The Role Of Meninges In Midbrain Dopamine Development
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$378,311.00
Summary
Dopamine neurons are important for the control of movement, emotion and cognitive function, and are affected in a number of disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Instrumental in improving our knowledge of disease etiology and the development of new therapies will be a greater understanding of how these cells are initially born during development. This project examines the role of the brain’s meninges in dopamine development and repair and will identify proteins and signaling pathways involved.
Functions Of FZD7 In The Intestine And Colorectal Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$644,761.00
Summary
Wnt proteins are a family of signaling molecules that are critical for the function of normal and cancerous epithelial cells in the gut. However, the cell surface receptor that transmits Wnt signals is not known. Our research strongly implicates one Wnt receptor (FZD7). Here we test this using innovative mouse and cell line models. We wish to understand how Wnt-driven processes are activated. This knowledge will lead to novel avenues to block aberrant activation of Wnt signalling in cancer cells
Wnt Signaling In Dopaminergic Neuronal Connectivity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$387,489.00
Summary
During development, the brain establishes intricate and precise connections. In several brain pathways, little is known about the processes regulating this connectivity. Furthermore, it is likely that the same processes will be required to repair the injured- diseased brain. This project builds on our preliminary data, that Wnt proteins are important regulators of developing dopamine pathways, and has implications for dopamine disorders including Parkinson’s disease and addiction.
Wnt Signaling In Dopaminergic Neuronal Connectivity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$564,721.00
Summary
A major obstacle in repairing the injured or diseased brain is inducing axons (nerve cell processes) to make the appropriate connections. This is especially true following cell replacement therapy (CRT) in Parkinson's disease (PD). We will examine the processes inducing axons in the dopamine pathways to grow. We hypothesize that Wnt signaling plays and important role and that therapeutic introduction of Wnt is required to repair the dopamine pathways following CRT in PD.
Only recently has it emerged that our cells have a built-in backup mechanism that instructs cells to die in extreme cases, such as when viruses have hijacked a cell. A misfiring backup mechanism is thought to underlie a number of human diseases, including inflammatory disease. Our investigation will establish a starting point for the development of novel anti-inflammatory drugs.
Conologues: Ultra-fast-acting Therapeutic Insulins Based On Cone Snail Venom Insulin Principles
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,082,866.00
Summary
The increasing prevalence of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes demands better treatments. Our Project is based on a fascinating discovery by our international team of CIs of a new type of insulin within marine organisms that could form the basis of a novel diabetes therapeutic. Within our Project we will exploit this discovery to develop a new class of ultra-rapid-acting therapeutic insulins.
Signalling Networks As Targets For Antibody Therapy In Glioma.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$526,683.00
Summary
Antibodies are a major component of the bodies immune system that bind (i.e. stick) to foreign substances such as viruses. Once bound, these antibodies can activate other parts of the immune system, which help destroy the foreign substance. Analogous to the situation above, a number of institutions are testing antibodies that bind to cancer cells, in order to determine if they are able to destroy these cells. It is also possible to generate antibodies that bind to receptors on the surface of can ....Antibodies are a major component of the bodies immune system that bind (i.e. stick) to foreign substances such as viruses. Once bound, these antibodies can activate other parts of the immune system, which help destroy the foreign substance. Analogous to the situation above, a number of institutions are testing antibodies that bind to cancer cells, in order to determine if they are able to destroy these cells. It is also possible to generate antibodies that bind to receptors on the surface of cancer cells and block their function. If you target a receptor critical to the growth or survival of a cancer cell in this way, then swtiching-off this signal may inhibit tumor growth. In this proposal we plan to test a panel antibodies that recognize receptors important to the growth of brain cancer. Two of these antibodies have been generated and the other two will be made as part of this proposal. A key aspect of this proposal will be testing these antibodies in combination to determine how many receptors need to be targeted in order to get complete tumor regressions in animal models. Overall this work will help us identify new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of brain cancer. Finally, we will also analyze the way different receptors interact together in brain cancer cells.Read moreRead less
Genomic Analysis Of DNA Binding And Gene Regulation By The Chromatin Remodelling Factor UBF
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$624,254.00
Summary
Synthesis of ribosomes, the cellular protein synthetic machinery, is the major anabolic event of a growing cell and is frequently dysregulated during disease such as cancer. This grant will examine a protein termed UBF that we think plays an important role in orchestrating the cellular response to dysregulated ribosome biogenesis. By understanding how UBF functions we hope to uncover novel therapeutic approaches to treat diseases associated with ribosome stress .
Understanding Epigenetic Modification During Oogenesis For Novel Treatments Of Female Infertility
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$314,644.00
Summary
Infertility affects about 10% of Australian women and the success rates of current infertility treatments are low due to our poor knowledge of eggs development. The numbers of obese and older women trying to conceive are increasing; fertility treatments are even less effective for them. I have generated mouse models to elucidate the pathways regulating egg development. I will study for alterations in these pathways in the mouse models which perfectly mimic the obesity and aging in women.