Elimination of the transplant waiting list is the ultimate goal of research into pigto-human xenotransplantation. The prospect of success has been improved recently by refinements in technology used to introduce genetic modifications in the pig, although the genes that will need to be expressed or deleted are still undecided. What is clear is that intravascular thrombosis, a critical mediator of rejection of pig xenografts, must be overcome. This project aims to investigate the use of anticoagul ....Elimination of the transplant waiting list is the ultimate goal of research into pigto-human xenotransplantation. The prospect of success has been improved recently by refinements in technology used to introduce genetic modifications in the pig, although the genes that will need to be expressed or deleted are still undecided. What is clear is that intravascular thrombosis, a critical mediator of rejection of pig xenografts, must be overcome. This project aims to investigate the use of anticoagulant gene expression to prevent intravascular thrombosis associated with xenograft rejection.Read moreRead less
Copper Pathways Are Altered In Parkinson’s Disease: Implications For Cell Vulnerability
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$341,398.00
Summary
The cause of brain cell death in Parkinson’s disease is unknown but we have shown that copper levels are reduced in the vulnerable brain regions in this disorder. As copper is vital for the normal function of key brain proteins we suggest that reduced copper contributes to cell damage in vulnerable brain regions. This project investigates why brain copper levels are reduced in the Parkinson’s disease brain and the consequences of this change for brain cell function and survival.
Antiphospholipid Syndrome Related Thrombosis: Understanding The Disease Pathogenic Mechanisms Is The Key To Better Diagnosis And Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$607,497.00
Summary
Patients with the Antiphospholipid Syndrome develop thrombosis at a young age. It requires long-term treatment with blood thinning medications, which have risks of severe bleeding. Methods are needed to decide which patients require long term treatment, avoiding unnecessary treatment in low risk patients. Such methods do not currently exist. In this study we explore how useful two novel assays developed by us are in identifying which of these patients are at high risk of thrombosis.