Understanding The Developmental Basis Of Kidney Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$622,655.00
Summary
Kidney disease is a considerable burden on the health system and much of it derives from events that occur during organ development. In this grant I will investigate why human nephron number varies between people, how renal cysts form and what genes are mutated in patients with congenital kidney malformations.
Developmental Genetics And Stem Cell Biology Of Birth Defects And Cell Based Therapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$823,008.00
Summary
Professor Tam is a mammalian embryologist studying the genetic and cellular mechanisms that form and shape the embryo and its organs during development. His work will help us to understand the causes of birth defects, how to prevent them and to correct the disorders by stem cell-based therapy.
Early Life Exposures And Chronic Disease: Mechanisms And Preventative Strategies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$851,980.00
Summary
The world is facing an epidemic of chronic disease and adverse environmental exposures in early life are partly responsible. One reason why we have not been able to do more to prevent this is the lack of appropriate methods for measuring environmental exposures during pregnancy and infancy. My research will develop and validate methods for measuring exposures early life and the health consequences of these exposures with the aim of developing preventative interventions
Lifecourse And Global Epidemiology Of Adolescent Health And Wellbeing
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$863,910.00
Summary
In the past 20 years, my group has become the world-leader in adolescent health research. We have published papers that have transformed thinking on adolescent health. In the next five years, we will undertake research into the effects of puberty on mental health, explore the effects of health prior to pregnancy on a healthy start to life for the next generation and undertake global research that will enable the roll-out of new multi-billion dollar investments in adolescent health.
We will apply genome-wide approaches to identify the gene networks that regulate the self-renewal and the differentiation of muscle stem cells and their fusion to muscle fibres. These studies will deliver the first characterisation of the molecules and pathways implicated in these processes, which are essential steps of muscle growth.
The genetic material is packaged in the cell nucleus with histone proteins. Modifications of histones determine if a particular area of the genome is active or repressed. We are investigating the roles of a family of histone modifying proteins, the MYST proteins. Mutations in these proteins cause intellectual disability and cancer. The research program will provide knowledge that may become the basis for the development of drugs for the treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative disorders.
Breast cancers have diverse characteristics such as their response to treatment and their propensity to relapse. We know that the individual suit of oncogenic lesions probably influences diversity but the characteristics of the cell type from which the cancer arose probably also plays a part. This Application addresses this question and investigates a major new discovery made by the applicant that the ets transcription factor Elf5 plays a key role in specifying the diversity in breast cancer.
I am an epidemiologist using record linkage to investigate the causes and consequences of developmental disabilities such as birth defects, intellectual disability and autism and to identify possibilities for their prevention and amelioration.
Identifying The Genetic And Environmental Causes Of Congenital Malformation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$774,540.00
Summary
Birth defects are common, devastating and costly to families and to society. The cause is unknown in 80% of cases. This research is helping families by finding the gene mutations that cause birth defects. Gene discoveries, in some cases, will highlight environmental factors that are important for normal embryo formation, such as oxygen levels and dietary components. By identifying gene and environmental factors associated with causing birth defects, we hope to ameliorate or prevent many cases.
Control Of Organ Size And Cancer By The Hippo Pathway
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$638,517.00
Summary
The Hippo pathway is a key regulator of tissue growth. It was first discovered in vinegar flies and plays a similar role in mammals. We aim to define the mechanism by which the Hippo pathway controls tissue growth and cancer. These studies will be performed in flies and mammalian cell culture. Our studies will shed light on how tissue growth is controlled, and have the potential to inform the way that we treat human cancers and tissue growth disorders.