The Essential Nuclear Transporter Importin 13; Key Role In Brain And Testis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$613,124.00
Summary
Transport into and out of the nucleus, the control centre of cells, is critical for cell function in complex organisms such as mammals. The present proposal seeks to further understanding of a novel molecule mediating nuclear transport that has a novel inhibitory form in the testis, and important roles in the lung and nervous system. The results should help basic understanding of this molecule, and relate to disease conditions such as X-linked mental retardation and childhood asthma.
Investigating The Pathogenic Mechanisms Of Mutations In The ARX Homeobox Transcription Factor
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$596,222.00
Summary
Intellectual disability is frequent in the population with as many as 1 in every 50 people in the world directly affected. The cost to Australia of intellectual disability is estimated at $14 billion annually. ARX is one of the most frequent genes mutated in X chromosome linked intellectual disability. Our study will specifically address the functional impact of these mutations using cell models relevant to the brain to better understand the pathways and networks required for normal cognition.
Falls Risk Associated With Cataract And After First And Second Eye Cataract Surgery
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$801,559.00
Summary
Cataract surgery is the most commonly performed elective surgery in Australia, with approximately 200,000 surgeries each year. However, vision impairment due to cataract is relatively common and around 1.7 million Australians are affected at any one time. Cataract-related vision impairment has many negative consequences including increased risk of falls. The findings of this research will inform strategies for reducing falls and engageing with the ophthalmic health care sector on the critical is ....Cataract surgery is the most commonly performed elective surgery in Australia, with approximately 200,000 surgeries each year. However, vision impairment due to cataract is relatively common and around 1.7 million Australians are affected at any one time. Cataract-related vision impairment has many negative consequences including increased risk of falls. The findings of this research will inform strategies for reducing falls and engageing with the ophthalmic health care sector on the critical issue of falls injury for older people.Read moreRead less
Improving Vision And Quality Of Life: An Innovative And Comprehensive Eye Care Model For Individuals In Residential Care Facilities
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$896,953.00
Summary
Elderly people living in residential care facilities have high levels of vision loss which can impact on emotional health, falls, daily functioning, and quality of life. Appropriate correction and cataract surgery can improve vision and, with low vision rehabilitation, can enhance quality of life. This project will assess the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a new model of eye care targeting vision impairment to improve residents’ daily functioning, enhance their emotional well-being and quali ....Elderly people living in residential care facilities have high levels of vision loss which can impact on emotional health, falls, daily functioning, and quality of life. Appropriate correction and cataract surgery can improve vision and, with low vision rehabilitation, can enhance quality of life. This project will assess the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a new model of eye care targeting vision impairment to improve residents’ daily functioning, enhance their emotional well-being and quality of life; and reduce falls.Read moreRead less
Interplay Of Genetic And Environmental Factors On Age-related Cataract Development
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$217,519.00
Summary
We aim to investigate factors influencing the development of age-related cataract, using data collected from two population-based studies of older persons: the Blue Mountains Eye Study and the Beaver Dam Eye Study (USA). We will assess genetic susceptibility to the two common forms of age-related cataract, replicated in two Asian samples, and determine how genetic and environmental factors jointly contribute to the development of cataract in some older persons.
Acetohydroxyacid Synthase: A New Drug Target For Human Fungal Pathogens
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$536,914.00
Summary
The aim is to discover new compounds that have the ability to reduce the growth of invasive human fungal pathogens including Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus nidulans. These infectious agents are highly prevalent in hospital patients that are immuno-compromised. The compounds have a common feature in that they prevent the synthesis of valine, leucine and isoleucine which are key metabolites required for the survival of these fungi in the human host.
Determining Fundamental Mechanisms Compromised In Kir-linked Disease States
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$600,040.00
Summary
The human nervous system and organs are reliant on precisely controlled transmission of electrical currents through sodium and potassium channels. Their core functions are compromised when currents fail to switch on and off normally. Faulty potassium channels are implicated in diabetes, epilepsy and heart failure. This project re-examines the mechanisms controlling potassium channels, with a view to scientific and therapeutic discrimination between the different classes present in human cells.
Understanding The Role Of The Scaffolding Protein D13 In Poxvirus Assembly And Its Inhibition By Rifampicin
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$371,275.00
Summary
Smallpox is one the most notorious diseases in human history. Despite its eradication in the 1970s, human cases of animal poxviruses such as monkeypox virus and the potential use of smallpox as a bioterrorism weapon have called for an improved preparedness of Australia against (re)-emerging poxviruses. This project combines structural biology approaches to understand the complex assembly of poxviruses and provide the basis for the development of broad-spectrum antiviral drugs.
Coupling The Cell Cortex To Membranes: Structural Basis For The Activation And Control Of Ezrin
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$587,548.00
Summary
Cells are dynamic: they change shape, communicate with each other and import/export signalling molecules. These dynamic processes are controlled via the interaction of the cell membrane with the underlying actin cytoskeleton and they are important for health, for example, they are critical for proper immune cell function. The goal of this project in to unravel the control of membrane dynamics by defining the interactions between the cell membrane and the proteins: ezrin and RhoA.
Epigenetic Regulation Of Monoallelic Gene Expression During Development.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$655,035.00
Summary
Upon completion of the human genome sequence focus has shifted to understanding the epigenetic mechanisms that help interpret the encoded information to allow the cell growth and differentiation essential for an organism during development. These mechanisms are disrupted in diseases like cancer, where gene expression is disrupted to favour disease progression. This project will study the genes and epigenetic mechanisms that determine how gene expression patterns are established and maintained.