Combination Methotrexate And Gefitinib To Cure Ectopic Pregnancies: Phase I-II Clinical Trials
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$235,875.00
Summary
Ectopic pregnancies are dangerous emergencies that can cause fatal bleeding. Most require surgery. We plan to test a novel medication-based treatment that could be used to cure most ectopics. If successful, it could revolutionise current management.
Translating New Therapeutics And Diagnostics For Major Pregnancy Complications
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$481,156.00
Summary
My research is focussed on tackling major complications of pregnancy that are a threat to the lives of both mother’s and babies. We are developing new drug treatments for ectopic pregnancy (a dangerous condition where the pregnancy implants in the Fallopian tube), and preeclampsia (a condition where toxins leak out of the placenta into mum's blood, and can seriously injure many of mum's major organs). We are also generating a blood test that may help women avoid the tragedy of a stillbirth.
Development Of Vinorelbine As A Tablet Based Therapy To Cure Ectopic Pregnancies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$361,594.00
Summary
Ectopic pregnancies occur if the pregnancy implants in the Fallopian tube. They can be deadly and most are treated surgically. We will examine the exciting possibility that instead of surgery, ectopic pregnancies may be cured with a tablet taken just once. We will perform laboratory studies and a clinical trial, giving vinorelbine to women with ectopic pregnancies.
Development Of Novel Medical Therapies To Cure Ectopic Pregnancies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$601,156.00
Summary
Ectopic pregnancies are conceptions implanting outside the womb, mainly the fallopian tube. They are pathological, and can erode straight through the tube into large blood vessels causing fatal bleeding and death. We plan to assess three medication based approaches to treat this condition that would avoid surgery entirely. If we succeed, and subsequently translate one or more of these treatments to the clinic, it would revolutionise management of this serious gynaecological emergency.
Developing New Therapeutic Strategies For Brain Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$763,845.00
Summary
Each year, over 1,500 Australians will develop brain cancer. Unlike many cancers, it cannot be prevented by lifestyle changes. Adults with brain cancer usually die within 2 years. The overall aims of this funding are to extend patients' lives and build brain cancer research in Australia so that we have the best chance of curing this disease. The expected outcome is clinical trial of drug candidates for the most common and most deadly brain cancer, high-grade glioma.
Randomised Trial Of Ibuprofen For The Prevention Of Ectopic Bone-related Pain And Disability After Hip Replacement
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$364,217.00
Summary
Joint replacement is a well-established treatment for severe osteoarthritis of the hip. While most patients benefit substantially from the procedure, many still experience some pain and disability after surgery. New evidence suggests that one important cause of this pain and disability may be abnormal bone deposits that form in the muscles around the hip (ectopic bone formation) during the first few months after surgery. Ectopic bone formation is seen in about 40% of all patients with hip replac ....Joint replacement is a well-established treatment for severe osteoarthritis of the hip. While most patients benefit substantially from the procedure, many still experience some pain and disability after surgery. New evidence suggests that one important cause of this pain and disability may be abnormal bone deposits that form in the muscles around the hip (ectopic bone formation) during the first few months after surgery. Ectopic bone formation is seen in about 40% of all patients with hip replacements. If the formation is extensive, all movement of the hip is lost and revision surgery is necessary. However, even when the formation is less severe, movement at the hip can be restricted resulting in pain and disability. There is growing evidence that treatment with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug at the time of surgery may halve the risk of ectopic bone formation. While this would be expected to decrease the risk and severity of post-operative pain and disability, there is little evidence available about the long-term effects of these drugs after hip replacement. For this reason, together with concerns about possible side-effect of these drugs, orthopaedic surgeons have generally been reluctant to prescribe these drugs routinely for the prevention of ectopic bone formation. Ibuprofen appears to be the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with the lowest risk of side effects. If it was shown to be effective in reducing the incidence of pain and disability associated with ectopic bone formation after hip replacement, it may well be considered worthwhile by doctors and patients alike. If such benefits were realised, this preventive strategy is likely to be a highly cost-effective way to improve long-term outcome among the rapidly growing numbers of patients that receive hip replacements. This study will provide reliable evidence about the short and long-term effects of ibuprofen among 1,000 patients receiving hip replacements in Australia.Read moreRead less
Developing Molecularly Targeted Therapeutics And Diagnostics For Pregnancy Complications
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$321,489.00
Summary
Pregnancy complications still causes the death of mothers, and their babies. During this fellowship, we will be developing new treatments and clinical tests for three important complications of pregnancy. We will run clinical trials of a new medication based treatment to cure ectopic pregnancies. We will also develop a blood test that can identify those babies still in the womb but suffering dangerously low oxygen levels. Lastly, we will develop drugs to treat preeclampsia, a serious condition o ....Pregnancy complications still causes the death of mothers, and their babies. During this fellowship, we will be developing new treatments and clinical tests for three important complications of pregnancy. We will run clinical trials of a new medication based treatment to cure ectopic pregnancies. We will also develop a blood test that can identify those babies still in the womb but suffering dangerously low oxygen levels. Lastly, we will develop drugs to treat preeclampsia, a serious condition of pregnancy.Read moreRead less
Failure of bone healing leads to significant pain and disability, such that augmentation of fracture repair is a dynamic and important field of study. A full understanding of bone repair is necessary before we can hope to introduce novel successful therapies. We believe that a improved understanding of the origins of the cells involved with bone healing may lead to new surgical, drug and cell-based therapies for the treatment of recalcitrant bone repair. Stem cells originating from the bone marr ....Failure of bone healing leads to significant pain and disability, such that augmentation of fracture repair is a dynamic and important field of study. A full understanding of bone repair is necessary before we can hope to introduce novel successful therapies. We believe that a improved understanding of the origins of the cells involved with bone healing may lead to new surgical, drug and cell-based therapies for the treatment of recalcitrant bone repair. Stem cells originating from the bone marrow and periosteum are known to differentiate into mature bone cells and produce bone. However, these tissues are damaged or have poor access to the site of bone injury in many severe open fractures. In these cases, bone repair often initiates in a region adjacent to an opposing muscle. This has led us to speculate that cells from the muscle may directly contribute to bone repair. Published studies, which have be confirmed by our group, have demonstrated the strong potential for muscle-derived progenitor cells (satellite cells) to become bone-like in response to stimuli such as bone morphogenic proteins. To put bone-forming potential of muscle cells in perspective, we plan to expand on these studies and compare mouse satellite cells with mouse bone marrow stem cells. In addition, we plan to use a transgenic mouse whose muscle cells become permanently genetically transformed to stain blue. This mouse will allow us to assess the fate of muscle cells and their contribution to bone formation in ectopic bone formation and fracture repair models. This study will explore on the most basic level the cellular contribution of muscle to bone repair. The results of this research project will significantly influence our therapeutic directions for improving fracture repair in the future.Read moreRead less
Control Of Gastrointestinal Motility By Interstitial Cells And Neuronal Projections
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$845,540.00
Summary
The gastrointestinal tract moves contents along its length in an ordered manner, so allowing digestion and absorption of gut contents. These movements are controlled by the properties of the cells in the muscle layers which in part make up the wall of the gastrointestinal tract, by activity in the nerves that innervate the gut and by hormonal factors. Recently we have shown that a key part of the control system lies in a set of special cells, interstitial cells, that lie amongst the muscle cells ....The gastrointestinal tract moves contents along its length in an ordered manner, so allowing digestion and absorption of gut contents. These movements are controlled by the properties of the cells in the muscle layers which in part make up the wall of the gastrointestinal tract, by activity in the nerves that innervate the gut and by hormonal factors. Recently we have shown that a key part of the control system lies in a set of special cells, interstitial cells, that lie amongst the muscle cells. This project will determine how these cells exert their control. These cells generate large long lasting waves of voltage which flow to nearby muscle cells so causing them to contract. The first aim is to determine how the special cells generate the command signals and the second aim is to determine how the signals spread to the muscle cells. The subsequent section of the project will determine how the behavior of the cells in the gastrointestinal tract are controlled by nervous influences. Disorders of the intestine are frequent and these appear to involve disrupted muscle contraction either because the intrinsic control system is malfunctioning or because the nervous system is unable to exert its normal influence. This project will determine how the normal control system works, invariably when this has been done with other systems, disease states are easier to rectify.Read moreRead less