Molecular And Structural Determinants Of Myocardial Dysfunction And Prognosis In Left And Right Heart Failure.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$124,608.00
Summary
The aim of this research is to investigate the role of inherited genetic variation on myocardial function and prognosis in patients with cardiomyopathies as well as pulmonary hypertension. Clinical, cardiac genomic and myocardial tissue studies will be undertaken in various patient cohorts. It is hoped that this research will provide new insights into disease mechanisms, and will contribute to new approaches to patient management and risk stratification.
Investigation Of Cardiac Stem Cell Regenerative Capabilities And Their Enhancement By Manipulation Of Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$491,462.00
Summary
Heart failure rates are increasing exponentially in Australia and worldwide. One in two people diagnosed with severe heart failure will die within one year of diagnosis. This burden of heart failure is underpinned by the heart’s limited capacity for self-repair after injury. This limitation could be overcome by stimulating newly discovered stem cell populations residing within the adult heart itself. This project investigates ways to harness and enhance the power of these stem cells.
Regulation Of Heart Development And Regeneration By DNA Methylation.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$552,709.00
Summary
The adult mammalian heart has an extremely limited capacity for regeneration following a heart attack, which is in stark contrast to the robust regenerative capacity of the newborn heart. How and why mammals lose their ability to regenerate heart tissue after birth is not well understood. We propose a new approach to unravel the complex mechanisms that control gene expression during heart development in rodents and humans, which could provide new therapeutic avenues for heart regeneration.
Cardiovascular diseases and heart failure rates are increasing worldwide. This is largely a result of the heart’s limited capacity for self-repair. Stem cells now provide an exciting potential novel therapy. We have recently demonstrated the feasibility of this therapy in a preclinical model of heart attack. Nevertheless, further work is required before human clinical trials can take place. This project will dismantle barriers preventing progression to these clinical trials.
Investigating Friedreich Ataxia Cardiomyopathy And Ophthalmopathy Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$136,205.00
Summary
There is no effective treatment for Friedreich ataxia (FRDA). Patients, usually diagnosed as children, will end up in wheelchairs; many have difficulty with movement, speech, develop eye problems and diabetes. Most die at a young age from heart failure. In this project we will study stem cells from patients with FRDA. In the laboratory, these stem cells will be turned into heart and eye cells to study why patients with FRDA develop symptoms and to help develop new drugs to provide effective trea ....There is no effective treatment for Friedreich ataxia (FRDA). Patients, usually diagnosed as children, will end up in wheelchairs; many have difficulty with movement, speech, develop eye problems and diabetes. Most die at a young age from heart failure. In this project we will study stem cells from patients with FRDA. In the laboratory, these stem cells will be turned into heart and eye cells to study why patients with FRDA develop symptoms and to help develop new drugs to provide effective treatment.Read moreRead less
Cytoprotective And Metabolic Responses To Biased Agonists Acting At Cardiomyocyte Gq-coupled Receptors
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$723,742.00
Summary
Cell surface receptors mediate the response of cardiac muscle cells to hormones and transmitters by interacting with a repertoire of intracellular signalling proteins. Despite primary coupling to Gq proteins that activate shared pathways, four such receptors promote differing responses in cardiac cells. We will investigate signalling pathways differentially activated by the ?1A-adrenergic receptor that promote survival of cardiac muscle under conditions of cell damage or nutrient insufficiency.
Enhanced Vascularisation And Growth Of Stem Cell Derived Human Myocardial Grafts
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$382,346.00
Summary
300 000 Australians currently have heart failure with 400 new cases weekly. New therapies are urgently needed. We can now create heart muscle grafts that can be transplanted after ñheart attackî but graft survival in this hostile environment is low. This project will investigate use of different combinations of human cell types that will cooperate together to improve survival/function of heart muscle grafts, advancing this promising strategy towards being a viable new treatment for heart failure
The Role Of Micro-RNAs In Human Cardiomyocyte Specification
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$345,534.00
Summary
The heart is the first organ to form and is vital for the survival of the developing embryo. We are seeking to improve our knowledge of the process of heart formation. Understanding how primitive cells become cardiac cells may pave the way for production of “tailor made” cardiac cells for treatment of a weakened heart. It may also give insights to the causes of congenital heart defects (such as “hole in the heart” babies), which are the most common type of birth defects.