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The Effects Of The Western Diet On Cognition In Rats
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$689,326.00
Summary
An unhealthy diet can affect how we think. This project will identify mechanisms by which a western diet impairs cognition, and test ways of intervening to reduce the impact of diet on the brain. We will examine changes in inflammation, and markers of nerve growth in a critical brain region, the hippocampus, in response to different periods of diet. We will also test if the diet and our interventions affect the gut biota.
Light, Sound And Touch Influence The Autonomic Nervous System Via A Non-canonical Pathway
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$329,666.00
Summary
We examine a recently discovered brain circuit through which visual and acoustic stimuli can interact with the neural systems that control breathing, blood pressure and heart rate. The outcomes of this project will characterise a pathway by which the external environment can interrupt the normal activity of systems vital for health and wellbeing independent of cognition.
We have previously made the most widely used animal brain atlas in the world. This atlas based on stained histological sections of the rat brain. In recent years, advances in MRI have made it possible to generate images of the rat brain at very high resolution. We have obtained a very high quality MRI image set from colleagues in Duke University in the USA, and we have begun to map these images in great detail, using our histological atlas as a guide.
The Role Of Perivascular Macrophages In The Regulation Of Skin Inflammation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$616,518.00
Summary
Neutrophils are key defenders against bacterial infections. In this application we will test the hypothesis that perivascular macrophages play a critical role in the recruitment of neutrophils to site of cutaneous infection, and that these cells are targeted and destroyed by bacterial virulence factors. Our studies will gain novel insight into the leukocyte homing paradigm and shed new light on the mechanisms of microbial immuno-evasion.
Modulating Inflammation As A Therapy For Harlequin Ichthyosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$718,739.00
Summary
Harlequin Ichthyosis is a severe inherited skin disease caused by mutations in a protein which regulates how skin cells control their levels of lipids. Treatments for this disease are limited and do little to improve patients condition. We believe we have found a new way to treat this condition by altering tissue inflammation. This grant will undertake important experiments aimed at developing new therapies for this currently incurable disease.
Mast cells (MC) are key regulators of chronic skin inflammation, such as atopic eczema, and can also give rise to a group of diseases called mastocytosis. How MC numbers are regulated in these conditions is poorly understood. We have identified a novel circulating precursor cell that gives rise to MC. We will determine the function of these precursors in skin diseases, including eczema and mastocytosis, with the aim to curtail the course of of these difficult-to-treat conditions.
Specific Targeting Of Nanosystems By Cutaneous Delivery
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$985,026.00
Summary
Substances have long been applied to the skin for therapeutic or cosmetic purposes, but the range of suitable compounds is limited. Consequently, there is a need for a wider range of compounds which can be delivered effectively into the skin for targeted treatment, diagnostic imaging and vaccination. New nanomaterial drug delivery systems are being increasingly used for these purposes. We seek to understand the properties of nanosystems that will enable improved drug targeting via the skin.
Understanding Factors Involved In The Development Of Hypertension
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$757,492.00
Summary
High blood pressure is a major cause of cardiovascular diseases. Currently intervention occurs after the cardiovascular system is damaged. Our interest is in the development of high blood pressure, to determine whether early intervention could stop its progression. We identified that excitation of the sympathetic nervous system by the circuits that control breathing is important. We seek to further understand this interaction to identify novel approaches to treat high blood pressure.
INSIDE THE SKIN: UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENT HOST RESPONSES IN SCABIES
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$499,095.00
Summary
Scabies is an underlying cause of poor health in indigenous communities worldwide. Crusted scabies is a poorly understood, life-threatening form of the disease compromising the success of community control strategies. This research compares the immune response in the skin of scabies patients, and in a world-first animal model of human scabies. This will reveal specific immune defects predisposing to disease, ultimately resulting in improved skin health for disadvantaged communities
Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin is extremely common in Australia, resulting in disfiguring surgeries and deaths. Although cumulative sun exposure is important, some people are very susceptible, and we do not know why. This project hinges on the notion that skin cancer is a complex (many genes involved). We will utilize novel systems to harness this complexity to understand why some people are resistant and others very susceptible so as to design appropriate control measures and treatments.