Understanding Neuroinflammation In Alzheimer's Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,043,216.00
Summary
This project opens a new line of enquiry into the cellular signalling mechanisms involved in the progression of AD and establishes whether targeting the involvement of type-1 IFN signalling influences the evolution of AD. New and novel approaches are clearly required to treat AD. Importantly, we believe that neuroinflammation is common to all causes of dementia and targeting the neuroinflammatory pathways has much wider implications than targeting the primary causative pathway.
Controlling Neuroinflammation In Alzheimers Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$639,577.00
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder worldwide, with 269,000 Australians currently diagnosed with AD and is expected to soar to about 981,000 by 2050. AD accounts for greater than 60% of all cases of dementia. This grant investigates the role that neuroinflammation plays in the progression and exacerbation of AD and will identify new therapeutic strategies to combat this insidious disease.
Targeting Cytokine Signalling In Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$917,626.00
Summary
Systemic lupus erythematosus is a disease where the immune system attacks normally healthy tissues. The spontaneous overproduction of signalling molecules called interferons in lupus plays an important role in the severity of the disease. We have found that two proteins, named Bcl6 and PLZF, are important in controlling the interferon response in lupus patients. We propose that identifying how these proteins act to control interferon will aid in developing new treatments for lupus.
Controlling Neuroinflammation In Alzheimer's Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder worldwide, with 269,000 Australians currently diagnosed with AD and is expected to soar to about 981,000 by 2050. AD accounts for greater than 60% of all cases of dementia. This grant investigates the role that neuroinflammation plays in the progression and exacerbation of AD and will identify new therapeutic strategies to combat this insidious disease.
Stress-induced Genomic Instability As A Driver Of Adaptive Responses In Human Cancer Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$690,426.00
Summary
Growing experimental evidence suggests human cancer cells use evolutionary conserved programs to regulate their mutation rates in response to pharmacological agents, accelerating adaptation and the emergence of resistance. The purpose of our study is to identify the common molecular pathways and genetic mechanisms driving the regulation of mutation rates. Targeting of these pathways using a new generation of “anti-evolution” drugs is an attractive possibility for novel therapeutic approaches.
Optimising disease surveillance to support decision-making. COVID-19 has demonstrated the critical role of epidemic data and analytics in guiding government response to pandemic threats, reducing disease and saving lives. The demand for epidemic analytics for response to threats of national significance will only grow. The goals of this project are to 1) determine the combination(s) of surveillance methods that provide the most useful data for epidemic analysis and 2) translate these findings in ....Optimising disease surveillance to support decision-making. COVID-19 has demonstrated the critical role of epidemic data and analytics in guiding government response to pandemic threats, reducing disease and saving lives. The demand for epidemic analytics for response to threats of national significance will only grow. The goals of this project are to 1) determine the combination(s) of surveillance methods that provide the most useful data for epidemic analysis and 2) translate these findings into the blueprint for a next-generation infectious disease surveillance system for Australia. We will use a simulation-evaluation approach, coupling methods from infectious disease modelling with those from information theory optimal design. Outcomes will enable more tailored and effective pandemic response.Read moreRead less
Norovirus Infection At The Stress Granule-PKR-p-elF2α Axis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$505,967.00
Summary
This project application will aim to investigate and understand how viruses that cause vomiting and diarrhoea are able to infect, proliferate and spread within the human body. It aims to address how viruses are able to avoid and replicate in the presence of an effective immune response. We have evidence showing that Noroviruses are able to exploit certain antiviral proteins to paradoxically aid in virus replication and survival.
THE EFFECT OF STRESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT ON DISEASE PROGRESSION IN MESIAL TEMPORAL LOBE EPILEPSY
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$578,201.00
Summary
Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, the most common form of drug-resistant epilepsy in adults, is a progressive neurodegenerative condition for which there is currently no effective disease modifying treatment. This proposal will explore whether co-morbid stress accelerates disease progression in MTLE, and whether targeting stress pathways by medical and environmental manipulations can mitigate against this.
Modulating Immune Responses By Targeting Dendritic Cells Using Dendritic Cell Specific Markers.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$197,750.00
Summary
The ability to modulate immune responses would have major health benefits. Dendritic cells (DC) are key regulators of the immune system. Different types of DC possess different cell surface molecules and have differing regulatory functions. We have identified four novel DC surface molecules that can be used to target different types of DC. We aim to use antibodies against these molecules to either enhance the effectiveness of vaccines or to suppress autoimmune diseases.
Unravelling The Mechanism Of MHC Class-I Associated Drug Hypersensitivities
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$566,308.00
Summary
Some drugs cause adverse reactions that are life threatening. We think these reactions are mediated by killer T cells as they are genetically controlled by immune response genes that normally guide immunity to microbes. We will study immune reactions to the drug abacavir, used to treat HIV (AIDS); allopurinol used to prevent gout and carbamazepine, used to treat epilepsy. The study may also help devise better treatments for patients who experience severe forms of these reactions.