This project will develop a smart bone healing gel to bridge fragments of bone defects leading to stem cell recruitment, reduced inflammation, and blood supply for fracture healing. The design of the smart bone healing gel is based on the structures and properties of functional tissue healing hematoma in wound healing.
Improving Kidney Transplant Outcomes Using Normothermic Machine Perfusion
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$778,232.00
Summary
Kidneys donated for transplantation are at risk of damage that prevent the organ from working and reduce its lifespan. Normothermic machine perfusion is a device that can circulate oxygenated blood at normal body temperature through a donor kidney prior to transplantation. In doing so it is able to resuscitate the kidney and prevent injury. We will determine how machine perfusion achieves this remarkable effect and investigate new treatments for kidney injury.
Neural Circuits Which Limit Alcohol And Soft Drink Intake
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$523,949.00
Summary
Alcohol and soft drinks are ubiquitous, and often harmful, particularly in excess. This project will examine the specific roles of fluid and food satiation neural circuits in suppressing intake, to determine whether either or both could be therapeutic targets for alcohol/soft drink overconsumption, especially as cessation aids for binge-drinking behaviour.
Deadly Commute - Targeting The Trafficking Mechanisms That Licence Inflammatory Cell Death
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$774,544.00
Summary
MLKL is a protein naturally found inside cells. MLKL is activated by inflammation. Once activated, MLKL relocates to the outer periphery of cells and kills them. Gut cells are especially vulnerable to death-by-MLKL and this problem causes Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Using cutting edge microscopy, we have discovered how MLKL moves to the periphery of cells prior to killing them. We will test if blocking this movement of MLKL to the cell periphery stops gut death and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Discovering How A Novel Anti-malarial Drug Series Rapidly Kills Parasites
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$672,971.00
Summary
We have developed a new set of highly potent anti-malarial drugs but we do not know how they work. Identifying how these compounds work is important for improving their effectiveness and safety. We will discover how these drugs kill parasites by using a number of cutting edge methods that could also be useful for discovering how other drugs work. Data generated will progress these compounds along the drug development pipeline which urgently needs a constant supply of new antimalarials.
Understanding How The E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Parkin Dictates Neuronal Survival
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$947,560.00
Summary
Parkinson's disease is the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disorder, and the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease. The disease arises due to the loss of specific neurons in the brain that control motor function. We aim to understand what triggers these neurons to die and to resolve how inflammation promotes disease. This information will underpin the development of the first, and much needed, drugs that slow or stop Parkinson's disease progression.
A Practice Change For Patients With Severe Chronic, Clinically Unexplained Gastrointestinal Symptoms: A Randomised, Controlled Intervention To Assess Efficacy And Cost-effectiveness
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,276,080.00
Summary
Unexplained chronic gastrointestinal symptoms are extremely common and costly to the health system. Currently patients are managed in the hospital setting with the 'typical' face-to-face office-based model which sees the clinician spending valuable time gathering information and often treatments (e.g. allied health) delivered in a non-standard way. This project will evaluate the effectiveness of a new standard best-practice clinical model with a structured technology enabled management approach.
We aim to discover and develop a blood test that can predict which lung cancers have spread to lymph glands in the chest, to help decide on the best treatment options.
Evidence For Action On Cold, Damp And Mould In Australian Homes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$955,649.00
Summary
We know that living in cold and damp homes is bad for people's health. Surprisingly in Australia we do not know how much exposure to poor conditions and financial hardship combines to generate poor health at the population level. We will quantify this impact and estimate the benefit of interventions (such as mould removal and assistance for paying utility bills). This project will provide governments with evidence for tackling this housing-related health problem.
Preservation And Generation Of Beta Cells In Type 1 Diabetes With Novel Mimetic Peptides
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,096,055.00
Summary
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that destroys insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas. It can cause heart and kidney disease, and nerve damage. T1D is treated with insulin injections that can cause life-threatening low blood sugar levels. We have developed a new treatment that may stop beta cell loss, generate new beta cells and remove the need for insulin injections in T1D patients. A positive outcome will identify a completely new T1D treatment option.