility difficulties occurring, including loss of joint range of motion, muscle and tendon sheath adhesions or non-functional scar tissue formation, continuous passive motion (CPM) is often indicated. Additionally, for people with reduced mobility of the hand due to upper limb paralysis, such as those with cervical spinal cord injury, stroke, cerebral palsy or peripheral nerve injury, disregard for management of the maintenance of the joint range of motion of the effected hand will result in contracture and limited joint range of motion. Such syndromes will reduce hand function, which is already limited by paralysis, and will negatively affect potential outcomes for aggressive rehabilitation techniques, such as tendon transfer surgery and functional neuromuscular stimulation. Therefore, in such cases, CPM is also indicated. Current devices applying CPM have shown to be effective in minimising the syndromes indicated above and these results are summarised in the Background and Research Plan attached to this proposal. Unfortunately, the use of such devices is not always prescribed by clinicians. This is due, mainly, to the limitations of these devices that are in the marketplace. These limitations include lack of secure finger placement, lack of portability, the inability to provide specialised therapy to specific joints and inflexible programming. This proposal introduces an improved device to be developed and these improvements form the proposal aims below. Given such an improved device, which can overcome many of the problems with current CPM machines, it is likely that that the clinical application of CPM will achieve the greater degree of prescription and application in hand rehabilitation. These improvements should overcome the clinical reticence to use these devices and restore a balance by increasing their use to the level that the scientific literature indicates they should have. The overall aim of the proposal is to take the device to a stage where it is ready for clinical trial.Read moreRead less
Development Of A Slit Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope As A Screening Tool In Glaucoma Diagnostics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$195,830.00
Summary
Glaucoma is typified by progressive optic disc cupping and loss of fibres with consequent characteristic field defects. Direct imaging of the retina and quantitative assessment of such images greatly increases early diagnosis of this blinding disease. The proposed device, a laser line scanning ophthalmoscope, could support non-invasive imaging to obtain 3-D information in a simple and cost effective way. This could provide objective clinical parameters to support the decision making process.
Seminal Plasma Cytokines As Novel Fertility Diagnostics In Men
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$101,000.00
Summary
Infertility and recurrent miscarriage affect 60-80 million couples globally, including 15% of couples in Australia. Current IVF therapy is not successful when the underlying reason for infertility is failure of the maternal tissues to support embryo implantation. We have discovered signaling proteins present in male semen that act in the female reproductive tissues to prepare for embryo implantation and healthy pregnancy. Recently we have identified those proteins and have shown that some men ha ....Infertility and recurrent miscarriage affect 60-80 million couples globally, including 15% of couples in Australia. Current IVF therapy is not successful when the underlying reason for infertility is failure of the maternal tissues to support embryo implantation. We have discovered signaling proteins present in male semen that act in the female reproductive tissues to prepare for embryo implantation and healthy pregnancy. Recently we have identified those proteins and have shown that some men have an imbalance in seminal proteins that leads to immune rejection of the embryo in the female partner. This project aims to develop a new test for male fertility that is based on seminal plasma proteins and independent of existing sperm count tests. Furthermore we will determine whether seminal protein imbalance can result from the �silent� presence of male reproductive tract infection.Read moreRead less
Ultrasonic Blood Pressure Measurement On Implanted Biomedical Surfaces
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$170,250.00
Summary
The project would develop a prototype device reporting blood pressure on a biomedical implant surface. The device would extract data in real time from a standard ultrasound scanner that images the implant. The School of Mathematical Sciences at Monash University will be contracted to develop this ultrasound pressure sensor.
A Novel Device To Improve Renal Blood Flow In Cardiorenal Syndrome
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$198,900.00
Summary
The aim of this project is to assist in the development of a novel device to treat poor delivery of blood to the kidneys in conditions such as heart muscle weakness (chronic heart failure, CHF). Specifically we aim to build a prototype and test the device in a relevant animal model of CHF. Chronic heart failure is a major public health problem affecting >10% of the adult population over the age of 60 years. It is associated with high morbidity, mortality, frequent hospitalisation and major co ....The aim of this project is to assist in the development of a novel device to treat poor delivery of blood to the kidneys in conditions such as heart muscle weakness (chronic heart failure, CHF). Specifically we aim to build a prototype and test the device in a relevant animal model of CHF. Chronic heart failure is a major public health problem affecting >10% of the adult population over the age of 60 years. It is associated with high morbidity, mortality, frequent hospitalisation and major cost burden on the public health system. Weak heart muscle results in poor delivery of blood to the kidneys. Poor delivery to the kidneys activates circulating hormones which in turn further impair cardiac function by adverse effects on the heart. We have developed and patented a novel catheter based system for improvement of renal function via a purpose built device. Proof-of-concept studies have shown that the device should improve kidney blood flow in the setting of CHF. Given the huge public health problem of heart failure and the importance of the kidney in this setting, the commercial potential for a simple device that can be positioned via a catheter-based approach, permanently implanted is large. The device is currently being constructed by the Monash University Department of Engineering where expertise exists with regard to biomedical devices and materials engineering. A series of proof-of-concept studies will then be performed in sheep, as the vasculature of the sheep roughly approximates the dimensions of man. Sheep with CHF will have the device inserted percutaneously into the aorta. Measurements will be made of renal artery flow, relevant circulatory hormones and ultrasound of the heart at baseline (pre-deployment) and following deployment. We believe the above studies (should they be successful) will be sufficient to constitute definitive proof-of-concept and thus allow the device to be commercialised, most likely by a licensing arrangement with a device company.Read moreRead less
The Diagnosis, Biomarker Identification And Measurement Of Drug Efficacy In Mental Illness And Neurological Conditions.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$119,050.00
Summary
Globally, 2 billion people suffer from a neuropsychiatric illness. The cost is more than US$2 trillion a year. Hampering early intervention is the current lack of definitive, quantitative techniques for diagnosis and measurement of treatment efficacy. This research will determine whether the disease fingerprints produced by a new technique, EVestG, are diagnostically unique (to schizophrenia, depression and Parkinson's disease) and sensitive to disease progression and treatment response.