The long-term side effects of renal denervation are unknown. This project is designed to (1) investigate the potential atherosclerosis-promoting effect of renal denervation, and (2) to study the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory drugs to minimize this potential side effect. Ultimately, this project may improve the beneficial effects and minimize the potential side effects of renal denervation by routinely treating renal denervated patients with anti-inflammatory drugs.
Renal Artery Denervation Performed With Noncontact Circumferential Endovascular Ablation Using A Novel Microwave Catheter
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$90,967.00
Summary
High blood pressure is a common medical condition leading to death and disability. Some people with high blood pressure do not respond to medical treatment due to abnormal signals from the kidneys that tell the body to increase the blood pressure. We have designed a microwave catheter that can be placed inside the kidney artery and used to heat the kidney nerves around it to stop the relay of these messages. This will lower blood pressure for people who cannot control it with medications alone.
Resistant Hypertension: Causes, Consequences, And Novel Therapeutic Approaches
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$713,517.00
Summary
Two thirds of all strokes and half of all coronary artery disease world-wide can be attributed to uncontrolled blood pressure. Patients with resistant hypertension are at specifically high risk. While the exact reasons remain obscure, work from my group suggests that sympathetic nervous system activation represents a common pathway. Based on these findings the ultimate goal of my research program is to develop novel and more effective treatment strategies for resistant hypertension.
Renal Denervation To Improve Outcomes In Patients With End-stage Renal Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,028,558.00
Summary
End stage renal disease is associated with excess cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Activation of sympathetic nerves plays an important role in this scenario. We have pioneered a novel catheter-based approach using radiofrequency-energy to disrupt these nerves and we now aim to assess the mechanisms and consequences of applying this novel technology in patients with end-stage renal disease.
Inadequately controlled blood pressure remains the leading cause of death world wide despite the availability of numerous effective drugs. We have successfully pioneered a catheter-based approach using radiofrequency-energy to disrupt renal nerves and lower blood pressure in patients with resistance to conventional drug treatment. We now aim to test the role of this ground-breaking technology as a potential cure (blood pressure control without antihypertensive medication) for hypertension.
Associate Professor Kate Denton is an internationally recognised cardiovascular researcher. A focus of Dr Denton’s research is to find out why women do not respond to current treatments as well as men, and how factors in pregnancy (nutrition, stress, alcohol) drive the development of cardiovascular disease in offspring. Dr Denton is also leading research to understand why a new high blood pressure treatment (blocking nerves to the kidney) is proving more effective than expected.
Mechanisms Underlying Disordered Skin Blood Flow Following Nerve Injury
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,000.00
Summary
Many people who recover from traumatic injury or who have chronic conditions such as diabetes or neuropathy from exposure to a toxic chemical suffer from peripheral vascular disorders leading to poor circulation in the extremities. These conditions are characterised by impaired wound healing, cold hands and feet and ongoing pain. These people must face a long life with progressively increasing disability. Even normal ageing can lead to similar problems. This project is directed at understanding ....Many people who recover from traumatic injury or who have chronic conditions such as diabetes or neuropathy from exposure to a toxic chemical suffer from peripheral vascular disorders leading to poor circulation in the extremities. These conditions are characterised by impaired wound healing, cold hands and feet and ongoing pain. These people must face a long life with progressively increasing disability. Even normal ageing can lead to similar problems. This project is directed at understanding the role of the nerve supply to blood vessels in the skin in these disorders. The experiments will be conducted in skin blood vessels of rats with various forms of nerve lesion that will mimic these conditions in patients. We will use our knowledge of the structure and behaviour of nerve-blood vessel connections to analyse the changes in the properties of vascular smooth muscle and relate it to the state of the innervation. Skin arteries normally receive two types of nerve - sympathetic (which release noradrenaline) and afferent ( which release peptides) - that have opposing actions on the vessel (constriction and dilation respectively). We hypothesize that removal of part or all of the innervation changes the contractile mechanism of the smooth muscle in the wall of the vessel so that it becomes much more sensitive to calcium ions and produces larger and more prolonged contractions. We will combine electrophysiology and contraction studies with immunohistochemistry and biochemical analysis to define the relation between the nerve deficit and the vascular responses. The aim is to identify appropriate drug targets for which local application in the affected region can alleviate the symptoms without causing widespread side effects.Read moreRead less