I am a biochemist-pharmacologist determining how neurotransmitter transporters work, which will aid in the development in novel therapies for disorders of the nervous system
Understanding The Mechanisms Of Functionally Selective Antipsychotic Drugs: Implications For New Generation Antipsychotic Drugs
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$371,745.00
Summary
Schizophrenia is a chronic and devastating disease that ranks among the top 10 disabilities in developed countries. It places a significant burden on the Australian health system, costing about $1.5 billion each year. This project aims to reveal the mechanisms of new functionally selective antipsychotic drugs, which achieve an excellent therapeutic efficacy with low side-effects. Understanding these mechanisms will provide novel directions for the design of new generation antipsychotic drugs.
Brain Control Of The Thermoregulatory Cutaneous Circulation: A Window To The Mind, And To The Neurobiology Of Clozapine
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$561,396.00
Summary
Patients suffering from schizophrenia benefit from medication. Discovering the brain mechanisms whereby the medications work is most important. Action of many important drugs have been established in experimental animals. This is a difficult task for anti-schizophrenia drugs because it is difficult to establish what animals are thinking or feeling, and it is doubtful whether animals ever suffer from schizophrenia. Thus it would be very advantageous to discover a physiological response, measurabl ....Patients suffering from schizophrenia benefit from medication. Discovering the brain mechanisms whereby the medications work is most important. Action of many important drugs have been established in experimental animals. This is a difficult task for anti-schizophrenia drugs because it is difficult to establish what animals are thinking or feeling, and it is doubtful whether animals ever suffer from schizophrenia. Thus it would be very advantageous to discover a physiological response, measurable in, for example, rats, that can serve as a marker of the animal s emotional responses to situations that would normally prove anxiety-provoking. The present grant is based on the discovery, in my laboratory, that stressful stimuli cause sudden falls in blood flow to the tail in rats. My laboratory is the first in the world to measure pulsatile blood flow to the tail in conscious rats, and this is why we made our discovery. My laboratory also discovered that clozapine, a drug of major theoretical and practical importance for the treatment of schizophrenia inhibits fright-induced constriction of the tail artery. Clozapine interacts with many potential neurotransmitters in the brain. Some very complex combinations of these interactions are presumably responsible for the drug s unique psychotherapeutic action in schizophrenia. Our discovery that clozapine inhibits fright-induced constriction of the tail artery means that we will be able to investigate clozapine s mechanisms of action. Results of our findings are genuinely likely to increase our understanding of how clozapine works in schizophrenia. This information should also provide clues as to the nature of the presently mysterious brain malfunctions that result in schizophrenia.Read moreRead less
I am a lab-based neurochemist-cell biologist with expertise in protein chemistry and pharmacology. My research focuses on the dynamin family of proteins in the endocytosis of synaptic vesicles and in the molecular mechanisms of synaptic transmission in th
Olanzapine For Young PEople With ANorexia Nervosa: An Open-label Feasibility Study To Test Recruitment, Treatment Acceptance, Adherence, Safety, Outcome Measures And Patients' Experience To Prepare For A Randomised Placebo-controlled Trial (OPEN)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$190,799.00
Summary
Olanzapine seems to be a helpful and safe medication in anorexia nervosa (AN), but it is not approved for AN. We will perform a preliminary study with 70 patients with AN (15 in Australia and 50 in the UK, age: 12-24 years) who can safely take olanzapine and have not gained sufficient weight or experienced improvement in their AN symptoms under specialist care. We will the acceptability and feasibility of olanzapine in AN. Patients will be examined after 8 and 16 weeks, 6 months and 12 months.
Overcoming Barriers To Improved Physical Health In People With Severe Mental Illness
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$864,658.00
Summary
People with severe mental illness have high rates of cardiometabolic disease and reduced life-expectancy. Public intervention campaigns have had little impact on component risks (obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, poor nutrition). This study will determine factors associated with changes in cardiometabolic profiles in people with severe mental illness; examine impediments to risk modification; and develop targeted interventions for implementation within mental health services.
Developing A Framework To Evaluate Low Value Prescribing In The Australian Health Care Setting
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$124,608.00
Summary
The aim of this project is to develop a framework to evaluate the quality of prescribing in Australia using routinely collected administrative health data. Given growing concerns regarding the quality of prescribing of psychotropic medicines and opioids, these medicines will be e focus of the study. Patterns, quality markers and health and financial consequences of poor prescribing will be assessed.
Reducing The Use Of Sedative Medication In Aged Care Facilities (Implementation Of The ‘RedUSe’ Project Into Everyday Practice)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$174,107.00
Summary
Sedative medications are often used in aged care facilities (ACFs), despite limited benefit and significant harm, including increased risk of falls, stroke and death. The RedUSe program, through a multi-strategic, interdisciplinary approach, has been shown to successfully promote the quality use of sedative medications in residential aged care. This project will widely implement RedUSe. A decline in sedative use will produce multiple benefits for older people, including increased mobility, decre ....Sedative medications are often used in aged care facilities (ACFs), despite limited benefit and significant harm, including increased risk of falls, stroke and death. The RedUSe program, through a multi-strategic, interdisciplinary approach, has been shown to successfully promote the quality use of sedative medications in residential aged care. This project will widely implement RedUSe. A decline in sedative use will produce multiple benefits for older people, including increased mobility, decreased fall and mortality rates.Read moreRead less
Early Antipsychotic Exposure During Childhood And Adolescence: Does It Lead To Long Term Brain And Behaviour Changes In Adulthood?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Mental health problems affect at least 9% of Australia's 4.1 million children. With the trend towards prescribing antipsychotic medication “off-label” to control these mental disorders in young people and the long-term consequences of doing so unknown, this timely research program aims to address a critical health issue by providing clinicians with valuable information so they can better balance the risk/benefit ratio before prescribing antipsychotics to young people.