Long Term Consequences Of Perturbing Early Embryo Development
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$549,515.00
Summary
Assisted reproductive techniques are normally considered safe, but there are increased risks for these newborns which may be caused by these procedures. We have developed mouse models that are sensitive to these effects and have used them to show that gene expression is altered in mice that develop from cultured embryos. Now we will use these models to work out how to reduce these effects and ensure the ongoing health of babies born with assisted reproduction.
Splice Correction As A Treatment For Rare Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$824,316.00
Summary
We propose that a strategy of bringing effective and personalised treatments to amenable patients with rare genetic diseases, though ambitious, is readily achievable and opportune. Importantly, a consensus approach will facilitate expediting potentially curative treatments for many patients with rare diseases that would be unlikely to be commercially viable if considered individually.
Metabolic And Molecular Basis Of Embryo Signalling
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$409,836.00
Summary
Cells in the body are powered by mitochondria that essentially generate the energy required for development. This grant will determine how the environment affects the mitochondria in the developing embryo and determine the impacts to the embryo and pregnancy if a mitochondria is partially shut down.
Artificial Synthesis Of The Type III Secretion System Translocon. A New Approach To Vaccine Design
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$668,742.00
Summary
Today hospitals are plagued with bacterial infections that do not respond to antibiotics. The problem exists because although antibiotics are effective at killing bacteria, this paradoxically also helps the drug-resistant bacteria thrive. We will pioneer a completely new approach to vaccine design that allows us to construct a vaccine that protects us from bacterial infection without killing the bacteria. The vaccine should therefore be far less susceptible to drug resistance.
Three percent of children born in Australia are from IVF. It is typical in IVF to replace 2 or more embryos in order to attain an acceptable pregnancy rate. However, twin pregnancies are common as a result, with 25% of all twins coming from IVF. Twins represent a real medical issue for mother and infants. Therefore, this research will use new highly innovative technologies to determine the health of an individual embryo in the culture dish prior to transfer, making the selection and transfer of ....Three percent of children born in Australia are from IVF. It is typical in IVF to replace 2 or more embryos in order to attain an acceptable pregnancy rate. However, twin pregnancies are common as a result, with 25% of all twins coming from IVF. Twins represent a real medical issue for mother and infants. Therefore, this research will use new highly innovative technologies to determine the health of an individual embryo in the culture dish prior to transfer, making the selection and transfer of an individual embryo a reality.Read moreRead less
Recent Changes In IVF Clinical Practice: Data Linkage To Investigate Their Impact On Fetal Growth And Birth Defects.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$219,076.00
Summary
In Australia 1 in 25 births are conceived from IVF treatment and this is increasing with the continuing trend towards later childbearing. This study will use linked population data to assess fetal growth and birth defects in IVF-conceived children following major changes to IVF practice in the last decade. There are limited data internationally on health outcomes following the use of more recent IVF techniques and insufficient data to allow for adequate pre-treatment counselling.
Medically Assisted Fertility Treatment And Infant Outcomes: The Role Of IVF (in Vitro Fertilisation), Ovulation Induction And Subfertility
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$463,001.00
Summary
Medically assisted fertility treatment such as IVF and fertility medications account for the birth of at least one in 25 children born in Australia. While the health outcomes of these children are reassuring there is a lack of conclusive findings on the clinical role of IVF and non-IVF treatments and on their safety, particularly the newer forms of IVF. This research will fill this evidence gap, informing patients and clinicians on the safety and effectiveness of fertility treatments.
Characterisation Of Anti-HBs Responses In Patients Undergoing Functional Hepatitis B Cure: Implication For Future Therapies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$723,649.00
Summary
The hepatitis B virus causes liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. There is no cure for hepatitis B. However, a small number of patients can naturally rid themselves of the virus. We have identified 14 of these individuals and discovered that they have a unique immune response that is responsible for these “natural” cures. We plan to characterise this immune response and turn it into a therapeutic vaccine which can be used to cure patients who are still chronically infected.
Accountable Fertility Treatment: An Evidenced-based Framework For The Provision Of Cost-effective, Patient-centred Fertility Treatment In Australia.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$423,312.00
Summary
One in six Australian couples experience infertility. This is likely to worsen with trends such as delayed childbearing and rising obesity. Despite the use of fertility treatments doubling in Australia over the last decade there has been a lack of considered analysis of the economic implications of Medicare funding of treatments, such as IVF. This research will develop a framework that will be used by policy makers to support cost-effective and patient-centred fertility treatment in Australia.
Investigating Early Life Exposure To Plastic Products In Australia And Subsequent Neurodevelopmental Effects
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$791,376.00
Summary
Child neurodevelopment disorders like autism are becoming more common. Recent work indicates almost all pregnant mothers in Australia harbour plastic chemicals – bisphenols and phthalates and foetus is also exposed. Human evidence is emerging that higher exposure to plastics during pregnancy may be associated with these disorders. Randomised controlled trials are not possible so high quality birth cohort studies, as proposed here, are required to investigate this issue comprehensively.