I am a molecular and cellular biologist with particular interest in understanding the regulation of DNA damage surveillance pathway and its role in the maintenance of genome stability.
As women age, the quality of their eggs decline and their chance of having a healthy baby plummets. The accumulation of DNA damage within the egg, and the reduced ability to repair this damage, may be one cause of compromised reproductive success in older women. This project will investigate the ability of eggs to repair DNA damage during maternal aging and will explore the importance of DNA repair to fertility and the transmission of high quality genetic material to their offspring.
Examining The Importance Of DNA Damage Repair For Oocyte Quality, Female Fertility And Offspring Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
As women age, the quality of their eggs decline and their chance of having a healthy baby plummets. The accumulation of DNA damage within the egg, and the reduced ability to repair this damage, may be one cause of compromised reproductive success in older women. This project will investigate the ability of eggs to repair DNA damage during maternal aging and will explore the importance of DNA repair to fertility and the transmission of high quality genetic material to their offspring.
Roadblocks To DNA Replication And Implications For Antimicrobial Resistance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,050,000.00
Summary
Antimicrobial drugs have revolutionised modern medicine in their ability to specifically target microbial infections. However, overuse of these drugs is resulting in more and more infectious microbes becoming resistant to them. This program aims to use molecular imaging techniques to visualise how microbes respond to antimicrobials and how they evolve to become resistant. The outcomes of this program will enable the identification of drug targets and the development of diagnostics.
COX-2 Inhibitors And The Development Of Unstable Angina And Myocardial Infarction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$171,450.00
Summary
Anti-inflammatory drugs (sometimes called NSAIDs) are widely used in the treatment of arthritis and also as general purpose pain killers. Up to 10 million prescriptions are written each year for these drugs in Australia. Some of the older versions of these drugs like ibuprofen (eg Brufen) and naproxen (trade name Naproxen) cause side effects which can be serious. Damage to the stomach is a particular problem and this can lead to serious bleeding or perforation of ulcers. Less well recognized are ....Anti-inflammatory drugs (sometimes called NSAIDs) are widely used in the treatment of arthritis and also as general purpose pain killers. Up to 10 million prescriptions are written each year for these drugs in Australia. Some of the older versions of these drugs like ibuprofen (eg Brufen) and naproxen (trade name Naproxen) cause side effects which can be serious. Damage to the stomach is a particular problem and this can lead to serious bleeding or perforation of ulcers. Less well recognized are the adverse effects of these drugs on the heart and the kidneys. The older fashioned members of this class of drug are rapidly being replaced by newer agents known as COX-2 inhibitors. Popular examples in Australia are celecoxib (trade name Celebrex) and rofecoxib (trade name Vioxx). These drugs are heavily promoted as being safer than the older NSAIDs. In the case of the stomach, this claim seems to be correct. However, the effects of the new COX-2 inhibitors on the circulation have not been fully assessed. Recently, claims have been made that these drugs may increase the risk of heart attacks. If this were true, it would be an effect that was unique to COX-2 inhibitors as it has not been reported with the older NSAIDs. We plan to carry out a 3 year study in Newcastle hospitals in which we compare the use of COX-2 inhibitors in a group of patients admitted to hospital with a heart attack or unstable angina with that of a control group of patients who were admitted to hospital around the same time, but not for heart problems. We are interested in whether COX-2 inhibitors are associated with an increased risk of heart attacks and whether use of small doses of aspirin protects against this effect. Depending on the results we may be able to improve the safety of these drugs in patients at risk of heart attacks.Read moreRead less