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Shedding Light Onto The Structural Secrets Inside Pluripotent Stem Cells In Real-time
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$555,890.00
Summary
To meet the challenges of life, a human being requires 30 trillion cells, a blue whale a staggering 100 quadrillion. This vast diversity of cells derives from very few unspecialised cells that can become any cell type of the adult body - the pluripotent stem cells. We will use innovative imaging techniques to uncover the cellular architecture of pluripotency to provide critical insights into how the various parts of a versatile cell, its cytoskeleton and organelles, are assembled in real-time.
Sickle Cell Disease was the first molecular disease described in man, and is the most prevalent. In some African countries, India and the Middle East, up to 20% of the population carry the sickle gene mutation. In developing countries, 90% of children die before 5 years of age. In developed countries, patients suffer a lifetime of chronic pain and die ~20 years early. We will employ new gene editing approaches to repair the mutation or recruit fetal hemoglobin to cure SCD in human samples.
Reversing Age-related Impairment Of Myelin Repair - A Novel Therapy For MS
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,053,161.00
Summary
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the brain and spinal cord caused by the loss of myelin which normally insulates the axons (cables) of nerve cells. When myelin is lost, electrical signals cannot pass along axons normally. Regenerating this myelin is key to restoring normal nerve function but myelin repair deteriorates with age. We will determine whether age-associated decline in myelin repair can be reversed by rejuvenating the myelin repair process.
Improving Kidney Transplant Outcomes Using Normothermic Machine Perfusion
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$778,232.00
Summary
Kidneys donated for transplantation are at risk of damage that prevent the organ from working and reduce its lifespan. Normothermic machine perfusion is a device that can circulate oxygenated blood at normal body temperature through a donor kidney prior to transplantation. In doing so it is able to resuscitate the kidney and prevent injury. We will determine how machine perfusion achieves this remarkable effect and investigate new treatments for kidney injury.
Are Oligodendrocytes The Missing Link In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Pathogenesis?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,054,405.00
Summary
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a debilitating and progressive neurodegenerative disease. Recent research suggests important cells of the central nervous system called glia play a role in disease onset and progression. We are interested in a type of glia called oligodendrocytes; they are crucial for supporting the survival of the cells that die in ALS. Only through understanding the underlying biology of ALS can we aim to identify effective therapies that will benefit patients.
Defining A New Player In Atherosclerosis: The Role Of Adventitial Haemangioblasts As An Outside-in Driver Of Plaque Growth And Stability.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$728,005.00
Summary
As the underlying cause of heart attack, atherosclerosis is a leading cause of death worldwide. New approaches to treatment are desperately needed and this requires a better understanding of how atherosclerotic plaques form in arteries. This project studies a new population of stem cells that we have discovered in the outer layer of arteries, to determine how they cause plaques to form, so that we can develop new therapies that target these stem cells to more effectively treat atherosclerosis.
Investigating A New Regulator Of Cardiac Rhythm In Development And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,022,704.00
Summary
Cardiac arrhythmias affect a high proportion of the population (2-5%) and can cause sudden death. Whilst the aetiology of arrhythmia can vary, there are clear genetic causes. Unfortunately, our knowledge of the genetic contributors is incomplete, hampering efforts to interpret genetic sequencing information. This project will undertake functional analyses of a novel arrhythmia gene and establish where, when and how it is required for correct cardiac rhythm.
A Cellular Identity Crisis: Deciphering How Mammary Epithelial Cells Form And Maintain Their Identity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$843,826.00
Summary
The ability to regenerate human organs from adult cells efficiently and without error is a major goal of biomedical research in Australia, with significant economic benefits. As one of the most regenerative organs in a woman's body, the breast is an excellent model to study mechanisms that underpin tissue growth and regrowth. Moreover, as these pathways are often hijacked by cancer, this research has important implications for the development of new targeted therapies to treat breast cancer.
Harnessing Macrophage-derived Cytokine Signalling In Skeletal Muscle Regeneration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$991,926.00
Summary
We propose to develop novel therapies and tissue engineering approaches for the treatment of muscle injury and wasting disorders using specific muscle stem cells called satellite cells. Our ultimate aim is to accelerate the development of safe, effective and affordable muscle stem cell-based therapies, in an attempt to lessen the disease burden of muscle wasting disorders. The approach will make use of the novel stem cell activating compounds and immune cells that we have identified.
Characterising The Function Of Niche-derived Neuregulin 1 In Colorectal Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$994,246.00
Summary
Colorectal cancer affects thousands of Australians each year. A specialised cell population, named cancer stem cells, continuously produces new tumour cells. Defining mechanisms controlling the behaviour of these unique cells is critical to develop new drugs. We have identified that Neuregulin-1 is a key factor that enhances the action of cancer stem cells. We aim to study how colorectal cancer is mediated and whether targeting Neuregulin-1 is a promising therapeutic option.