CLOSING THE GAP IN EARLY DIAGNOSTIC CAPABILITIES FOR MYCOSES - DNA BARCODING TO COMBAT AN EMERGING GLOBAL HEALTH PROBLEM
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$753,447.00
Summary
Fungal infections are a major health threat with high mortality and costs. Fast identification of a causative agent is required to initiate correct treatment to maximise disease outcome. Short DNA sequences – DNA barcodes – offer a fast accurate identification. This grant sets out to establish a dual-locus barcode scheme, build a reference database, adapt the scheme to new sequencing technologies and to facilitate sequence-based fungal identification in the routine diagnostic laboratory.
Chimeric Insect-specific Flaviviruses: A New Generation Of Diagnostics And Vaccines Against Mosquito-borne Viral Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$549,937.00
Summary
Dengue, Zika and West Nile are mosquito-borne viruses that cause disease outbreaks world-wide. We will develop safe, cheap and authentic diagnostics and vaccines against these diseases based on novel viruses that only infect mosquitoes. This is a timely paradigm shift for vaccine and diagnostic development. This innovative strategy will have high impact in the field of vector-borne viral diseases and provide a blueprint to develop safe diagnostics and vaccines for other mosquito-borne diseases.
Using Chromosome Rearrangements As Tumour-specific Markers For Disease Monitoring In Lung Cancer Using Droplet Digital PCR
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,081,335.00
Summary
There are no useful markers apart from CT scans to determine the effectiveness of therapy in patients with lung cancer. We plan to assess highly sensitive methods that can examine the blood to determine whether DNA from the patient’s tumour is present. This will allow more responsive modulation of therapy to enable better management of the cancer.
The True Burden Of Nosocomial Staphylococcal Disease: Genomic Markers Of Transmission Of Methicillin-sensitive And –resistant Staphylococcus Aureus
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$830,092.00
Summary
Staphylococcus aureus is the leading cause of hospital infection, but previous studies have only focused on the 30% caused by resistant strains (MRSA). We will trace the spread of all Staphylococcus strains in hospitals using DNA fingerprinting. This will enable us to determine why patients catch this infection, permitting interventions to reduce hospital infection. We will also examine the genomes of these bacteria to look for markers of transmission and adaptation to the hospital environment.
A Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) Of Azithromycin Versus Doxycycline For The Treatment Of Rectal Chlamydia Infection In Men Who Have Sex With Men.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$797,906.00
Summary
Rectal chlamydia is very common among gay men; it can exist for long periods without symptoms leading to ongoing transmission. Azithromycin (1 gram single dose) or 7 days doxycycline (100mg twice daily) are the two recommended treatments globally. But, there is concern about rectal chlamydia treatment with reports of up to 22% failure following azithromycin. We will conduct a randomised trial to compare these treatments for rectal chlamydia and determine which drug works better.
Rapid Prediction Of Antibiotic Resistance In The Enterobacteriaceae: Making Use Of Restricted Diversity In Mobile Resistance Gene Pools
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$385,032.00
Summary
Immediate treatment of patients suffering life-threatening bacterial infections with effective antibiotics greatly improves their chances of survival, but antibiotic resistance increasingly complicates this treatment. Currently such resistance cannot be detected in time to help decide the best antibiotic to use. We aim to define a small set of the many known antibiotic resistance genes that can be used accurately predict resistance in rapid tests using modern detection systems.
Improving Patient Outcome Following Arthroscopic Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$345,591.00
Summary
Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is the ‘gold standard’ for treating knee cartilage defects. Traditionally, ACI was performed through open surgery. However, ACI can now be performed through ‘keyhole’ surgery, decreasing the co-morbidity of open surgery. Furthermore, optimal patient outcome is limited by a lack of knowledge in effective post-operative rehabilitation. This project will evaluate outcomes following ACI performed through keyhole surgery, in conjunction with 'accelerated' reh ....Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is the ‘gold standard’ for treating knee cartilage defects. Traditionally, ACI was performed through open surgery. However, ACI can now be performed through ‘keyhole’ surgery, decreasing the co-morbidity of open surgery. Furthermore, optimal patient outcome is limited by a lack of knowledge in effective post-operative rehabilitation. This project will evaluate outcomes following ACI performed through keyhole surgery, in conjunction with 'accelerated' rehabilitation.Read moreRead less
Characterization Of A Novel Epigenetic Boundary And Long Range Epigenetic Modifications Specific To FMR1 Expansion Carriers With Behavioural And Cognitive Disorders - Implications For Earlier Diagnosis And Treatment.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$670,836.00
Summary
Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is the most common form of inherited intellectual disability and autism and is caused by a faulty switch in the gene FMR1. We have discovered new DNA regions important in FXS. The project aims to explain how these new regions regulate the FMR1 gene. This is essential for the discovery and validation of new avenues for earlier diagnosis, treatments and therapies for children and adults with FMR1 disorders and also for informing reproductive decisions.
An International Clinical Trial To Evaluate New Therapies To Improve Survival Of Children With Relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,567,500.00
Summary
Children who relapse with childhood leukaemia have only a 50% chance of being alive after 5 years. We will participate in a new international trial involving most European and all Australian and New Zealand childhood oncology centres, to test the effectiveness of promising new treatments and to perform biological studies which should enable doctors in future to pick the best treatment for each of these patients.