Predicting Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Using 3D Craniofacial Photography
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$424,715.00
Summary
Sleep Apnoea is a common medical condition associated with snoring and collapse of the throat during sleep. Diagnosis of sleep apnoea involves an overnight sleep study in a specialised laboratory, which is expensive and time consuming. It is possible that sleep apnea could be diagnosed from a 3-dimensional photograph of the face. This study will define the relationships between sleep apnea and 3D face photographs in 956 young adults and 1,200 of their parents, and 3,000 sleep clinic patients.
In Vitro Diagnostic For First Trimester Risk Assignment Of Gestational Diabetes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$580,983.00
Summary
Pregnancy associated diabetes is a significant complication of pregnancy that has adverse health effects for both mother and baby. We have developed a multivariate algorithm to identify women during their first trimester of pregnancy who will subsequently develop gestational diabetes. The test requires further clinical validation to develop a commercial product and to implement it into clinical practice.
Micropapillary Adenocarcinoma: The Emergence Of A Discrete Lung Cancer Phenotype And Its Genomic And Transcriptomic Characterization.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$117,565.00
Summary
I believe I can describe a new subtype of lung cancer, which has never been classified by the World Health Organization. This has been previously mis-classified or simply ignored. My hypothesis is that this is a distinct disease by virtue of patterns of genetic abnormalities as well as features visible under the microscope. I also believe it is one of the most aggressive cancers and needs new treatments.
Development Of Genomic Tools For Precision Medicine In Infectious Disease And Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$470,144.00
Summary
I will develop tools for precision medicine in cancer and infectious disease. In infectious disease, these tools will provide rapid diagnosis of bacterial infection as well as the characterization of drug resistance, which will mean clinicians can give the correct antibiotic the first time. In cancer, it will provide tools for identifying the type of cancer present in a patient, and for identifying the likely response to different treatment options on the basis of which genes are switched-on
Acute Vertigo In Emergency Departments: Distinguishing Between Central And Peripheral Causes By Objective Measure Of Oculomotor Examination (HINTS)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$181,065.00
Summary
The goal of this work is to provide a quantitative objective measure of HINTS for developing an automatic diagnostic decision tool to differentiate vestibular neuritis (peripheral) and stroke (central) in patients presenting in emergency department for acute vestibular syndrome. Video oculography makes interpretation of the results more reliable. Video oculography goggles will be used as part of a systematic training program to enhance frontline clinician skills in eye movement examination.
Improving Rapid Decision-Making In The Face Of Uncertainty: A Randomised Trial Of A 1-hour Troponin Protocol In Suspected Acute Coronary Syndromes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,095,320.00
Summary
Chest pain patients are a large burden of emergency department demand. Their effective care requires timely risk assessment. High-sensitivity assays for heart muscle damage (troponin) increases the ability to detect patients at low risk for heart attack but treatment rules based on these tests have not been fully validated. This randomised trial of clinical decision making based on new troponin tests will provide a guidelines for their efficient and effective use in emergency department care.
The Clinical Value Of Serology And Molecular Tests For Diagnosing Invasive Aspergillosis In At-risk Hematology Patients
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,095,500.00
Summary
Aspergillus is a fungus found in soil, on farms and on construction sites. In those whose immune system is impaired it causes severe infection. The people who are particularly at high-risk of Aspergillus infection (called Invasive Aspergillosis) are those with acute leukaemia on chemotherapy or post bone marrow transplantation. Currently 15% of those at high-risk get Invasive Aspergillosis and 58-93% of those infected die. The main reason for this high death rate is that our current diagnostic t ....Aspergillus is a fungus found in soil, on farms and on construction sites. In those whose immune system is impaired it causes severe infection. The people who are particularly at high-risk of Aspergillus infection (called Invasive Aspergillosis) are those with acute leukaemia on chemotherapy or post bone marrow transplantation. Currently 15% of those at high-risk get Invasive Aspergillosis and 58-93% of those infected die. The main reason for this high death rate is that our current diagnostic tests are not good at detecting infection or often only detect the infection at advanced stages when treatment is ineffective. Because of the limitations of current diagnostic tests the current practice is to give empiric antifungal therapy (EAFT) early to treat Invasive Aspergillosis. However studies have demonstrated that this therapy has only resulted in a minor reduction in the mortality rates and it causes significant drug toxicity. It is a suboptimal treatment modality. New tests have been developed to diagnose Invasive Aspergillosis. These tests are for the detection of an Aspergillus protein in blood and for the detection of Aspergillus DNA in the blood. Available data suggests that these new tests are sensitive in the detection of Invasive Aspergillosis. Also other studies suggest that these new tests make an early diagnosis and seem to be able to monitor responses to treatment. However no study has been performed to date which demonstrates that the use of these tests can impact on important patient outcomes. This trial is designed to determine whether the use of the new tests to guide therapy will help improve treatment of Invasive Aspergillosis, reduce drug toxicity and reduce the death rate in the high-risk patients as compared with the current standard method of diagnosis and treatment with EAFT. If the trial is successful then this represents a significant advancement in the treatment and survival of leukaemic and bone marrow transplantation patients.Read moreRead less
Electronic Decision Support For Osteoporosis Care To Assist Clinicians And Patients In Primary Care And Hospitals
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$598,570.00
Summary
Currently there is so much health information for doctors and consumers to sift through important health conditions can be missed. In a world first, a computer decision aid is being developed that will link risk factors for fracture and osteoporosis with the latest scientific evidence about investigations and treatment. It’s not just for doctors but also for the public; with a consumer decision aid being developed to place the latest scientific evidence about osteoporosis at your fingertips.
Evolutionary algorithms for problems in functional genomics data analysis. Skin cancer has a high incidence in the Australian population. Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that affects a significant proportion of the population worldwide. Both illnesses have genetic roots and can be triggered by environmental factors. We will uncover genetic relationship to disease and their responses to environmental conditions using computational methods and mathematical algorithms that can aid in the de ....Evolutionary algorithms for problems in functional genomics data analysis. Skin cancer has a high incidence in the Australian population. Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that affects a significant proportion of the population worldwide. Both illnesses have genetic roots and can be triggered by environmental factors. We will uncover genetic relationship to disease and their responses to environmental conditions using computational methods and mathematical algorithms that can aid in the determination of function, especially in disease states. Understanding the complex genetic interactions that trigger these illnesses would give great benefits in preventive health care, skin cancer and schizophrenia genetic basis, and may lay the ground for building new methods for "personalized medicine".
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Biocompatible Gadolinium-free Contrast Agents For Molecular Targeted MR Imaging
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$645,205.00
Summary
Building on the biomedical engineering of USPIOs, this project expects to generate new probing tools for non-invasive molecular imaging and affect subsequent clinical imaging through earlier and more accurate diagnosis of diseases. The project will allow the delivery of new knowledge in the emerging field of nanomedicine with high clinical translation potentials.