High blood pressure affects 1 in 5 Australian adults and is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity from heart attack and stroke. The condition tends to run in families and genetic predisposition, in the face of environmental factors, leads to the elevation in blood pressure. My Lab has demonstrated the capacity of a cohort of affected hypertensive sibships we have collected to find loci for essential hypertension at a level that has achieved genome-wide statistical significance and has been ....High blood pressure affects 1 in 5 Australian adults and is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity from heart attack and stroke. The condition tends to run in families and genetic predisposition, in the face of environmental factors, leads to the elevation in blood pressure. My Lab has demonstrated the capacity of a cohort of affected hypertensive sibships we have collected to find loci for essential hypertension at a level that has achieved genome-wide statistical significance and has been published in a leading molecular genetics journal. Moreover, this previous work, which included fine-mapping after finding a suggestive locus following a scan of chromosome 1, not only demonstrated significant linkage, but also went on to compare gene markers between a different cohort of (unrelated) hypertensive subjects with 2 affected parents (and early-onset, moderate to severe hypertension) and control normotensive matched subjects with unaffected parents, to identify a likely candidate gene. This same approach will be used to complete the rest of the genome. The discovery of all of the genes for essential hypertension will be an important prelude to: (1) developing new, more effective treatments, since the gene products responsible will be able to be targetted by novel therapeutics, (2) genotyping individuals early in life in order to advise them what their risk is, and thus allow couselling about lifestyle modification, (3) more logically apply existing treatment strategies according to the volume-neural-vasoconstrctor component of the contribution to high blood pressure.Read moreRead less
Enhancing Joint Replacement Outcomes Through National Data Linkage
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$776,063.00
Summary
This is an Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry (AOANJRR) project that involves linking Registry data with state and federal government health datasets. This will help to better understand the complications and factors affecting the rate of complication after hip, knee and shoulder joint replacement. This information will be used to improve outcomes for patients having this surgery.
Pathways To Avoidable And Unexplained Deaths In The Early Lifecourse
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,108,086.00
Summary
There continues to be unacceptable numbers of avoidable deaths in early life in Australia, particularity among disadvantaged groups. This project will use novel, large-scale population data to identify and quantify the impact of risks to early life mortality and preventable pathways. This new knowledge will inform new strategies to prevent stillbirth and child deaths for the benefit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and other populations.
E-DADS: Early Detection Of Alzheimer’s Disease Subtypes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$488,725.00
Summary
Alzheimer's disease manifests differently in different people. Some people may get the disease at younger ages or they may progress in the disease much faster than others. This grant aims to use large amounts of data from around the world to understand why these differences exist. This knowledge will be converted into a tool where data from a specific individual can be used to forecast if and when they will get the disease and how fast that disease will progress and how it could be prevented.