Advances in positron emission tomography now allow specific pathological features of many brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease to be measured with a brain scan during life. This Fellowship will assist Professor Rowe and his team in their world leading work on new PET scanning techniques to improve diagnosis and assist the development of treatment for Alzheimer's and other degenerative diseases of the brain.
Novel Nanomaterial Solutions Based On Metal And Metal Oxide For Advanced Diagnosis Of Cardiovascular Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$581,037.00
Summary
Cardiovascular disease accounts of over one third of all deaths in Australia and is forecasted to become the leading cause of death in Australia and worldwide. Currently, atherosclerosis and thrombosis in coronary arteries are diagnosed by X-ray angiography, an invasive and risk-associated procedure. Our project will explore new contrast agents for the fast, reliable and safe diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases and thrombotic events, which is beneficial to many patients.
Non-invasive Near-infrared Optical Imaging Of Neurodegeneration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$312,033.00
Summary
Dementia currently affects over 240,000 Australians with an increasing health cost. A common cause of dementia occurs when proteins in the brain form deposits and brain cells degenerate and die. This project will develop a novel medical imaging method that will facilitate the detection of dying brain cells. This will enable a better understanding of the causes of cell death and the opportunity to identify the best time for meaningful therapeutic intervention.
Developing Smart Nanomedicine To Enable Advanced Diagnosis And Stimuli-responsive Treatment For Atherosclerosis And Thrombosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$523,342.00
Summary
The early detection and accurate characterization of life-threatening diseases such as cardiovascular diseases are critical to the design of treatment. A therapeutic approach that provides an efficient treatment with minimal side-effects is highly desired by both patients and healthcare systems. This project aims to develop smart nanomedicine with incorporated diagnostic sensor and external stimuli-responsive treatment mechanisms for cardiovascular diseases.
Defining Targets And Establishing Methods For Prevention, Diagnosis And Therapy Of Inflammation, Atherosclerosis And Thrombosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$847,490.00
Summary
My research focuses on preventing and treating atherosclerotic disease and its complications such as heart attack and stroke. This will be achieved by developing new imaging technologies, with the aim to detect unstable atherosclerotic plaques, as well as innovative new drugs preventing inflammation and thrombosis as the major contributors of heart attack and stroke.
Personalising Care In Operable Pancreas Cancer. GAP-T: A Study Of Imaging And Molecular Biomarkers To Guide Treatment Of Patients Receiving Preoperative Chemotherapy Followed By Surgery.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$405,345.00
Summary
We are studying ways to improve how we treat patients with pancreatic cancer. We will use a novel imaging tool, the PET scanner, to show where active cancer is and how quickly and how well a new drug combination (gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel) is affecting the cancer. We will also study if measuring the expression of specific proteins (SPARC and hENT1) in the cancer affects the outcome and will allow us to determine ahead of time which patients will benefit most from the drugs.
Molecular Imaging As A Critical Tool In Discovery Of The Basis Of Tumour Heterogeneity And Developing Novel Therapies To Overcome Therapeutic Resistance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$467,961.00
Summary
Determining treatment options for cancer currently relies on the size and extent of tumour deposits on imaging, combined with a biopsy. However, this approach fails to recognise the ability of tumours to evolve components that are, or become, resistant to treatment. My laboratory uses advanced molecular imaging, targeted biopsies, animal models and genetic analysis to detect and understand the basis of such resistance and thereby develop new, targeted treatments to improve patient outcomes.
Optimising Inhaled Polymyxins As A Vital Therapy For Pulmonary Infections: A Novel Biochemical, Molecular Imaging And Systems Pharmacology Approach
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$728,044.00
Summary
Lung infection is a leading cause of death in Australia and globally. Many bacterial pathogens are resistant to almost all current antibiotics. A class of ‘old’ antibiotics, polymyxins, are the last option for bacterial ‘superbugs’. Unfortunately, the current use of polymyxins is suboptimal and can cause severe kidney toxicity. This multi-disciplinary project will apply cutting-edge techniques to optimise inhaled polymyxin therapy for treatment of life-threatening pulmonary infections.
The Unstable, Rupture-prone Atherosclerotic Plaque: Innovative Methods For Its Detection And Stabilisation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$748,447.00
Summary
Heart attacks and strokes are most often caused by rupture of unstable atherosclerotic plaques resulting in clotting and vessel occlusion and ultimately irreversible damage of the heart or brain. We have generated a mouse model that reproduces these plaques as seen in humans. Based on this model and human unstable plaques 1) we have discovered/developed imaging technologies that can identify these dangerous plaques and 2) we will develop drugs that prevent plaque rupture.
Detection And Manipulation Of Neuronal Activities With A Synthetic Optogenetic Activity-reporting Transcription System
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$391,012.00
Summary
Functional brain mapping is important for understanding mental illnesses such as depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders and post-traumatic stress disorders. Current techniques for functional brain mapping are limited and not suitable for large-scale studies. The proposed project will generate new tools that can be used to map activated neurocircuitry in laboratory model organisms and will enhance our ability to design effective treatments for mental illnesses.