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Cancer cachexia is a devastating disease characterised by skeletal muscle wasting and weakness. It impairs patient quality of life and accounts for >20% of cancer-related deaths. My work aims to identify factors contributing to the development of cancer cachexia. This insight will then enable me to test potential strategies to prevent the wasting seen in cancer patients to improve their quality of life and to reduce mortality.
Control Of Cardiac And Skeletal Contractility By Luminal Calcium Store Load In Health And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$415,138.00
Summary
Disorders affecting skeletal muscle and the heart can have life threatening effects and lead to impaired mobility and sudden cardiac death. This project will uncover the mechanisms of disorders which lead to skeletal muscle fatigue, chemotherapy induced toxicity in the heart and heart failure. Understanding these mechanisms may lead to successful gene therapy treatment and to the design of a new range of drug therapies to treat these devastating disorders.
Using Gene Delivery Tools To Understand And Treat Skeletal Muscle-related Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$459,270.00
Summary
As a muscle biologist, I study the mechanisms that regulate skeletal muscle size, so that we can develop therapies for muscle wasting. What sets my research apart is my combination of expertise in muscle biology, and the use of recombinant viral vectors for altering the expression of specific genes exclusively in skeletal muscles. Our approaches enable us to study the inner workings of muscles in ways others cannot, and develop promising new therapies for treating muscle diseases.
Role Of Inflammation In The Physiological And Pathological Function Of The Gastrointestinal Tract
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$443,946.00
Summary
The gastrointestinal tract is continuously exposed to the external environment as a consequence of what we ingest. We have therefore evolved distinct mechanisms to deal with exposure to non-pathogenic insults in the gut. Sometimes, however these mechanisms fail leading to chronic inflammation and resultant pathology, which can under certain circumstances develop into cancer. This study will investigate inflammation in the gut, with particular interest in the systems that control inflammation.
Advancing The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Inherited Muscle Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,388.00
Summary
Inherited myopathies collectively affect ~1 in 1000 people, cause life-long disability and often shortened life. This fellowship addresses two key areas of need. 1. New gene discovery for the inherited myopathies using the latest genetic techniques and 2. developing therapies. I will test two recently developed drugs as potential treatments for tropomyosin myopathies and investigate key areas of disease mechanism for tropomyosin and RYR1 myopathies to identify new therapeutic targets.
WHY YOUNG PEOPLE DEVELOP OLD KNEES: PREDICTORS OF EARLY JOINT CHANGES FOLLOWING KNEE LIGAMENT RECONSTRUCTION
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$415,218.00
Summary
My research investigates how muscles & movement patterns (i.e. biomechanics) contribute to early adverse knee cartilage & bone changes in young individuals at risk of developing premature knee osteoarthritis (OA): a debilitating disease causing pain & diminished quality of life. Biomechanical measures selected can be modified with interventions such as exercise & gait retraining. Ultimately, my research could reduce future risk of knee OA & its resultant personal & societal costs.
Gene Discovery And Pathobiology In Muscle Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$425,048.00
Summary
I aim to find the genetic causes of muscle diseases that are lethal or severely debilitating. These diseases result in a significant burden to the affected individuals and their families and also on Australia’s Health care system. A genetic diagnosis provides families with answers, allows family planning, such that couples do not have another affected child, enables appropriate clinical management and gives researchers evidence as to how to develop treatments.
An Integrated Approach To Identify The Molecular Mechanisms Contributing To The Pathogenesis Of Insulin Resistance: Targeting The Liver And Skeletal Muscle
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$415,218.00
Summary
The inability of muscle and liver to utilise sugar from the blood is a major problem that contributes to the development of obesity and diabetes. How these problems occur is unknown. The goal of my research is to identify what causes the muscle and liver problem, and whether fixing these problems will reduce obesity and diabetes. Since the number of people with obesity and diabetes is predicted to double over the next decade, we need to understand the cause of these diseases.