Glaucoma is a progressive, poorly understood blinding disease with limited treatment options. It is characterised by the death of the nerve cells in the eye whose fibres form the optic nerve. Results obtained in the current proposal will lead to a better understanding of key features of the early stages of the disease and, additionally, will explore the potential of a novel therapeutic approach based on regeneration of damaged nerve fibres within the optic nerve.
Axonal Regeneration And Degeneration: Cellular And Molecular Mechanisms
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,088,220.00
Summary
The ability to surgically repair an injured axon and restore neuronal function is still a significant challenge in neurosurgery. However, a spontaneous repair mechanism, axonal fusion, by which the two separated ends of a transected axon are fused back together, has been observed in invertebrates. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of this biological event will allow us to determine its potential as a novel therapeutic approach to repair injured and damaged neurons.
Segmentation Of The Peripheral Nervous System - The Role Of Axon Guidance Factors.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$190,331.00
Summary
Injury to the nervous system results in great loss to the individual and society at large. To repair a damaged nerve pathway so that functional recovery may ensue is the pre-eminent goal of neuroscience research. An understanding of how factors that guide nerve processes coordinate the wiring of the nervous system during development of an embryo will provide an insight into what strategy is required to repair a damaged nerve pathway in the mature nervous system. In this research project we propo ....Injury to the nervous system results in great loss to the individual and society at large. To repair a damaged nerve pathway so that functional recovery may ensue is the pre-eminent goal of neuroscience research. An understanding of how factors that guide nerve processes coordinate the wiring of the nervous system during development of an embryo will provide an insight into what strategy is required to repair a damaged nerve pathway in the mature nervous system. In this research project we propose to investigate what factors guide the formation of the peripheral nervous system which controls the body. We will use a novel model system whereby a whole chick embryo is grown in a culture dish and the developing nerve pathways can be manipulated to discover what are the exact factors that guide nerve processes to wire up pathways to the limbs and other body parts. This research will provide an opportunity to study the basic principles of nerve pathfinding which may then be applied to more complicated circuits within the brain and to the repair of injured nerve pathways.Read moreRead less
Delayed Neuronal Death After Peripheral Nerve And Spinal Cord Injury
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$457,267.00
Summary
After injury to the nervous system, even under optimal conditions for regeneration of broken nerve processes (axons), there is little chance of normal function being restored because few regrowing axons will find appropriate cells to connect with. The time taken for many regrowing axons to reach their targets can be so long that both the axons and their targets lose the ability to recognize each other. Equally importantly, some damaged nerve cells die over the months that follow an injury. This ....After injury to the nervous system, even under optimal conditions for regeneration of broken nerve processes (axons), there is little chance of normal function being restored because few regrowing axons will find appropriate cells to connect with. The time taken for many regrowing axons to reach their targets can be so long that both the axons and their targets lose the ability to recognize each other. Equally importantly, some damaged nerve cells die over the months that follow an injury. This slow loss of nerve cells can lead to progressive and ongoing deterioration. Given recent advances in our understanding of how to improve axon regeneration, the degree of functional recovery could be disappointing unless we know more about how to prevent these neurones from dying. This project will use rats as experimental animals to try to understand which types of nerve cells are likely to die or survive after injury to peripheral nerve trunks or to the spinal cord. We will investigate two regions of the nervous system that are commonly involved in injuries in people. After injuries to limb nerves, people lose sensation and movement and can unpredictably develop chronic conditions such as neuropathic pain (unrelated to the damage and often occurring spontaneously) as well as poor blood flow and wound healing in the hands-feet. After most injuries to the spinal cord, the lower part of the cord beyond the injury (in particular the lumbosacral cord controlling hindlimb movement and sensation and the function of bladder, bowel and sexual organs) is often disconnected from the brain leading to paralysis and disrupted control of pelvic organ function. We will identify and study specific populations of nerve cells with sensory (mainly pain-sensing) functions and four identified groups of nerve cells in the lumbosacral cord that project to the brain. Once we know which nerve cells do not survive, we will search for the likely causes of their death and ways to prevent it.Read moreRead less
Development Of A New Method Of Motor Unit Number Estimation For Use In Motor Neurone Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$480,127.00
Summary
This project aims to help understand motor neurone disease, which is a severe disease that leads to paralysis and death. In motor neurone disease there is of death of the nerve cells that maks muscles move. We have developed a new method of measuring the number of motor nerve cells. We will use this to study the different types of motor neurone disease.
The Role Of Tau In Experimental Retinal And Optic Nerve Pathology: Relevance To Glaucoma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,225.00
Summary
Aberrant processing of the axonal protein, tau, is believed to underlie key pathological events in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Recent data have suggested a link between AD pathology and retinal neuron death in glaucoma. We have further evidence that changes in tau also occur in models of retinal damage. We thus aim to characterise the role of tau in retinal injury models and to relate these findings to glaucoma with a view to having a greater understanding of this disease process.
A Wireless Electric Nerve-guide For Peripheral Nerve Repair
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$805,064.00
Summary
We aim to deliver a radical new precision intervention for peripheral nerve repair to improve the lives of people with peripheral nerve damage. Drawing from our recently awarded work on 'electric neural tissue engineering', we will pre-clinically test our invention of a unique clinically-amenable electric nerve-guide (e-nerve-guide), designed to act as a protective nerve conduit and wirelessly electrically-stimulate damaged nerves for their regeneration and restoration of function.
Novel Functional Imaging For Age-related Macular Degeneration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$564,848.00
Summary
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye condition which affects the central retina (the macula) resulting in a loss of central vision. The lack of appropriate clinical tests to monitor the progression of AMD at the early stages of disease hampers the discovery of novel interventions aimed at preventing the development of advanced vision-threatening AMD. In this project, we will investigate the use of a quick and non-invasive imaging technique for monitoring AMD progression.