TELEPHONE COUNSELLING FOR MAINTENANCE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, WEIGHT LOSS And GLYCAEMIC CONTROL IN TYPE 2 DIABETES
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,285,894.00
Summary
Regular exercise, a healthy diet and weight loss are key to managing type 2 diabetes, yet these are major challenges for most people with diabetes. This study will evaluate the impact of a telephone counselling program to assist people with type 2 diabetes to exercise, eat a healthy diet and lose weight, with the goal of helping them to sustain these changes over the long-term. It is expected that these lifestyle changes will also result in improved blood glucose control and quality of life.
Safety And Efficacy Of A Surgically Implanted Suprachoroidal Retinal Prosthesis (Bionic Eye)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,233,826.00
Summary
A bionic eye is a electronic device which can stimulate the remaining visual pathway in a person who is blind, to restore some basic vision. Our team have previously shown that our novel bionic eye device can be safely implanted in a patient, and can give improvements in vision when tested in a laboratory environment. The next stage of the research is to provide patients with a more advanced device, which will contain more electrodes and also be able to be taken home.
Determining The Impacts Of Epigenetic Modifying Drugs On Germline Programming And Offspring Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$863,918.00
Summary
New drugs have been developed that inhibit specific enzymes that regulate epigenetic pathways in cells. These pathways significantly affect growth and development in offspring and may represent a risk to future children of patients taking the drug. This project will determine these risks and provide data for developing clinical guidelines for safe use of the drugs.
Improving Visual Outcomes In Patients With Diabetic Macular Oedema Undergoing Cataract Surgery: A Prospective Randomised Clinical Trial (the DiMECat Trial)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$187,322.00
Summary
Cataract and diabetic retinopathy are the leading causes of visual loss in patients with diabetes, but unfortunately, cataract surgery in these patients often results in a loss of vision, rather than an improvement. The purpose of this study is to improve the visual outcomes in this group of patients, through the use of new, injected medicines that are given at the time of cataract surgery, thereby potentially changing current medical practice.
Translating Genetic Determinants Of Glaucoma Into Better Diagnosis And Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$9,466,000.00
Summary
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. By 2020, it will affect 80 million people, and in Australia over the next decade, the overall cost of glaucoma will reach $4.3 billion per annum. This Program will use genetic advances to personalise treatment. Blindness will be prevented in individuals at highest risk, new ways to treat patients will be developed, and better outcomes for patients will result from less treatment and monitoring of low risk cases.
Does Early Overnutrition Differentially Alter Hypothalamic Neuropeptides That Regulate Food Intake In The Rat
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$346,250.00
Summary
In Australia the incidence of obesity, in particular childhood obesity, is increasing dramatically, and the possible long term consequences of this are of great concern. The brain regulates appetite through a number of chemical transmitters such as neuropeptide Y (NPY) which is present in the brains of mammals and causes increased food intake. The effects of overeating from a young age on these brain transmitters has been largely ignored although this may impact on subsequent eating behaviour. I ....In Australia the incidence of obesity, in particular childhood obesity, is increasing dramatically, and the possible long term consequences of this are of great concern. The brain regulates appetite through a number of chemical transmitters such as neuropeptide Y (NPY) which is present in the brains of mammals and causes increased food intake. The effects of overeating from a young age on these brain transmitters has been largely ignored although this may impact on subsequent eating behaviour. In addition to NPY we will study other transmitters in the brain that have profound effects on appetite, some increasing, and others decreasing, food intake. These may form useful therapeutic targets for new drugs for obesity. Key targets we will study include melanocortins, glucagon-like peptide 1, urocortin, melanin concentrating hormone, agouti related peptide, and NPY. We will determine whether overnutrition from birth to weaning leads to changes in these appetite regulating neurotransmitters in the brain, and monitor the hormonal signals that impact on their activity. We will also determine whether early overnutrition exacerbates the subsequent responses to a high fat diet by comparison with rats made obese as adults. We will measure brain concentrations of the neurotransmitters, the amount released from the brain, and determine whether the feeding responses to injections of these agents is altered in obese animals. We have evidence that these transmitters interact in a co-ordinated fashion to affect feeding; this project will examine whether these interactions are maintained in the various types of obesity. Rats are commonly used for this type of study as the processes regulating feeding are very similar to those in humans and these agents cause similar effects in rats and humans. It is hoped that this information will provide new insight into the way brain adapts to overnutrition, and provide potential treatments for obesity and other feeding disorders.Read moreRead less
Neuro-feedback For Improved Efficacy Of Retinal Prostheses
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$653,655.00
Summary
Bionic eyes offer the possibility to return sight to the blind. Existing retinal implants are effective at delivering basic visual percepts, namely brief spots of light. Our team is now working on building the second generation of bionic eyes that include the ability to both stimulate the visual system (the retina) and record its response. By recording the evoked responses, we can adjust and optimize the stimulation to restore a persistent high spatial resolution sense of vision to the blind.
Harnessing Anticalin Technology As A Multi-targeted Treament Approach For Vision Loss
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$627,273.00
Summary
Diabetes is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness worldwide and is caused by two factors called VEGF and Ang2, which damage blood vessels. Current treatments only block VEGF and many patients do not respond and suffer irreversible damage to sight. We have used ground-breaking anticalin technology to make a new drug (PRS-AUS1) that blocks both VEGF and Ang2. Studies will be performed in animal models and move to patients where we expect improved outcomes compared to current treatments.
The Role Of Osteocytes In Particle Induced Osteolysis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$457,196.00
Summary
Hip replacements often fail due to the loss of adjacent bone. Metal or polyethylene particles are produced as the prosthesis bearing surface wears but how do these particles lead to bone loss? Our work suggests involvement of osteocytes within the bone mineral, which are increasingly understood to drive bone physiology and pathology. We will explore the role of the osteocytes by examining their response to particles, which may identify a new target to prevent particle-induced bone loss.
Young Adult Myopia: Genetic And Environmental Associations
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$809,271.00
Summary
Myopia affects 80% of school leavers in the cities of East Asia, 45% of Asian Australian school leavers and is probably on the rise in European Australian adolescents. Increased levels of education and lack of time outdoors are known to increase the risk of myopia. We will examine 2,000 young adults to find the genes that interact with these risk factors. In addition to confirming when these risk factors are most important, identifying molecular pathways opens the avenue of new treatments.