Determining The Synergistic Effects Of Complementary Medicines On Pro-inflammatory Cytokines,
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$290,412.00
Summary
Diseases like influenza, commonly called ‘the flu’, produce symptoms such as fever, headaches, lethargy and lack of appetite. What most people don’t realise is that it is not the influenza virus that produces these symptoms, but the body’s immune response to the influenza virus. This immune response comes about because the influenza virus stimulates cells to produce molecules called cytokines, and cytokines have many effects in the body, including causing fever and a lack of appetite. In severe ....Diseases like influenza, commonly called ‘the flu’, produce symptoms such as fever, headaches, lethargy and lack of appetite. What most people don’t realise is that it is not the influenza virus that produces these symptoms, but the body’s immune response to the influenza virus. This immune response comes about because the influenza virus stimulates cells to produce molecules called cytokines, and cytokines have many effects in the body, including causing fever and a lack of appetite. In severe infections like those caused by the influenza virus responsible for the pandemic of 1918, and during “bird ‘flu” (H5N1) infections, people die because the immune response becomes overwhelming. Cytokines produced during these sorts of responses are actually very harmful, even though in small amounts they help to kill the virus and cure the infection. Researchers working in this field have likened these severe responses to a “cytokine storm”. This project focusses on finding alternative therapies such as those used in Chinese medicine to prevent a cytokine storm happening, so that if an influenza pandemic occurs these treatments could be quickly made available to everyone. Examples are the Chinese herbs Angelica sinensis and Salvia miltiorrhiza. Recent laboratory studies in New York have shown that both of these herbs have potent cytokine effects, decreasing levels of an inflammatory cytokine known to be associated with death in both malaria and sepsis. Our study aims to closely examine the effects of these Chinese herbs, as well as other commercially available herbal extracts, and traditional combinations of herbs, to find synergies between them that could be used to treat severe influenza infections.Read moreRead less
Screening Agents Active Against The Late-stage Inflammatory Cytokines For Activity Against Influenza Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$241,409.00
Summary
Infection with a virulent influenza virus that the body has never encountered before, particularly H5N1, sends the immune system into overdrive, and causes a massive release of proteins (inflammatory cytokines), known as a cytokine storm, that in and of itself leads to death. The object of this research is to screen, in a mouse influenza model, agents known to prevent this occurring and antagonise it once it has occurred. This will be done with and without Tamiflu, a standard anti-influenza drug ....Infection with a virulent influenza virus that the body has never encountered before, particularly H5N1, sends the immune system into overdrive, and causes a massive release of proteins (inflammatory cytokines), known as a cytokine storm, that in and of itself leads to death. The object of this research is to screen, in a mouse influenza model, agents known to prevent this occurring and antagonise it once it has occurred. This will be done with and without Tamiflu, a standard anti-influenza drug.Read moreRead less
Validation And Replication Of Genes Associated With Common Human Disease Using Australian Twin Families
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$921,224.00
Summary
The European Network for Genetic and Genomic Epidemiology (ENGAGE) aims to translate the wealth of data emerging from large-scale research efforts in molecular epidemiology into information of direct relevance to future advances in clinical medicine. ENGAGE will do this through the integration of very large datasets already available from a substantial number of large and well-characterised samples. The resulting ENGAGE resource will represent a research investment >€100M (>AU$160M) and pr ....The European Network for Genetic and Genomic Epidemiology (ENGAGE) aims to translate the wealth of data emerging from large-scale research efforts in molecular epidemiology into information of direct relevance to future advances in clinical medicine. ENGAGE will do this through the integration of very large datasets already available from a substantial number of large and well-characterised samples. The resulting ENGAGE resource will represent a research investment >€100M (>AU$160M) and provide unprecedented power to discover disease and trait susceptibility genes. QIMR will contribute 12,000 twins for ENGAGE joint analyses and provide analytical expertise in the analysis of disease and genetic data related to lifestyle and metabolic traits, with particular emphasis on cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and migraine risk factors. Our laboratory will also perform vital further genetic studies to establish the causal relationship between the genetic variants concerned and the traits of interest. Most importantly, our direct participation will allow the translation of these findings into the Australian population and clinical arena.Read moreRead less
Provision Of Secondary Cardiac Preventive Australian General Practice
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$499,513.00
Summary
This study will provide a comprehensive description of secondary preventative activities for patients with ischaemic heart disease, with the aim of determining those factors that can most contribute to reducing the increased risk of further events which they experience, and thereby reducing the burden of this disease.
The Mechanism, Predictive Value And Impact Of Apathy In Patients With Alzheimers Disease And Their Caregivers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$542,370.00
Summary
Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia have been consistently associated with increased patients’ distress, and are considered by caregivers as the most difficult symptoms to manage. Apathy is the state of loss of motivation and emotional withdrawal that occurs in a high proportion of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. These patients require more management and support, given their reliance on others to schedule their activities and initiate behaviours even when they are still capabl ....Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia have been consistently associated with increased patients’ distress, and are considered by caregivers as the most difficult symptoms to manage. Apathy is the state of loss of motivation and emotional withdrawal that occurs in a high proportion of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. These patients require more management and support, given their reliance on others to schedule their activities and initiate behaviours even when they are still capable of performing the activities. In spite of the high frequency of apathy in dementia and the high potential of negative effects on patients and caregivers, little is known about the cause of this phenomenon, its potential influence upon the long-term progression of Alzheimer’s disease, and on its impact upon caregivers’ emotional well-being. The main aim of our proposal is to examine the mechanism, clinical relevance and impact of apathy in Alzheimer’s disease. More specifically, we will determine whether apathy predicts more severe depression, increasing motor problems, and a faster progression of cognitive and functional problems. Using state-of-the-art neuroimaging techniques we will examine the association between apathy and abnormalities in specific brain regions. Finally, we will examine whether caregivers of patients with apathy have relatively more severe emotional problems, a higher care giving burden and poor quality of life.Read moreRead less
Targeting Protein Synthesis In The Apicoplast And Cytoplasm Of Plasmodium
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$453,768.00
Summary
New antimalarial drugs are desperately needed. Protein synthesis in Plasmodium falciparum is a validated target for existing drugs and is a promising target for new drugs. This project brings together malaria biologists with chemists and computer scientists to explore this promising field. We will apply modern methods of drug target characterisation to find the most promising enzyme targets involved in protein synthesis and to identify inhibitors as leads for developing antimalarial therapies. A ....New antimalarial drugs are desperately needed. Protein synthesis in Plasmodium falciparum is a validated target for existing drugs and is a promising target for new drugs. This project brings together malaria biologists with chemists and computer scientists to explore this promising field. We will apply modern methods of drug target characterisation to find the most promising enzyme targets involved in protein synthesis and to identify inhibitors as leads for developing antimalarial therapies. Australian researchers involved in this project will provide expertise in bioinformatic prioritisation of Plasmodium drug targets from the aminoacyl tRNA synthetase family of enzymes. We will use structural modelling and docking experiments to identify promising antimalarial inhibitors, and will optimise assays to assess the effects of these inhibitors. We will also apply modern molecular biology tools to validate these enzymes as anti-malarial drug targets.Read moreRead less
Deficits Of Insight And Judgment In Alzheimers Disease: Diagnostic Strategy And Clinical Significance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$459,983.00
Summary
During the next three decades the number of persons older than 85 years will more than double, and the health care need of this burgeoning population are assuming greater importance. Recent studies suggest that the prevalence of dementia in Australia will increase from 172 000 cases in 2000 to 588 000 in 2050. This rapid increase in number of dementia cases will result in an increasing burden for caregivers, and in financial terms, for the working-age population. One of the main clinical problem ....During the next three decades the number of persons older than 85 years will more than double, and the health care need of this burgeoning population are assuming greater importance. Recent studies suggest that the prevalence of dementia in Australia will increase from 172 000 cases in 2000 to 588 000 in 2050. This rapid increase in number of dementia cases will result in an increasing burden for caregivers, and in financial terms, for the working-age population. One of the main clinical problems suffered by individuals of dementia is psychological and behavioural changes such as poor insight, irritability and apathy. These problems account for a large proportion of medical expenses, predict early institutionalization, and are associated with poor quality of life of caregivers. Unfortunately, little is known about the true frequency of problems of insight in dementia, about their impact upon caregivers, and about how to best diagnose the problems of loss of insight and judgment in this condition. Our study will examine the frequency and clinical correlates of poor insight and judgment in dementia, it will establish whether these problems predict other common behavioural problems of Alzheimer’s disease such as apathy and dangerous behaviours, and will demonstrate the reliability and validity of a specific instrument to measure insight and judgment in dementia. This will facilitate the early recognition and adequate treatment of behavioural problems in patients with dementia; it will improve patients’ quality of life, and will have a positive impact on both caregivers’ psychological well-being and on clinical practice.Read moreRead less