HIV Assembly, Transport, Egress And Transfer From Infected Dendritic Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$511,629.00
Summary
HIV-AIDS is the fourth leading killing disease worldwide, with the disease burden shifting towards women. Study of the HIV life cycle in cells known to be targetted during HIV transmission is key towards designing additional preventative measures in the form of topical gels known as microbicides. Mapping of the basic pathways of viral transport within such cells, will aid further drug discovery and-or appropriateness of use of existing drugs in microbicide formulations.
Nerve cells communicate with each other through nerve processes or neurites. The dysfunction of neurites results in the clinical symptoms of dementia such as cognitive decline. Currently we cannot directly monitor degeneration of neurites in the living brain and therefore it is difficult to determine whether therapeutic agents are protective. My goal is to develop a detection system in the blood that will allow us to monitor these changes during disease progression and therapeutic intervention.
Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Recovery From General Anaesthesia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$335,983.00
Summary
Even though general anaesthesia is an extremely common and safe procedure, doctors do not really know how it works. We have found that general anaesthetics might work in two steps, by first promoting natural sleep, and then by impairing communication between all nerve cells in the brain. It is this second step that makes surgery possible, but also makes recovery difficult – especially among patients with brain disorders. Understanding these mechanisms will promote better anaesthesia procedures.
Investigation Of The Function Of The Scaffolding Protein LIN-2/CASK In Cholinergic Synapses
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$911,656.00
Summary
Scaffolding proteins play vital role in synapses to maintain the function of the nervous system. One important scaffolds LIN-2/CASK has been implicated in autism disorders and has profound effect on synaptic function. Here we investigate the function of LIN-2/CASK and its binding partners in cholinergic synapses to dissect how they regulate synaptic transmission.
The amygdala is a region of the brain involved in assinging emotional salience to our sensory world. Disorders of amygdala function lead to a range of anxiety related disorders. In this grant we aim to understand the neural circuits that are invovled in one form of learning that engages the amygdala - fear conditioning.
Most adults will have already sustained damage to the tiny connections between hearing cells and nerve cells; a missing link in their auditory pathway. There is no way to repair the damage and our hearing will worsen over time. We now have compelling evidence that a growth factor therapy to the inner ear restores the connections. We will deliver world-first data to justify and set the parameters for a clinical trial for a therapy to treat hearing loss for the first time.