Television Advertising To Promote NHMRC Guidelines For Low Risk Alcohol Consumption: Experimental Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$670,013.00
Summary
This project aims to experimentally assess the impact of television advertising that promotes the 2009 NHMRC Guidelines on alcohol consumption, on adults' (aged 18-64) estimates of drinking levels that incur an increased risk of short and long term harm. The Guidelines advise that adults should limit consumption to 2 standard drinks/day to reduce the risk of lifetime harm, and to 4 standard drinks on any single drinking occasion to reduce the risk of short-term harm from that occasion.
Testing The Imprecision Hypothesis Of Chronic Pain.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$788,984.00
Summary
Pain usually occurs when something triggers activity in danger receptors, which are all over the body. The brain receives a huge amount of other sensory input too, which tells the brain what was happening when the danger arose. The brain imprints this sensory barrage and uses it as an early (painful!) warning system next time. If the imprint is imprecise, then the painful warning occurs in non-dangerous situations. We will test whether imprecise imprinting of the sensory input causes the gradual ....Pain usually occurs when something triggers activity in danger receptors, which are all over the body. The brain receives a huge amount of other sensory input too, which tells the brain what was happening when the danger arose. The brain imprints this sensory barrage and uses it as an early (painful!) warning system next time. If the imprint is imprecise, then the painful warning occurs in non-dangerous situations. We will test whether imprecise imprinting of the sensory input causes the gradual development of chronic debilitating pain.Read moreRead less
Rumination And Deficits In The Recall Of Positive Autobiographical Memories In Depression
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$263,295.00
Summary
The prevalence of depression is increasing and risk of recurrence exceeds 80%. The social and economic burden of depression highlight the urgent need to advance understanding of the habits of thought and memory that keep people feeling depressed, so that psychologists can treat depression more effectively. This project will explain why depressed people feel worse when they recall happy memories. The outcomes will extend theory and guide the improvement of treatments for this condition.
Immune-modifying-particle-induced Tregs Induce Remission In Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$512,440.00
Summary
Multiple Sclerosis is a debilitating autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. Disease is the result of inflammatory monocyte-derived dendritic cells that migrate from the blood into the brain, where they stimulate T cells to attack myelin sheaths around neurons. Our novel therapy, known as immune modulating micro-particles reduces monocyte migration and disease in a mouse model, we hypothesize, by inducing immunosuppressive T regulatory cells that control attacking T cells in MS.
Immunotherapeutic Strategies In Anti Myeloperoxidase ANCA Associated Glomerulonephritis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$615,998.00
Summary
Kidney disease is the 10th most common cause of death in Australia. Glomerulonephritis (GN) is a major cause of kidney disease. Autoimmunity underpins disease in most patients with the most severe forms. Following the discovery of the peptide that is the target of this autoimmunity promising new biological treatments are possible. This grant will assess the capacity of four emerging therapies to turn off injurious autoimmunity and treat disease.
The Therapeutic Role Of Complement Inhibition In ANCA Associated Glomerulonephritis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$600,964.00
Summary
ANCA associated vasculitis is an inflammatory disease involving the kidney filters which is a major cause of chronic kidney failure. Current drugs to treat it are toxic. Less toxic treatments are required. In this study we will explore the potential for new treatments targeting complement (a normal blood protein involved in inflammation) to attenuate this disease in mice. We hope to define the role of complement in this disease and the benefits of inhibiting it before we use it in humans.
Targeting Tregs Using Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) For The Treatment Of Autoimmune Renal Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$845,519.00
Summary
Chronic Kidney Disease is one of the major causes of death in Australia. Therapeutic success with regulatory T cells (Tregs) capable of targeting autoimmune kidney disease would have major clinical implications. In the proposed study, we will use Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) T cells by redirecting them to diseased organs, protect against kidney injury. These CAR T cells will recognise renal antigens and target immune cells and antibodies to limit kidney damage.
We aim to develop a new class of cholesterol-lowering drugs by blocking the interaction between a protein in the blood called PCSK9 and its receptor, which is implicated in cholesterol absorption. We will do this by designing small stable peptides (mini proteins) that mimic part of the receptor and have the potential to interfere with the normal PCSK9 binding process. These drugs should be less expensive and potentially less immunogenic than competing therapies based on antibodies.
Design And Delivery Of Peptide-based Anti-cancer Grb7 Inhibitors
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$603,126.00
Summary
The Grb7 protein is overproduced in many types of cancer cells and plays a role in cancer cell growth and spread. The current proposal builds upon the discovery of a peptide-based Grb7 inhibitor that has anti-cancer activity. This proposal is to prepare more potent inhibitor molecules that can efficiently reach the target cancer cells. Such molecules will be used for the study of Grb7 and for the development of a new Grb7-based anti-cancer drug therapy.
Development Of Peptide-based Scaffolds For Intracellular Cancer Targets
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,479,836.00
Summary
The overall aim of this project is to develop peptide-based drugs that are able to cross cell membranes and inhibit specific targets inside cells leading to more effective, safer and cost effective drugs for cancer. One potential outcome of the project will be new drug leads to treat melanoma and leukemia that are likely to be less toxic, more potent and less likely to develop resistance than current treatments.