Improving Patient Outcomes Through Better Use Of Blood Products
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,412,250.00
Summary
Blood transfusions, used wisely, save lives. Blood must be used judiciously: it is donated by volunteers, and carries risks and great cost to the community. Although a common intervention, evidence in many areas is inadequate to formulate recommendations on how blood should be used. This research program will address national priorities where evidence is weak by undertaking clinical trials to compare transfusion strategies, evaluate alternatives to transfusion and test novel blood components.
Elucidating Metabolic Dysregulation In Alzheimer’s Disease: Profiling The Peripheral Immune Cell Lipidome To Unravel Pathological Mechanisms.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$645,205.00
Summary
Both the immune system and lipid metabolism have been identified to be important in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). With the failures of all clinical trials attempting to treat AD, we seek to determine a way to both better diagnose individuals with AD and to identify people at increased risk. This project uses a novel profiling technique to characterise the lipid composition of immune cells to diagnose, predict risk, monitor the disease and to identify potential disease modifying therapeutic targets.
The Elimination Of Viral Hepatitis And Ending HIV/AIDS As Global Health Threats.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,114,215.00
Summary
Over the next five years my research will focus on reducing the impact of blood-borne viruses (BBVs), , particularly HCV, in vulnerable populations. Using innovative surveillance systems, research methods, implementation science and mathematical modelling, I will study BBV transmission and develop interventions to reduce it and associated risk behaviours (drug and alcohol use and sexual risk) and increase testing and treatment. My work will advance elimination of BBVs as public health threats.
Targeting The Immune Cells Of The Brain To Develop Novel Treatments For Neurodevelopmental And Mental Health Problems In Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,800,000.00
Summary
Neurodevelopmental and mental health problems are common in children and cause major impairment and cost to society. This research will define how the maternal immune system while pregnant can affect the baby brain. Using patient studies and laboratory research, this research will result in novel ways to reduce the prevalence and severity of developmental and mental health problems in children and adults, by targeting the immune cells resident in the brain.
Diagnosing Hereditary Myopathies And Dystrophies With RNA Sequencing: Translating Research Innovations Into Diagnostic Practice
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$279,725.00
Summary
Despite recent advances in genetic testing, more than 50% of patients with hereditary neuromuscular disorders remain undiagnosed. This project aims to apply an alternative and the newest form of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) testing strategy known as transciptome or RNA sequencing to clinical practice to further investigate patients who have remained undiagnosed despite WES and WGS.
Gene Discovery And Functional Insights For Neurological And Retinal Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,163,220.00
Summary
Understanding the genetic drivers of disease is key for the development of disease therapies. Determination of the causal genetic variants in a disorder can be used for future diagnosis, prognostication, and personalised treatment. We have previously identified ~20 novel genes and developed new methods providing genomic diagnoses for 1000s of individuals. In the next five years I will make significant advances in our understanding of what causes diseases such as epilepsy, ataxia and dementia.
Precision Epigenetics: Targeting The Epigenome To Treat Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,940,576.00
Summary
Epigenetic marks are changes made to the DNA that allow genes to be switched off in some cells and switched on in others. These marks are critical to normal development and often go wrong in disease. We aim to find genes that add epigenetic marks to the DNA and understand how they co-operate at the molecular level to switch genes off. Our focus is on one such gene, SMCHD1. We are developing new drugs against SMCHD1 to treat incurable neurodevelopmental disorder PWS and muscular dystrophy FSHD.
Improving The Health Outcomes For Children With Rare Neurological Diseases With Genomic Technologies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,000,000.00
Summary
This investigator grant will facilitate expansion of high quality evidence of the application of genomic technologies to improve targeted treatment options and early diagnosis for rare devastating neurological diseases, improving the clinical and translational applications of genomics to transform lives for children and families.
Personalising The Delivery Of E-mental Health Interventions For Eating Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$632,429.00
Summary
This Investigator Grant aims to evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of an eHealth prevention and treatment program using a stepped-care approach. Findings are expected to show that eating disorders can be effectively and efficiently treated and prevented through low intensity, cheap, and widely available digital interventions, and by doing so it will directly address the unmet needs of people with or at risk for an eating disorder in a practical, scalable, and cost-effective manner.
Elucidating The Pathological Role And Predictive Value Of Mental Health Disorder Risk Genes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,562,250.00
Summary
Mental health disorders such as schizophrenia and depression are common and often debilitating conditions. The genes in our DNA play a large role in who develops these disorders and many risk genes have been identified. We will investigate when and how these risk genes are “switched on” to work out how they cause disease and to accurately predict who is at high risk of developing a mental health disorder. These advances will help us to understand disease causation and to improve treatments.