ASCAPE: Audio App-delivered Screening For Cognition And Age-related Health In Older Prisoners
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$844,050.00
Summary
This study aims to develop and test a new, innovative health screening app to examine the health and functioning of older, ageing prisoners in Australia. The app will deliver a range of health and functioning measures via audio, minimising the need for literacy skills and for staff supervision during testing. It is hoped that this app will be easily implemented in prisons in future, to enable better health management for this growing cohort with complex health needs.
Dissecting Brain Network Ageing Using Whole Brain Imaging
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$692,964.00
Summary
In this proposal, we will make the first attempt to map the whole brain activity change during ageing using a series of state-of-the-art techniques. We will also identify genetic and pharmacological interventions that improve brain network function during ageing. Outcomes from this research will provide an unprecedented understanding of functional ageing within the brain and identify therapeutic interventions to prevent this process.
Narcolepsy With Cataplexy: A Brain Orexin Replacement Strategy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$810,784.00
Summary
Narcolepsy with cataplexy is a debilitating, life-long sleep-wake disorder, caused by the irreversible loss of the brain peptide 'orexin'. There is no satisfactory and safe treatment. We aim to develop an orexin analogue, delivered directly to the brain of sheep (relevant in size and translatable to patients) by a programmable pump to timely activate the orexin 'wake-up' switch. This innovative precision medicine project will significantly improve the quality of life of narcolepsy patients.
Ataxia-Telangiectasia: An Emerging Role For Inflammation In Driving Neurodegeneration And Premature Ageing
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$437,436.00
Summary
Ataxia-Telangiectasia (A-T) is a devastating genetic disease that arises in early childhood and causes patients to die in their twenties. To date there is no cure, and therapeutics are desperately needed. This project will use state-of-the-art brain organoids derived from stem cells of A-T patients in order to better understand this disease and evaluate novel drugs that target the molecular mechanisms that drive chronic inflammation and brain neurodegeneration in children with A-T.