Using Mathematical Models To Assess The Impact Of Interventions To Reduce Sexually Transmitted Infections In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$562,276.00
Summary
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are an increasing public health problem in Australia. Australia's recent National Transmissible Infections Strategy identified chlamydia control, STI prevention in gay men and STIs in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities as priority areas. We propose to develop mathematical models of STI transmission and use these to help understand and identify the most cost-effective interventions to reduce the impact of STIs on Australian populations.
Massively Parallel Sequencing And PCR Optimised For DNA-based Diagnostics And Discovery
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$201,664.00
Summary
The next generation of medical diagnostics and discovery in disease research will involve the marriage of PCR, a tool used to amplify large amounts of DNA from small starting quantities, and �next generation� sequencing, a way to sequence lots and lots of DNA on a single instrument run. This study aims to describe methods which allow scientists to screen hundreds of disease genes in hundreds of people simultaneously with high accuracy and high efficiency.
Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of The Australian Mammographic Screening Program
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$504,096.00
Summary
BreastScreen Australia uses interim measures such as participation, small cancer detection and interval cancer rates to monitor the impact of the program on mortality. Using BreastScreen Victoria as a case study, we will estimate the direct impact of the program on mortality for screened women, addressing Cancer Australia's priority of 'Improving screening program outcomes to ensure that patients can be identified and treated appropriately and ensuring that screening services are effective'.
Optimising Cervical Screening After The Introduction Of HPV Vaccination In Australia: Modelling Of Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$316,089.00
Summary
This research project will aid decision-making about how best to perform cervical screening in Australia after the introduction of vaccination against the human papillomavirus (or HPV). The project will use computer simulation techniques to explore different scenarios for vaccination and screening and to determine the optimal approach. This project involves a group of international collaborators with expertise in a number of areas including cancer epidemiology, screening for cancer, and computer ....This research project will aid decision-making about how best to perform cervical screening in Australia after the introduction of vaccination against the human papillomavirus (or HPV). The project will use computer simulation techniques to explore different scenarios for vaccination and screening and to determine the optimal approach. This project involves a group of international collaborators with expertise in a number of areas including cancer epidemiology, screening for cancer, and computer simulation methods. HPV is the virus responsible for the development of cervical cancer, and clinical trials have demonstrated that HPV vaccines administered to adoloescent girls are very effective at preventing disease that might have led to cancer in the future. However, Australia currently has a very effective Pap smear screening program, and in the first phase after the introduction of vaccination it will be important for women to continue being screened as usual. In the long term, HPV vaccination is expected to reduce the need for Pap smears. The research will involve a very detailed simulation of how HPV is transmitted in the Australian population, and how this will change after vaccination. The simulation will address questions of importance for any future public HPV vaccination program, such as whether males should be vaccinated as well as females. The simulation will also be used to determine the optimal starting age and frequency of Pap smears in the future. The outcomes of the research will be very important for policy-makers. In the long term, this research will ensure that the best recommendations are formulated for the timing and frequency of Pap smears after HPV vaccination is introduced.Read moreRead less
The Role And Inheritance Of Constitutional Epimutations In Early-onset Colorectal Cancer.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$347,551.00
Summary
Traditionally familial cancers are thought to be caused by spelling mistakes within the genetic code of cancer prevention genes. Our group has found that chemical attachments to one gene (MLH1) stops it working, even where there is no spelling mistake, and that those chemical changes can be inherited in families with bowel cancer. We will determine how frequently this type of defect occurs in bowel cancer patients, how and why it arises, and if other cancer genes are similarly affected.
Population Outcomes And Cost-effectiveness Of Universal Newborn Hearing Vs Risk Factor Screening At Age 5 Years.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$540,423.00
Summary
Universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) is being widely implemented because it is thought to greatly improve outcomes for children with congenital deafness. However, it is also very costly. Between 2003-5, all New South Wales babies were offered UNHS, while Victorian babies were offered a risk-factor screening and referral program. This two-year 'natural experiment' paves the way for a unique population effectiveness and cost-effectiveness study of UNHS as the children reach 5 years of age.