Improving Understandings Of And Responses To Alcohol-related Family Violence For Aboriginal People
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,294,735.00
Summary
Family violence and alcohol misuse contribute to many health and social inequities facing Aboriginal peoples. This Aboriginal-led project will investigate associations between alcohol and family violence in urban, regional and remote contexts to co-design improved interventions for Aboriginal peoples facing these issues. We will use an innovative approach combining participatory anthropological methods with network analytical techniques to address the gravity and complexity of the problem.
Defining The Genes That Dictate The Cellular Response To Tumour Protein TP53 Activation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$784,896.00
Summary
The tumour suppressor TP53 prevents the growth of abnormal cells by activating processes such as cell death and irreversible growth arrest. A cell will undergo only one of these possible responses, but it is not known why some cells die and others only stop growing. We will use innovative methods to define the genes that dictate the cellular response to TP53 activation. This research has implications for cancer, as many therapeutics aim to permanently kill cancer cells by activating TP53.
Integrating Biology And Medicine To Develop 3D-structure Guided Drug Design For Treatment Of Cardiovascular Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$978,832.00
Summary
Calcium channel inhibitors are commonly prescribed for the treatment of heart disorders such as angina, hypertension, arrhythmias and hypertrophic heart disease. This class of drugs is one of the leading causes of drug-related fatalities. The impediment to designing better drugs is a lack of understanding of the 3 dimensional (3D) structure of the calcium channel. We will enable for the first time a 3D structure blueprint for the design of safe and highly selective calcium channel therapeutics.
Investigating A New Regulator Of Cardiac Rhythm In Development And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,022,704.00
Summary
Cardiac arrhythmias affect a high proportion of the population (2-5%) and can cause sudden death. Whilst the aetiology of arrhythmia can vary, there are clear genetic causes. Unfortunately, our knowledge of the genetic contributors is incomplete, hampering efforts to interpret genetic sequencing information. This project will undertake functional analyses of a novel arrhythmia gene and establish where, when and how it is required for correct cardiac rhythm.
A Cellular Identity Crisis: Deciphering How Mammary Epithelial Cells Form And Maintain Their Identity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$843,826.00
Summary
The ability to regenerate human organs from adult cells efficiently and without error is a major goal of biomedical research in Australia, with significant economic benefits. As one of the most regenerative organs in a woman's body, the breast is an excellent model to study mechanisms that underpin tissue growth and regrowth. Moreover, as these pathways are often hijacked by cancer, this research has important implications for the development of new targeted therapies to treat breast cancer.
Oncogenic Determinants Of The Immune Response In Acute Myeloid Leukaemia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$588,144.00
Summary
There is an urgent need to develop new therapies for patients with AML. We have shown that the body's own immune system can target certain types of AML. We will determine how these types of AML change to escape control from the immune system and how this can be reversed to re-engage the anti-AML immune response. Using patient samples, we will determine how the anti-AML immune response changes during the course of standard therapy in order to best combine it with immune-targeted therapies.
From Functional Genomics To Precision Medicine: Identifying The Cause And Finding Optimal Therapy For Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$855,992.00
Summary
There is an alarming increase in mouth cancer in young patients who have never smoked. This is a debilitating and potentially fatal cancer without many treatment options. If the patient survives, the quality of life is usually very poor. Our team of medical, genetic, and mathematics experts are dedicated to finding the cause, and developing new treatments, for young non-smoking patients affected by this devastating cancer.