Genetics of Postmenopausal Bone Loss. The major consequence of bone loss in our ageing society is fracture. At 50 years for women, the lifetime risk of sustaining an osteoporotic fracture is 50%. The consequences of these fractures, which can include reduced life expectancy, prolonged medical care, and loss of independence, have a profound socioeconomic impact in an ageing population. The proposed study offers a unique opportunity to examine the contribution of genetic factors to postmenopausal ....Genetics of Postmenopausal Bone Loss. The major consequence of bone loss in our ageing society is fracture. At 50 years for women, the lifetime risk of sustaining an osteoporotic fracture is 50%. The consequences of these fractures, which can include reduced life expectancy, prolonged medical care, and loss of independence, have a profound socioeconomic impact in an ageing population. The proposed study offers a unique opportunity to examine the contribution of genetic factors to postmenopausal osteoporosis.Read moreRead less
The consequences of osteoarthritis in Australia: Work productivity loss and health service utilisation. This project will determine the burden of osteoarthritis in Australia. Although osteoarthritis is one of the most common and costly conditions affecting the developed world, little is known about the number of Australians living with hip or knee osteoarthritis, the population need for health services or the impact of the condition on the workforce. Directly addressing Australia's National Ac ....The consequences of osteoarthritis in Australia: Work productivity loss and health service utilisation. This project will determine the burden of osteoarthritis in Australia. Although osteoarthritis is one of the most common and costly conditions affecting the developed world, little is known about the number of Australians living with hip or knee osteoarthritis, the population need for health services or the impact of the condition on the workforce. Directly addressing Australia's National Action Plan for Arthritis, this research will be used by health policy makers in planning future resources to appropriately meet the needs of people with osteoarthritis. This work is of national importance because osteoarthritis is the single largest cause of workplace disability and a major contributor to lost productivity. Read moreRead less
Novel human tryptases: their potential role in inflammatory diseases of the young and old. We have discovered a number of novel human tryptases, and while other members of this enzyme family have been implicated in the development of inflammatory diseases (including rheumatoid arthritis), little is known about these new molecules. We aim to characterise these new enzymes by determining what part of the body they are produced in, whether they are associated with specific inflammatory diseases, an ....Novel human tryptases: their potential role in inflammatory diseases of the young and old. We have discovered a number of novel human tryptases, and while other members of this enzyme family have been implicated in the development of inflammatory diseases (including rheumatoid arthritis), little is known about these new molecules. We aim to characterise these new enzymes by determining what part of the body they are produced in, whether they are associated with specific inflammatory diseases, and what target molecules they act on. A better understanding of these factors will increase the chances of finding cures and developing better treatments for important inflammatory diseases of the ageing population.Read moreRead less
Fibre-Polymer Composites With Graded Microstructure. This project concerns the development of a novel fibre-polymer functionally graded composite material that mimics the structure of the spinal disk. The spinal disk comprises a soft core (nucleus) and a tough fibrous periphery (annulus). The graded composite approach of this proposal represents a significant advance over spinal fusion, and over the current generation of spinal disk protheses (metal plates with springs/polymers as shock absorber ....Fibre-Polymer Composites With Graded Microstructure. This project concerns the development of a novel fibre-polymer functionally graded composite material that mimics the structure of the spinal disk. The spinal disk comprises a soft core (nucleus) and a tough fibrous periphery (annulus). The graded composite approach of this proposal represents a significant advance over spinal fusion, and over the current generation of spinal disk protheses (metal plates with springs/polymers as shock absorbers). Chronic back pain affects a significant proportion of the population and is primarily caused by failure of the spinal disk. Therefore a strong social and economic imperative exists to develop engineering solutions to this problem.Read moreRead less
Structure-activity relationships in the development of new bioactive isoflavonoids. This project aims to develop new chemical substances based on the structure of a group of naturally occuring compounds called isoflavones. Biological activity related to chronic inflammatory (eg arthritis) and heart disease will be examined in cells and animal models. This information will be used to design compounds with enhanced activity. The eventual aim is to develop potential therapeutic agents to treat chr ....Structure-activity relationships in the development of new bioactive isoflavonoids. This project aims to develop new chemical substances based on the structure of a group of naturally occuring compounds called isoflavones. Biological activity related to chronic inflammatory (eg arthritis) and heart disease will be examined in cells and animal models. This information will be used to design compounds with enhanced activity. The eventual aim is to develop potential therapeutic agents to treat chronic inflammatory and cardiovascular disease.Read moreRead less
Evaluating the impact of obesity on knee load over time in those who have undergone optimal surgical re-alignment after total knee replacement . This project investigates the impact of obesity on alignment and knee load over time in those who have undergone total knee replacement. This information is critical for understanding whether obesity results in increasing knee load after surgery which can lead to more rapid wearing of the knee surfaces and an earlier need for revision surgery.
Development of a Prothrombogenic Bone Graft Substitute. The clinical demand for bone is massive and to counter this bone can be either harvested from the patient or bone substitutes are used. The success or failure of a bone substitute is determined the instant it come into contact with blood. The surfaces of traditional biomaterials induce a foreign body reaction. The aim of this project is to test the bone forming capacity of a biomaterial that is optimised to produce a natural response from ....Development of a Prothrombogenic Bone Graft Substitute. The clinical demand for bone is massive and to counter this bone can be either harvested from the patient or bone substitutes are used. The success or failure of a bone substitute is determined the instant it come into contact with blood. The surfaces of traditional biomaterials induce a foreign body reaction. The aim of this project is to test the bone forming capacity of a biomaterial that is optimised to produce a natural response from the blood. This response will lead to the formation new viable tissue and eventually bone. Such a material will cause faster bone healing, less pain from graft sites, shorter hospital stays and shorter waiting lists. Read moreRead less
Surface engineering of biomaterials for optimal bone bonding characteristics. The ideal bone-implant material is hydroxyapatite. Chemically similar to bone mineral, hydroxyapatite is capable of inducing bone ongrowth. An ideal surface coating for metal hip implants, plasma spraying has been the preferred commercial hydroxyapatite coating technique. Until recently, it was always presumed that the bioactivity of hydroxyapatite resulted from its surface chemistry. However, a recent study has shown ....Surface engineering of biomaterials for optimal bone bonding characteristics. The ideal bone-implant material is hydroxyapatite. Chemically similar to bone mineral, hydroxyapatite is capable of inducing bone ongrowth. An ideal surface coating for metal hip implants, plasma spraying has been the preferred commercial hydroxyapatite coating technique. Until recently, it was always presumed that the bioactivity of hydroxyapatite resulted from its surface chemistry. However, a recent study has shown that the bioactivity of HAp coatings strongly correlates with surface roughness on the scale of bone cells. This project will explore cell-attachment behaviour for hydroxyapatite coatings prepared by plasma spraying compared with engineered surface morphology/chemistry by microlithography and vapour coating.Read moreRead less
Motherhood choices: a decision aid for women with rheumatoid arthritis. Decisions about pregnancy in the context of debilitating rheumatoid arthritis impact directly on both the mother and the child as well as their family and wider social unit. Providing evidence-based information to support women in making informed decisions about motherhood is critical in maximizing the well-being of the mother and ensuring a healthy start to life for a baby. The project will contribute to the national resear ....Motherhood choices: a decision aid for women with rheumatoid arthritis. Decisions about pregnancy in the context of debilitating rheumatoid arthritis impact directly on both the mother and the child as well as their family and wider social unit. Providing evidence-based information to support women in making informed decisions about motherhood is critical in maximizing the well-being of the mother and ensuring a healthy start to life for a baby. The project will contribute to the national research priority area of promoting and maintaining good health, addressing the goal of supporting a healthy start to life.Read moreRead less
Functionally graded fibre-polymer composites: a novel material for spinal disk prostheses. Chronic back pain affects a significant proportion of the population and is primarily caused by failure of the spinal disk. A strong social/economic imperative exists to develop engineering solutions to this problem. This project concerns the development of a novel fibre-polymer functionally graded composite material that mimics the structure of the spinal disk. The spinal disk comprises a soft core (nucle ....Functionally graded fibre-polymer composites: a novel material for spinal disk prostheses. Chronic back pain affects a significant proportion of the population and is primarily caused by failure of the spinal disk. A strong social/economic imperative exists to develop engineering solutions to this problem. This project concerns the development of a novel fibre-polymer functionally graded composite material that mimics the structure of the spinal disk. The spinal disk comprises a soft core (nucleus) and a tough fibrous periphery (annulus). The graded composite approach of this proposal represents a significant advance over spinal fusion, and over the alternative spinal disk protheses in clinical use or in the patent literature.Read moreRead less