The Role Of LINE Encoded Natural Antisense Transcripts In Immune Regulation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$934,853.00
Summary
Genetic information underpins all life on earth and is processed to make proteins, which determine the characteristics of an organism. However, only about 2% of our whole genome is made up of genes that encode proteins; the other 98% is non-coding and its function remains poorly understood. This proposal aims to utilize cutting edge genomic technologies to generate new knowledge about how the non-coding genome regulates the expression of protein coding genes in human autoimmune disease.
About one in eight known genetic disorders involve DNA alteration that activates a cellular quality control mechanism that disables the affected gene. This mechanism is more efficient in some individuals than others. It can influence disease outcomes and severity. We will engineer and apply tools and models to measure and manipulate this crucial cellular mechanism. This will allow us to predict disease severity as well as to intervene where a manipulation of this mechanism will be beneficial.
Discovering The Cell Of Origin For Rare Ovarian Cancers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$599,438.00
Summary
Ovarian cancer has many different varieties, and even though they all grow at the ovary, for some types we don't know the cell where the cancer starts. Using novel sequencing methods, this study will find the tissue of origin for two rare subtypes. This finding will help us to develop appropriate pre-clinical models that we can use to test emerging cancer therapies. Identifying the cell of origin will provide key insights into early detection or even prevention of these rare but deadly diseases.
Exploiting Messenger RNA Export As A Novel Therapeutic Strategy To Treat Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$948,098.00
Summary
Novel therapies for cancers represent an area of unmet clinical need. We have identified a new biological pathway implicated in cancer, namely selective mRNA export. Compounds inhibiting other steps of the gene expression pathway are promising therapeutic candidates for cancer, yet mRNA export inhibitors do not exist. We propose to develop first-in-class inhibitors of mRNA export that selectively target transcriptionally addicted cancers with dysregulated RNA processing.
Reprogramming Human Fibroblasts Into Induced Trophoblast Stem Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$889,064.00
Summary
We have been able to generate artificial human trophectoderm which is the tissue that creates the placenta. This will allow us to do research in how the genes control the fate of these cells without the need of human embryos or placenta. We anticipate that the derivation and characterising these cells will revolutionise placenta research, which in turn will contribute to the establishment of new therapies for placenta disease and infertility.
Hybrid Optical-electrical Stimulation For Precise Neural Stimulation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$935,579.00
Summary
In world-first research, we have evidence that combining electrical stimulation with optical stimulation significantly and safely improves precision of neural activation for devices such as cochlear and retinal implants. In this proposal we will use gene therapy to make nerves responsive to light in pre-clinical animal models to establish proof of concept that hybrid stimulation will significantly improve outcomes for recipients of cochlear and retinal implants.
Repeat Expansions In Neurological Disease: Discovery, Interpretation And Enhanced Diagnostics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$889,937.00
Summary
Identifying the mutation or genetic cause of disease in an individual is the first step in the provision of appropriate clinical care and treatment. This diagnostic process is being revolutionised through the ability to sequence the entire human genome in a time and cost effective manner. This project will enable identification of novel and known repeat expansion using whole genome sequencing, providing rapid diagnoses and better clinical care for individuals with neurogenetic disorders.
Epigenetic Reprogramming Of Calcified Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells As A Treatment For Vascular Calcification
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,285,195.00
Summary
Pathological hardening of blood vessels, or vascular calcification, is a frequent and deadly complication of many cardiovascular disorders. It is caused by the irreversible change in mature vascular smooth muscle cells (the main cell type in the blood vessel walls) to a bone-forming cell type. We have now identified a new gene that can potentially revert calcified vascular cells back to their physiological state. This represents a promising new approach for treatment of vascular calcification.
Exploiting Anti-capsid Humoral Immunity Induced In Infants Receiving Gene Therapy For Spinal Muscular Atrophy To Engineer The Next Generation Of Gene Transfer Vectors
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,105,993.00
Summary
After 25 years of incremental progress the possibility of treating genetic disease by gene therapy has become a therapeutic reality. This has been achieved by harnessing the gene transfer power of viruses made harmless by genetic engineering. A major limitation is that up to 50% of patients are currently excluded by pre-existing immunity to these powerful tools. Using 'evolution in a dish', we will engineer a new generation of these tools capable of bypassing pre-existing immunity by stealth.
Crossing A Frontier In Cardiac Fibrosis: A Single-cell Multi-omics Approach To Understanding Fibroblast Agency In Models Of Heart Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,199,254.00
Summary
Cardiovascular disease is the most serious cause of mortality and morbidity in society, with one Australian dying every 13 mins. Our focus is on cardiac fibroblasts - changeable cells that regulate the mechanical integrity of the heart, and which are key therapeutic targets in heart disease. Single cell methods have revolutionised the study of complex tissues. Here we will apply molecular assays to thousands of single heart cells to build a new conceptual framework for fighting heart disease.