Regulation Of Extraocular Myosins In Craniofacial Muscles
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$196,018.00
Summary
Muscles which move the eyeball are highly complex and contain a special motor protein which enables them to contract with the highest speed of all muscles in the body. This protein is found also in muscles of the throat which open and close the airway during coughing, sneezing and swallowing. These muscles also make many other types of motor proteins, giving them a wide spectrum of properties. The functional advantage of having very fast muscles to move the eyes, and protect the airway by preven ....Muscles which move the eyeball are highly complex and contain a special motor protein which enables them to contract with the highest speed of all muscles in the body. This protein is found also in muscles of the throat which open and close the airway during coughing, sneezing and swallowing. These muscles also make many other types of motor proteins, giving them a wide spectrum of properties. The functional advantage of having very fast muscles to move the eyes, and protect the airway by preventing foreign bodies from entering the lungs, is obvious, but how the synthesis of this motor protein is restricted to these muscles is intriguing. Studies in limb muscles have established the principle that the type of motor protein in a muscle is determined by both the type of muscle cells and the type of innervation. Nerves can change the motor proteins in response to the pattern of use imposed by the brain via electrical impulses along its nerve supply. It is known that frequency of nerve impulses to eye muscles are exceptionally high. This project will use several approaches to test the hypothesis that the nerve impulse pattern delivered to these special muscles is involved in the regulation of this motor protein. In one approach, these muscles in rat will be subject to long-term paralysis by cutting their nerve or by the use of botulinum toxin to see if the motor protein is abolished or reduced. In another, the nerve to throat muscles which make this protein will be redirected to another throat muscle which does not normally make this motor protein. These experiments are expected to support the notion that eye and throat muscles are different from all other muscles in the body, and that the normal neural activity from nerves innervating these special muscles is necessary for inducing the synthesis of their motor proteins. These results will greatly help us understand how eye and throat muscles acquire their unique characteristics.Read moreRead less
Identification Of Novel Regulatory Factors In Midbrain Development To Improve Cell Therapies For The Treatment Of Parkinson’s Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$311,860.00
Summary
Cell transplantation is one of the most promising therapeutic strategies for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Cells are transplanted directly into the brain of the patient and can compensate for those lost to the disease. In this project we are identifying new genes that regulate the normal development of the transplanted cells in mice. We hope to use this knowledge to improve the reliability and effectiveness of the approach, bringing the therapy closer to the clinic.
Dementias affect a large number of Australians each year with the number of patients expected to triple by 2050. As such, there is need to develop a better model of this debilitating disorder to provide improved treatments. Mesenchymal stem cells, are relatively easy to obtain and grow, and are able to produce the key cell types in the brain. We can use these cells to identify the processes that control the production of brain cells, which will likely provide better treatment of this disease.
Manipulation Of Enteric Neural Stem Cells For Cell Therapy To Treat Enteric Neuropathies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$611,438.00
Summary
Cell therapy offers great promise for the treatment of motility disorders due to defects in the nerve cells in the bowel. Patient-derived cells are likely to be the best source of cells, however, patient-derived cells will require manipulation because they are likely to be defective. We will identify manipulations of stem/progenitor cells that increase their efficacy for cell transplantation.
Understanding how the brain grows and is organised is one of the great challenges of science. This project seeks to identify key regulators of neural progenitors as these are the building blocks from which all brains cells are derived. This knowledge may also identify new avenues through which to manipulate neural progenitor function. This has implications not only for normal brain development but also potential therapies for neural disorders and disease.
Defining Role Of Inflammatory Signals In Enhancing Motoneuron Regeneration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$546,688.00
Summary
Spinal cord injury is a devastating event that has a life-long impact on the patient’s life with wide-reaching social and economic effects. In this proposal we examine how inflammatory signals boost neuronal regeneration after injury. Furthermore, we define how new neurons are able to integrate into existing spinal circuitry. Out work provides critical insight and hold keys to unlocking strategies for future restorative therapies in the brain or spinal cord.
Neogenin: A Regulator Of Neuronal Differentiation And Migration In The Adult Brain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$334,053.00
Summary
Conditions such as Alzheimer�s and Huntington�s diseases, as well as stroke, represent a major burden of disease in Australia. One goal of modern neurobiology is to harness the brain's ability to make new neurons so that we can replace those damaged by disease or injury. We will investigate how an important developmental molecule, Neogenin, promotes the production of new neurons in the adult brain. A second goal is to show that Neogenin can be activated to promote the repair of the damaged brain ....Conditions such as Alzheimer�s and Huntington�s diseases, as well as stroke, represent a major burden of disease in Australia. One goal of modern neurobiology is to harness the brain's ability to make new neurons so that we can replace those damaged by disease or injury. We will investigate how an important developmental molecule, Neogenin, promotes the production of new neurons in the adult brain. A second goal is to show that Neogenin can be activated to promote the repair of the damaged brain.Read moreRead less
Enhancement Of Newborn Neuron Survival To Promote Repair Following Adult Brain Injury
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$555,780.00
Summary
Following brain damage tissue needs to be rebuilt and newborn nerve cells need to survive. Identification of factors that enhance the numbers and promote the survival and appropriate integration of newborn nerve cells is therefore important and over the last few years we have identified two regulatory factors that are prime candidates to enhance numbers and survival of newborn neurons following injury: the Rho pathway and suppressor of cytokine signalling-2, which we will test for effectiveness ....Following brain damage tissue needs to be rebuilt and newborn nerve cells need to survive. Identification of factors that enhance the numbers and promote the survival and appropriate integration of newborn nerve cells is therefore important and over the last few years we have identified two regulatory factors that are prime candidates to enhance numbers and survival of newborn neurons following injury: the Rho pathway and suppressor of cytokine signalling-2, which we will test for effectiveness following brain injury.Read moreRead less