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.
Gene Therapy For Preventing Progressive Sensorineural Hearing Loss And Restoring Hearing
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$549,848.00
Summary
This proposal aims to study the clinical feasibility and safety of gene therapy in the guinea pig cochlea for preventing progressive hearing loss and restoring hearing. Two cell survival genes (GDNF and BDNF) will be studied for preserving sensory (hair) cells and hearing nerves, while a gene called Atoh1 will be investigated for its ability to regenerate new hair cells and restore hearing after the onset of progressive hearing loss.
Training-induced Restoration Of Topographic Maps And Vision During Opticnerve Regeneration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$379,725.00
Summary
The mature brain and spinal cord, or central nervous system (CNS), are extremely complex. A consequence of such complexity is that little if any spontaneous repair or regeneration occurs after damage. Brain injury and para- or quadriplegia thus inflict extremely high costs on the individual and to society, estimated at approximately $1 billion annually in Australia. One of the greatest medical challenges therefore is to restore function following neurotrauma. One of the most exciting advances, h ....The mature brain and spinal cord, or central nervous system (CNS), are extremely complex. A consequence of such complexity is that little if any spontaneous repair or regeneration occurs after damage. Brain injury and para- or quadriplegia thus inflict extremely high costs on the individual and to society, estimated at approximately $1 billion annually in Australia. One of the greatest medical challenges therefore is to restore function following neurotrauma. One of the most exciting advances, however, over the last decade is the recognition that the adult CNS, particularly after damage, does have a capacity for repair and that appropriate neural activity, produced either via relevant experience or specific training, is essential in driving the repair process to produce useful behavioural recovery. One of the clearest examples comes from our laboratory in which we have recently shown that training animals on specific visual tasks during optic nerve regeneration allows useful vision to be restored; untrained animals are blind via the experimental eye. The advantage of the visual system is that it is a relatively simple part of the CNS with one major class of nerve cell projecting to well defined and accessible brain regions. The significance of the project is that, for the first time, we are able pinpoint specific training-induced effects within identified nerve cells and their connections, a task that is much harder within other CNS regions. In particular, we will examine molecular, anatomical and functional changes that are induced via training and explore whether intervention with blockers of inhibitory neurotransmission further improves the beneficial effects of training. Understanding the changes in nerve cells that underlie the positive effects of training after neurotrauma will have implications for the continuing development of rehabilitation strategies for improved recovery after CNS injury.Read moreRead less