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BONE SIZE AND BONE TURNOVER: RELATIONSHIP TO FRACTURE RISK OVER TEN YEARS
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$428,225.00
Summary
The occurrence of fracture in the ageing population is a major public health problem because these fractures are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality. Of women reaching 90 years of age, one third will fracture their hip and overall, one in every six women will sustain an osteoporotic fracture in her lifetime. The direct cost to the community is unknown but estimated, conservatively, at 175 million dollars annually. Most of this is likely to be the result of hip fractures which oc ....The occurrence of fracture in the ageing population is a major public health problem because these fractures are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality. Of women reaching 90 years of age, one third will fracture their hip and overall, one in every six women will sustain an osteoporotic fracture in her lifetime. The direct cost to the community is unknown but estimated, conservatively, at 175 million dollars annually. Most of this is likely to be the result of hip fractures which occupy an estimated 400,000 bed-days annually. This bed occupancy is fourth next to mental illness, cardiac disease and cancer. The Geelong Osteoporosis Study is a large population-based epidemiological study currently under way to evaluate the major risk factors for fracture in women . This present study which will be an extension of the study to date, will provide in total, 8-10 years of data concerning the processes that result in increased bone fragility and fracture.Read moreRead less
Development Of Novel Vaccine Strategies To Prevent Genital Tract Chlamydial Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,556.00
Summary
Genital tract chlamydial infection is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease world wide with 4-5 million cases occurring annually throughout the world. The incidence of chlamydial infection is increasing in the Australian population. The majority of infections in women are asymptomatic and, if untreated, go on to cause pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility. These conditions can be life threatening and are a significant public health cost. In the proposal ....Genital tract chlamydial infection is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease world wide with 4-5 million cases occurring annually throughout the world. The incidence of chlamydial infection is increasing in the Australian population. The majority of infections in women are asymptomatic and, if untreated, go on to cause pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility. These conditions can be life threatening and are a significant public health cost. In the proposal we will develop novel vaccine strategies, involving both intranasal immunisation and immunisation by direct application to the skin, to induce protection against genital tract chlamydial infection. These studies will lay the basis for human trials of a vaccine to prevent what is now the most common STD in Australia. Such a vaccine to target this chronic infection would represent a major advance in preventive healthcare for the maintenance of good health.Read moreRead less
Oestrogens And The Metabolic Process: Regulatory Interaction With The GH-IGF-system In Health And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$547,970.00
Summary
Growth hormone (GH) plays a key role in controlling body metabolism, fat and muscle in adult life. The female hormone oestrogen controls how much GH is secreted and how well it acts. Drugs that act like or interfere with the action of oestrogen are used increasing for the treatment of many conditions e.g. growth, cancer and osteoporosis. This proposal examines their impact on cardiovascular and physical health.
The future of cancer therapy lies in the tailoring of treatment to the characteristic of individual tumour. We have previously identified a subset of breast tumours that are characterised by the presence of large excess of proteins called D-type cyclins. Similar overexpression of cyclin D1 has been shown to lead to the development of cancer in mammary gland in animal models. In normal cells, D-type cyclins are degraded rapidly, therefore the regulation of protein degradation, or proteolysis, is ....The future of cancer therapy lies in the tailoring of treatment to the characteristic of individual tumour. We have previously identified a subset of breast tumours that are characterised by the presence of large excess of proteins called D-type cyclins. Similar overexpression of cyclin D1 has been shown to lead to the development of cancer in mammary gland in animal models. In normal cells, D-type cyclins are degraded rapidly, therefore the regulation of protein degradation, or proteolysis, is crucial in preventing the accumulation of D-type cyclins. In the subset of breast cancers we have identified, D-type cyclin proteolysis is defective. We, and others, have obtained evidence for the involvement of the SKP2 gene in the proteolysis of D-type cyclins. SKP2 has also been shown to be required for the proteolysis of another important protein, called p27. In the clinic, accumulation of p27 in tumours is used as a good prognostic indicator. However, some exceptions have been found where the accumulation of p27 correlates with aggressive tumours. As D-type cyclins are able to counteract the effect of p27, we hypothesise that the aggressive behaviour of these tumours is due to the simultaneous accumulation of D-type cyclins and that this is due to a mutation in the SKP2 gene. The experiments described in this proposal are designed to test this hypothesis. As the choice of treatment is affected by the interpretation of p27 levels, the results obtained from this study may have a direct impact in the clinic.Read moreRead less
Kallikrein Proteases Have Key Functional Roles In Peritoneal Invasion And Chemoresistance In Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$815,541.00
Summary
Only 30% of ovarian cancer patients with advanced disease survive for 5 years. This is because the cancer quickly spreads into the abdominal cavity and often becomes resistant to chemotherapy. We aim to use a new 3D culture system, mouse models and novel inhibitors to study the roles of 4 kallikrein enzymes in these events. The outcomes from this study will lead to a better understanding of the role of kallikreins in ovarian cancer and may lead to new treatment approaches.