Targeting CD4-positive Cells For Anti-HIV Gene Therapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$356,646.00
Summary
Treatment of HIV early following infection is thought to be important for maximising the quality of life of patients. Conventional therapy has had some success in early intervention but resistance invariably develops. This application proposes to develop a gene therapy approach to elimiate HIV infected cells by introducing a suicide gene into those cells that harbor the virus. The advantage of this approach is the limited toxicity that is associated with gene therapies as well as the ability to ....Treatment of HIV early following infection is thought to be important for maximising the quality of life of patients. Conventional therapy has had some success in early intervention but resistance invariably develops. This application proposes to develop a gene therapy approach to elimiate HIV infected cells by introducing a suicide gene into those cells that harbor the virus. The advantage of this approach is the limited toxicity that is associated with gene therapies as well as the ability to target specific cell-types. It is proposed to genetically modify a strain of adenovirus to introduce a gene that will kill cells that it infects that also contain HIV. This is a novel approach and potentially may be an important treatment in the future. Anti-HIV gene therapy may also be useful in addition to the more conventional treatments.Read moreRead less
Understanding The Dynamics Of The Medical Workforce To Improve Population Health And Equity Of Access: The Australian Lo
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,278,544.00
Summary
The health workforce is now a key area of government policy. The ageing of the medical workforce, combined with more women entering medicine and changes in doctors preferences over their work-life balance, are all likely to have important effects on the ability of health care system to provide good quality and accessible health care. However, there is little knowledge or understanding of how and why doctors make decisions on how many hours they work, their location of work, including working in ....The health workforce is now a key area of government policy. The ageing of the medical workforce, combined with more women entering medicine and changes in doctors preferences over their work-life balance, are all likely to have important effects on the ability of health care system to provide good quality and accessible health care. However, there is little knowledge or understanding of how and why doctors make decisions on how many hours they work, their location of work, including working in rural and remote areas, and decisions to leave the medical workforce and retire. These decisions have important effects on the population�s access to health care and therefore on their health status and quality of care received. The aim of this research is to examine those factors influencing doctors� labour supply decisions through the establishment of the Australian Longitudinal Survey of Doctors (ALSD). The survey will track 5,500 doctors over an initial four year period. The research will provide a rigorous analysis of medical workforce decisions that underpin workforce distribution and the working patterns of doctors. The survey will be used to evaluate and simulate policy changes and provide important evidence to support future policy developments.Read moreRead less
Modelling The Economics Of The Australian Health Care System For Policy Analysis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,500,000.00
Summary
The program will build a suite of economic models capable of providing timely relevant analysis of almost any major health policy option or issue, providing expertise in government and academia to use the kind of sophisticated quantitative tools of analysis common in sectors of the economy of an equivalent size to health. Through a PhD and postdoctoral program, it will increase capacity in quantitative health economics in Australia to answer key questions in health services, health promotion and ....The program will build a suite of economic models capable of providing timely relevant analysis of almost any major health policy option or issue, providing expertise in government and academia to use the kind of sophisticated quantitative tools of analysis common in sectors of the economy of an equivalent size to health. Through a PhD and postdoctoral program, it will increase capacity in quantitative health economics in Australia to answer key questions in health services, health promotion and illness prevention, developed with partners in government, clinicians and industry.Read moreRead less
Statistical Methods And Algorithms For Analysis Of High-throughput Genetics And Genomics Platforms
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,557,500.00
Summary
Through rapid advances in high-throughput -omics technologies, the number of phenotypes and the number of genotypes in gene mapping studies are or will be orders of magnitudes larger than in previous studies. Current algorithms and analysis methods have not kept up with the speed of data collection, nor has the training of qualified researchers. We will develop quantitative trait loci (fine) mapping analysis methods and bioinformatics algorithms and train (post)graduates in these research areas.
Use Of The Norfolk Island Genetic Isolate For Disease Gene Mapping
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$978,500.00
Summary
This gene mapping study will use a unique founder effect population to investigate two major public health disorders. We aim to identify genes that play a role in migraine and in cardiovascular disease, using a population from Norfolk Island. The Norfolk Island community is a population of ~1200 permanent residents, the majority of whom are direct descendents of 18th century English Bounty mutineers and Polynesian women. We will undertake a full genome scan to identify migraine gene loci and QTL ....This gene mapping study will use a unique founder effect population to investigate two major public health disorders. We aim to identify genes that play a role in migraine and in cardiovascular disease, using a population from Norfolk Island. The Norfolk Island community is a population of ~1200 permanent residents, the majority of whom are direct descendents of 18th century English Bounty mutineers and Polynesian women. We will undertake a full genome scan to identify migraine gene loci and QTL that influence cardiovascular disease using samples from this population isolate.Read moreRead less
Cost Effectiveness Of Glucosamine Sulphate For Knee Arthritis (COGS)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$448,791.00
Summary
A clinical trial, conducted in general practice, randomising 340 patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis to glucosamine sulphate or matching placebo tablets for 9 months. The main study outcomes will be knee pain, physical function and analgesia use. Analysis will be undertaken to identify characteristics associated with treatment responsiveness, such as high body mass index and structural disease severity. An economic analysis will be conducted alongside this trial.
Optimising Prevention And The Management Of Care For Australians With Or At Risk Of Serious And Continuing Chronic Illne
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,760,301.00
Summary
The project aims to study three prototype conditions - cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - in people aged 45 to 85 in the Sydney West Area Health Service and the Australian Capital Territory with a view to implementing and evaluating new models of care and developing policies that observe accurately the current state of the art technologies, discern the gaps in knowledge, locate the barriers to optimality and engage policy makers in practical proposals ab ....The project aims to study three prototype conditions - cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - in people aged 45 to 85 in the Sydney West Area Health Service and the Australian Capital Territory with a view to implementing and evaluating new models of care and developing policies that observe accurately the current state of the art technologies, discern the gaps in knowledge, locate the barriers to optimality and engage policy makers in practical proposals about how best to use the currently available resources to achieve better health outcomes.Read moreRead less