Life-saving chemo/radio-therapy commonly renders women and girls who survivor cancer infertile or sterile. We have discovered a new means of preserving the fertility of female mice exposed to chemo/radio therapy. In this project we will apply these advances to human ovarian tissue/eggs for the first time. We have access to these rare tissues for research purposes. This project will develop new approaches to fertility preservation for cancer survivors.
A Prospective Study Of Language Impairment And Recovery Following Surgery For Brain Tumours
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$861,342.00
Summary
This multi-site project will investigate the incidence and nature of post-operative language difficulties (aphasia) in patients following surgery for left hemisphere primary brain tumours. It will provide comprehensive data concerning risk factors for post-surgical aphasia in Australian patients, in addition to important information about the brain lesions responsible for its various clinical presentations. This information will be used to generate recommendations for clinical practice.
Facial palsy is a devastating condition which has a very significant psychological and cosmetic impact. A simple and effective treatment does not exist for facial palsy. Our research goal is use state-of-the-art technology to define the types and the severity of the underlying nerve injury so that effective treatments can be developed to treat this terrible disorder.
Female Reproductive Health Preservation By Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+) And Sirtuin2 (SIRT2)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$410,983.00
Summary
Cancer treatment can be severely toxic to women’s eggs. Increasing numbers of women who survive cancer therefore become infertile and prematurely deprived of hormonal support whilst still in their reproductive years. This project will use state-of-the-art techniques to interrogate newly uncovered pathways that can protect eggs from treatment-induced injury thereby greatly improving the quality of life for female cancer survivors.
Improving Sexual Health In Men With Prostate Cancer: Randomised Controlled Trial Of Exercise And Psychosexual Therapies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$583,416.00
Summary
Sexual dysfunction is one of the most common and distressing side effects of prostate cancer. Despite being a critical survivorship care issue, there is a clear gap in knowledge surrounding the optimal treatment of sexual dysfunction in men with prostate cancer. This project examines whether exercise aids in the management of sexual dysfunction and explores if an integrated treatment model incorporating pharmacological, exercise and psychosexual therapies maximises improvement in sexual health.
Banking On The Future: Establishing Evidence For Policy, Protocols, And Patient Care Relating To Storage Of Reproductive Material Before Treatment For Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$588,023.00
Summary
Cancer treatment can cause infertility. Patients may freeze sperm, eggs, embryos, or ovarian tissue before cancer treatment for later use in fertility treatment. There are no national guidelines specific to this procedure, no generally accepted policies for services, inadequate knowledge about its outcomes, and limited understanding of the needs and expectations of patients who undergo it. This research will address these knowledge gaps and thus contribute to the wellbeing of cancer patients and ....Cancer treatment can cause infertility. Patients may freeze sperm, eggs, embryos, or ovarian tissue before cancer treatment for later use in fertility treatment. There are no national guidelines specific to this procedure, no generally accepted policies for services, inadequate knowledge about its outcomes, and limited understanding of the needs and expectations of patients who undergo it. This research will address these knowledge gaps and thus contribute to the wellbeing of cancer patients and survivors.Read moreRead less
Tissue factor is a central and major player in the clotting process. It exists in both active and inactive forms. The active form initiates clot formation. How it gets activated is one of the most important unanswered questions in this area of research. Our aim is to discover tissue factorÍs mechanism of activation. The outcome will provide more specific targets for therapeutic drug development for cardiovascular disease, strokes and deep venous thrombosis.
A Study To Evaluate Safety And Feasibility Of Administrating Zoledronic Acid To Children And Adolescents With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia And Lymphoma To Prevent Joint Complication.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$16,231.00
Summary
Osteonecrosis (bone death) is a debilitating complication seen following chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in older children. It potentially could lead to destruction of joint, severely limiting quality of life and ultimately requiring joint replacement surgery. Currently there is no effective medical treatment to manage this. Based on our animal experiments we want to study if Zoledronic acid could prevent severe joint destruction in these children and improve their quality of life.
A Population-based Longitudinal Study Of Cancer Survivors' Psychosocial And Physical Well Being
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$454,600.00
Summary
Cancer control is a National Health Priority Area. About 345,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed in Australia each year. It is the second highest cause of death accounting for 27% of all deaths in Australia each year. Improvements in diagnosis and treatment have resulted in a growing number of people living with a history of cancer and for longer periods. Many cancer survivors report experiencing negative effects of cancer such as fatigue, anxiety, depression, and disrupted family and social r ....Cancer control is a National Health Priority Area. About 345,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed in Australia each year. It is the second highest cause of death accounting for 27% of all deaths in Australia each year. Improvements in diagnosis and treatment have resulted in a growing number of people living with a history of cancer and for longer periods. Many cancer survivors report experiencing negative effects of cancer such as fatigue, anxiety, depression, and disrupted family and social relationships well after treatment has finished. Despite the large burden of this disease, little is known about the later effects that cancer and its treatment has on cancer survivors, their ongoing concerns, how the issues they face change over time and the type of support they need. This will be the first population-based longitudinal survey of the physical and psychosocial effects that cancer has on adult cancer survivors to be undertaken in Australia. It will follow cancer survivors for the first five years from diagnosis to provide data on important outcomes including anxiety, depression, quality of life and unmet needs. It will also provide the first population-based data on the predictors of these outcomes, including social support, coping style and patient demographic, treatment and disease characteristics. Given the large-scale cancer survivorship initiatives underway internationally, it is timely for high quality and comprehensive Australian data to be obtained. These data will provide new information on how the physical, social and emotional impact of cancer changes with time since diagnosis and a better understanding of the support desired by cancer survivors at various stages of recovery or disease progression. This information will help guide the development of policies and services that are tailored to the needs of Australian cancer survivors.Read moreRead less
Building Tissue Engineered Flaps For Surgical Reconstruction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$548,453.00
Summary
As a result of serious trauma, burns or cancer surgery, large areas of new skin may be required. Of the three major skin layers - epidermal and dermal replacements are available clinically, but the third layer - the underlying fat tissue layer is yet to be developed. This project has devised a novel product to rapidly recreate the skin fat layer and additionally rapidly grow new blood vessels in these layers which will enable excellent skin coverage in all forms of major skin loss.