Strategies To Achieve Kidney Transplant Tolerance In A Clinically-relevant Model
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$663,490.00
Summary
The acceptance of kidney transplants without immunosuppression (tolerance) would avoid the side effects of these powerful drugs and improve long-term graft survival. Donor brain death causes inflammation in transplanted kidneys which can block tolerance. In this project, we aim to determine whether expression of a naturally-occurring soluble anti-inflammatory molecule in the liver can prevent this inflammation, allowing tolerance to develop.
Assessing Efficacy Of Polyfunctional Nanoparticles Engineered For The Delivery Of Multiple Therapeutics In Reduction Of Cardiac Ischemia Reperfusion Injury
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$317,678.00
Summary
A reduction in heart muscle damage after a heart attack is associated with a reduction in heart failure and an increase in life expectancy. However to date many therapeutic agents are not successful at reducing muscle damage because of difficulty in delivering the drugs to the target site. This project will address these delivery issues by making use of multifunctional nanoparticles which will allow for targeted delivery and release of therapeutics directly to damaged tissue following injury.
Opioid Actions On Sensory Neuron Excitability In Vitro
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$241,018.00
Summary
Morphine and related drugs are very widely used for pain relief, although the way they affect the pain-sensitive cells in the body is not well understood. Use of morphine for extended periods of time often makes morphine less effective for pain relief, which makes it necessary to increase the dose of morphine given. This leads to an increase in the unwanted side effects of morphine, and can eventually lead to morphine becoming ineffective in controlling pain. This study is designed to examine ho ....Morphine and related drugs are very widely used for pain relief, although the way they affect the pain-sensitive cells in the body is not well understood. Use of morphine for extended periods of time often makes morphine less effective for pain relief, which makes it necessary to increase the dose of morphine given. This leads to an increase in the unwanted side effects of morphine, and can eventually lead to morphine becoming ineffective in controlling pain. This study is designed to examine how morphine affects pain-sensitive cells, and to determine how continued use of morphine changes the way pain-sensitive cells respond to morphine. We hope that by understanding how morphine works on pain-sensitive cells, we can understand why it does not work so well after continued use. This information should enable us to design better forms of pain relief than we have now.Read moreRead less
Cellular And Molecular Events During Antigen Dependent B Cell Differentiation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$283,329.00
Summary
The immune system is essential for protecting us against invasion from without by viruses and bacteria and invasion from within by cancer cells. Among the white blood cells making up this system are those responsible for producing antibodies. To ensure that all possible infections and tumours can be recognised, the body needs to manufacture a very large number of these cells on a continuous basis. The aim of this project is to work out the mechanism responsible for controlling their production a ....The immune system is essential for protecting us against invasion from without by viruses and bacteria and invasion from within by cancer cells. Among the white blood cells making up this system are those responsible for producing antibodies. To ensure that all possible infections and tumours can be recognised, the body needs to manufacture a very large number of these cells on a continuous basis. The aim of this project is to work out the mechanism responsible for controlling their production and function using a novel experimental system. By pinpointing the different stages involved in antibody production in the normal host we should be in a better position to make longer lasting vaccines in the future and to understand what goes wrong with these white cells in disease. In particular, the results should shed light on the chronic form of leukaemia called myeloma and some of the autoimmune disorders like the rheumatic diseases which occur when the antibodies being produced attack our own tissues.Read moreRead less