A Comprehensive Analysis Of The Role Of The Alcohol Dehydrogenase Gene Cluster In Alcohol-related Disorders And Esophageal Cancer Through Deep Resequencing
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$605,323.00
Summary
Excessive alcohol consumption remains a major public health concern in Australia where the burden of mental health disorders is dominated by substance-use disorders. Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) are essential in the breakdown of alcohol in the body and we seek to resequence seven ADH genes with the aim to comprehensively catalogue and identify sequence variants that contribute to risk for consuming excessive quantities of alcohol, alcoholism and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Identifying Glaucoma Risk Variants In The Norfolk Island Genetic Isolate
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$658,447.00
Summary
Primary open angle glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma. In this project we will focus on the identification of functional genetic variants influencing development of this disorder, using a powerful whole exome sequencing approach in a large multigenerational pedigree from the Norfolk Island population isolate. The identification of genes influencing glaucoma development would provide invaluable clues to aid in defining the pathophysiology of this common disease.
Structural And Functional Analysis Of A Cancer-linked Co-regulator Complex
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$729,571.00
Summary
We seek to understand the mechanisms by which genes are switched on and off throughout our lifetime. A number of multi-component protein machines are involved in this process but their make-up and mechanism of action is not understood. We will investigate the structure and function of one of these machines that has been strongly linked to cancer.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882854
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$6,000,000.00
Summary
Australian Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) will provide high-leverage access to the largest, and most effective international geoscience program.
Results from drilling within Australia's marine jurisdiction will give understanding of the oceans' state under past climates through high resolution records of the range of oceanographic and biological responses to climate change, the role of the deep biosphere in shapin ....Australian Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) will provide high-leverage access to the largest, and most effective international geoscience program.
Results from drilling within Australia's marine jurisdiction will give understanding of the oceans' state under past climates through high resolution records of the range of oceanographic and biological responses to climate change, the role of the deep biosphere in shaping oil and gas deposits, hydrothermal and igneous processes involved in ore genesis, and enhanced understanding of some of the world's largest earthquake- and tsunami-generating processes.
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Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100553
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$392,570.00
Summary
Exploring links between climate change, ocean chemistry, and the rise of multicellular life: The Ediacaran sedimentary record of central Australia. For most of Earth’s history, single-celled organisms were the only forms of life on the planet. Not until roughly 600 million years ago do fossils of multicellular animals appear in the rock record. Explanations for the Ediacaran rise of multicellularity include extreme climate change, meteorite impact and oxygenation of the global ocean. Evaluation ....Exploring links between climate change, ocean chemistry, and the rise of multicellular life: The Ediacaran sedimentary record of central Australia. For most of Earth’s history, single-celled organisms were the only forms of life on the planet. Not until roughly 600 million years ago do fossils of multicellular animals appear in the rock record. Explanations for the Ediacaran rise of multicellularity include extreme climate change, meteorite impact and oxygenation of the global ocean. Evaluation of these hypotheses is complicated by the fact that stratigraphic records that span the appropriate time interval are rare. This project is focused on the carbon, oxygen, and zinc isotopic records preserved by Ediacaran marine rocks in the Amadeus Basin of central Australia. Results will contribute to a more complete record of fluctuations in ocean chemistry during a key interval of Earth history.Read moreRead less
Exploring Scanning Ultrasound (SUS), A Novel Method To Treat And Prevent Neurodegenerative Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$765,708.00
Summary
We developed a novel scanning ultrasound (SUS) protocol that clears toxic protein aggregates and restores memory function in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD), without the need for therapeutic agents. Here we aim to determine whether SUS has preventative potential, whether there are synergistic effects, and whether a therapeutic antibody combined with SUS leads to an enhanced therapeutic outcome. Together this will guide the development of an ultrasound therapy in AD patients.
Biosensor Based Clinical-decision Support For Patients With Heart Failure
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$691,933.00
Summary
Heart Failure (HF) is a progressive disease and a major global public health concern. HF accounts for a substantial number of hospitalisations, major healthcare resource utilisation and costs. We aim to engineer biosensor platform to stratify the risk in HF patients will revolutionise current management of HF by providing the cardiologist information to risk stratify patients based on protein signature. This will lead to a substantial paradigm shift in clinical practice.
Polarized Trafficking Of E-cadherin In Epithelial Cells.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$515,564.00
Summary
The cell adhesion protein E-cadherin is expressed in all epithelial tissues of the body where it has essential functions during development and in the adult in establishing and maintaining polarized cell monolayers. E-cadherin is also a vital tumour suppressor, its normal function guarantees that cells or even early tumours cannot metastasise; in contrast E-cadherin is always lost or malfunctions in malignant tumours. Earlier studies showed that E-cadherin is constantly moved, or trafficked, to ....The cell adhesion protein E-cadherin is expressed in all epithelial tissues of the body where it has essential functions during development and in the adult in establishing and maintaining polarized cell monolayers. E-cadherin is also a vital tumour suppressor, its normal function guarantees that cells or even early tumours cannot metastasise; in contrast E-cadherin is always lost or malfunctions in malignant tumours. Earlier studies showed that E-cadherin is constantly moved, or trafficked, to and from the surface of epithelial cells. This trafficking has dual roles, firstly in delivering newly-made E-cadherin to the surface where it functions and secondly, in regulating its adhesive function. Our research in this project is focussed on the molecules and intracellular compartments that control the delivery of E-cadherin to the cell surface. E-cadherin must be sorted in order to be delivered to the correct side of the cell. Having previously discovered the sorting signal in E-cadherin, we will now identify the cognate adaptor protein(s) that accomplish this sorting. New imaging techniques allow us to study protein trafficking inside live cells. Such studies have recently revealed that E-cadherin passes through a recycling endosome compartment on its way to the cell surface. This unexpected route, and the structure and role of the recycling endosome will now be studied in detail in live cells. Finally we will compare the sorting and trafficking of E-cadherin with the closely-related N-cadherin protein, to determine whether there are inherent differences in their trafficking that could explain their opposite roles in tumour cells, where N-cadherin is substituted for E-cadherin and allows metastatic behaviour. These studies will provide important information for understanding the adhesive and tumour suppressive roles of E-cadherin. In addition our findings will generate information fundamental to our understanding of cell polarity and protein sorting.Read moreRead less