We plan to collect health information from Australian patients with arthritis to monitor the benefits and safety of new treatments. All patients being treated with the new injectable biologic agents and other patients taking conventional drugs will be invited to take part in the follow up program. We will measure the impact of arthritis on quality of life and physical function and the long-term effects of all arthritis drugs. This will be of immense value to the Australian community as this data ....We plan to collect health information from Australian patients with arthritis to monitor the benefits and safety of new treatments. All patients being treated with the new injectable biologic agents and other patients taking conventional drugs will be invited to take part in the follow up program. We will measure the impact of arthritis on quality of life and physical function and the long-term effects of all arthritis drugs. This will be of immense value to the Australian community as this data are not routinely available from any other source. It will help rheumatologists and patients make the best decisions regarding long-term arthritis treatments.Read moreRead less
Can unloading footwear improve clinical care of people with knee osteoarthritis? Osteoarthritis is a public health problem imposing major economic and personal burden. It is the fourth highest cause of morbidity in Australia and national health expenditure in 2007 was $2.03 billion. Footwear can reduce knee load which is linked to disease pathogenesis. Specially-designed unloading shoes will be evaluated in a clinical trial and biomechanical studies to determine their efficacy at reducing sympto ....Can unloading footwear improve clinical care of people with knee osteoarthritis? Osteoarthritis is a public health problem imposing major economic and personal burden. It is the fourth highest cause of morbidity in Australia and national health expenditure in 2007 was $2.03 billion. Footwear can reduce knee load which is linked to disease pathogenesis. Specially-designed unloading shoes will be evaluated in a clinical trial and biomechanical studies to determine their efficacy at reducing symptoms, mechanical mechanism of pain relief, patient sub-groups that best respond to treatment and whether combined treatment with medial arch supports changes knee biomechanics. Outcomes will impact clinical practice and relieve suffering of people with knee osteoarthritis. Findings will also guide future shoe developments for arthritis. Read moreRead less
Engineering cartilage homeostasis in health and disease. Arthritis is a common, painful and often debilitating disease affecting 16% of the Australian population and costing this community $11 billion every year. It is not well understood why cartilage degenerates into joint disease, nor how it may be reversed - partly due to the large number of mechanisms involved. This project aims to overcome this complexity by developing a computational model of cartilage that can integrate the various mech ....Engineering cartilage homeostasis in health and disease. Arthritis is a common, painful and often debilitating disease affecting 16% of the Australian population and costing this community $11 billion every year. It is not well understood why cartilage degenerates into joint disease, nor how it may be reversed - partly due to the large number of mechanisms involved. This project aims to overcome this complexity by developing a computational model of cartilage that can integrate the various mechanisms of cartilage degradation. New experiments will be used to validate the model and test predictions. The model developed will provide fundamental insights into what is required for the maintenance of healthy cartilage, and what happens in injury-induced degradation of cartilage.Read moreRead less
The consequences of osteoarthritis in Australia: Work productivity loss and health service utilisation. This project will determine the burden of osteoarthritis in Australia. Although osteoarthritis is one of the most common and costly conditions affecting the developed world, little is known about the number of Australians living with hip or knee osteoarthritis, the population need for health services or the impact of the condition on the workforce. Directly addressing Australia's National Ac ....The consequences of osteoarthritis in Australia: Work productivity loss and health service utilisation. This project will determine the burden of osteoarthritis in Australia. Although osteoarthritis is one of the most common and costly conditions affecting the developed world, little is known about the number of Australians living with hip or knee osteoarthritis, the population need for health services or the impact of the condition on the workforce. Directly addressing Australia's National Action Plan for Arthritis, this research will be used by health policy makers in planning future resources to appropriately meet the needs of people with osteoarthritis. This work is of national importance because osteoarthritis is the single largest cause of workplace disability and a major contributor to lost productivity. Read moreRead less
Program evaluation of the osteoarthritis awareness hub. Persons with osteoarthritis generally have poor knowledge about their disease and its appropriate management. The aim of this project is to evaluate whether improved knowledge, and management decisions of persons with osteoarthritis, can ultimately lead to improved health outcomes.
Pathogen sensing in systemic inflammatory disease. The initiation, amplification and quenching of an immune response is a carefully orchestrated process that eliminates invading pathogens while minimising collateral damage to host tissues. This research focuses on proteins that restrict immune responses to prevent inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease. This work will also explore the role of a potassium channel that protects the host from or ....Pathogen sensing in systemic inflammatory disease. The initiation, amplification and quenching of an immune response is a carefully orchestrated process that eliminates invading pathogens while minimising collateral damage to host tissues. This research focuses on proteins that restrict immune responses to prevent inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease. This work will also explore the role of a potassium channel that protects the host from organ failure during an infection, by coupling the energy requirements of mounting an immune response, and organ function. This may have important implications for the management of sepsis, a systemic immune response associated with infection and the leading cause of death in critically ill patients.Read moreRead less
Knee osteoarthritis: Getting moving with physiotherapy. Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent chronic musculoskeletal condition causing pain, disability and reduced quality-of-life. Further rises in the prevalence of knee OA and associated patient and economic costs are expected due to an ageing population and increasing risk factors for OA such as obesity. This research will provide important information about the role of modified footwear and gait retraining in management of knee OA which ca ....Knee osteoarthritis: Getting moving with physiotherapy. Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent chronic musculoskeletal condition causing pain, disability and reduced quality-of-life. Further rises in the prevalence of knee OA and associated patient and economic costs are expected due to an ageing population and increasing risk factors for OA such as obesity. This research will provide important information about the role of modified footwear and gait retraining in management of knee OA which can influence current clinical practice. This has the potential to reduce the burden of knee OA from both an individual and societal perspective. Furthermore, the research will result in a commercially available shoe suitable for people with knee OA. Read moreRead less