Enhancing Clinical Management Of Paediatric Malaria In Endemic Areas With Transmission Of Multiple Plasmodium Species
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$867,511.00
Summary
Malaria remains a major problem for children in developing countries especially where different types of the disease are common. This set of complementary studies, based at an established research site in PNG aims to develop new treatment strategies for childhood malaria. A novel method of giving medicine via a spray under the tongue for sick children before arrival at hospital and modified dosing schedules of an old drug used for treating parasites hidden in the liver will be studied.
Antimalarial Drugs In Pregnancy: Preclinical And Clinical Studies Of Conventional And Novel Agents
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$470,115.00
Summary
Women in malaria-endemic areas such as coastal PNG are at high risk of malaria in pregnancy. To prevent the substantially increased malaria-associated morbidity and mortality in mother and child, and because even asymptomatic infections can be deleterious, there has been a move to giving antimalarial drugs regularly during pregnancy regardless of the mother's clinical or parasitological status. In poor tropical countries, such treatment usually comprises safe and inexpensive agents such as chlor ....Women in malaria-endemic areas such as coastal PNG are at high risk of malaria in pregnancy. To prevent the substantially increased malaria-associated morbidity and mortality in mother and child, and because even asymptomatic infections can be deleterious, there has been a move to giving antimalarial drugs regularly during pregnancy regardless of the mother's clinical or parasitological status. In poor tropical countries, such treatment usually comprises safe and inexpensive agents such as chloroquine and Fansidar. There are two main issues with this approach. First, the efficacy of such conventional agents is waning and this increases the risk of break-through malaria. Second, there are few data on how the drugs are handled in pregnancy on which to base recommendations for treatment. We plan to collect information on the disposition and effectiveness of chloroquine and Fansidar in women with malaria in pregnancy in PNG that should allow a critical appraisal of the usefulness of current regimens in PNG and in other tropical countries where parasite resistance to these agents is emerging. Artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) in the form of a novel artemisinin drug and a longer-acting partner has been suggested as the most promising alternative therapy for malaria in pregnancy if conventional drugs fail. We plan to assess the safety of a leading ACT formulation, namely dihydroartemisinin and the chloroquine-like drug piperaquine (DHA-PQ), in animals before extending our studies to women with malaria in PNG. These latter studies will allow an evaluation of the safety and efficacy of DHA-PQ as novel therapy for malaria in pregnancy in PNG and other tropical countries.Read moreRead less
A Study Of Artemisinin Combination Therapy Given At Delivery To Prevent Postpartum Malaria And To Young Infants To Treat Uncomplicated Malaria
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$788,850.00
Summary
The proposed studies will investigate the preventive value of a course of combination antimalarial treatment at delivery in pregnant women in malarial areas. The transfer of this treatment into breast milk and to the suckling infant will be investigated since this may protect the infant against malaria but also cause drug-related side-effects. These data will be used, with a study of combination treatment in infants with malaria, to optimise dose regimens in this vulnerable group.
Preclinical Development Of A Therapeutic Anticancer Antibody To C-Met
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$435,530.00
Summary
Many common cancers cannot be effectively treated. A range of these cancers (e.g. gastric and lung cancer) display the molecule c-Met on their cell surface. c-Met promotes tumour growth; therefore, blocking c-Met is a promising strategy for treating these cancers. However, no antibodies or drugs that target c-Met have been licensed. The therapeutics that are being developed to target c-Met all have considerable limitations. Thus, there is an opportunity to develop a 'best-in-class' therapeutic.
Reprogramming Macrophage Function In The Elderly To Rescue Impaired Inflammatory Responses To Muscle Injury
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$410,983.00
Summary
Muscle injury in the elderly often takes longer to heal than in younger people, however the cells responsible for this delayed healing are not well understood. Key inflammatory cells required for muscle repair in young hosts are macrophages. However, during aging we have shown that macrophage function is altered, but the mechanism is unknown. This project aims to determine the mechanisms behind age-related changes to macrophages and whether they can be targeted to improve elderly muscle repair.
The Importance Of Neutrophil Plasticity In Early Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Lung disease is a lifelong problem for people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Blood immune cells called neutrophils swarm the lung and cause ongoing damage. No treatments exist because how CF lungs talk to neutrophils is poorly understood. I will apply new skills from an international neutrophil expert to study samples from AREST CF, a world leading CF research group. This unique combination will recreate the early CF lung in the laboratory, testing triggers of CF lung disease and potential drugs.
Epithelial Drivers Of Neutrophil Plasticity In Early Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$849,462.00
Summary
Why airway inflammation becomes chronic so early in life for people with cystic fibrosis (CF) is unclear. This project will use the latest techniques to characterise immune cells found in airways of infants with CF and model in the laboratory how immune cells react to the CF airway. We will challenge CF airway cells with different bugs that can infect the lung, then see if the responses by CF airway cells can change the normal response of immune cells, triggering chronic disease.
Restoration Of Diabetes Associated Cognitive Deficits Through The Modulation Of Cerebrovascular Integrity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$430,998.00
Summary
Diabetes is known to increase the risk of dementia. Although the mechanisms are currently unknown, a recently emerging body of evidence suggest that damaged blood vessels of the brain may be central to onset and progress of cognitive dysfunction. Consistently, the dysfunction of brain blood vessels is often observed in the brain of diabetes subjects. Therefore, this project will investigate whether the amelioration of disrupted brain blood vessels restores the cognitive function in diabetes.
The Impact Of Therapy On T-cell Recognition Of Mutated Tumour Neo-antigens
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,126,685.00
Summary
Cancer is caused by mutations which should be 'seen' and destroyed by the patients immune cells, similar to how immune cells protect us against viruses. But they don't. This grant will study how current cancer treatments help the immune cells 'see' these mutations. We will undertake these studies in the important cancers lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Dementia Associated To Diabetes: Prevention Through The Modulation Of Cerebrovascular Integrity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$719,770.00
Summary
Diabetic insulin resistance is reported to induce cognitive decline and dementia. An accumulating body of evidence suggest that compromised integrity of neurovascular unit and following changes in cerebral lipid homeostasis may be centrally involved in the neurodegeneration and cognitive deficits. Therefore, the project aims to prevent the insulin resistance-associated cognitive impairment by modulating the integrity of cerebrovasculature and lipid homeostasis.