Control Of The Ras/Erk Signaling Pathway By The Brahma Chromatin-remodeling Complex
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$524,820.00
Summary
Hormones bind and initiate molecular signals within cells to proliferate or change into specific cell types. This is important for growth and development of different tissues. A pathway which is critical for transmitting the effects of hormones in cells is the Ras pathway. New studies by the applicants indicate that the Brahma complex, a molecule important in controlling the levels of proteins in cells, activates the Ras pathway. This project will define how Brahma controls the Ras pathway.
A Randomised Study To Optimise Clinical Outcomes In Patients With FLT3 Mutant AML
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,169,549.00
Summary
Acute myeloid leukaemia is a devastating blood cancer which affects almost 1000 Australians annually. One quarter have a mutation affecting a gene called FLT3, which results in aggressive leukaemia rarely cured by chemotherapy alone. Dr Andrew Wei from the Alfred Hospital will lead a nationwide randomised clinical trial through the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group network to investigate whether a targeted FLT3 inhibitor small molecule called Sorafenib will improve outcomes for patients ....Acute myeloid leukaemia is a devastating blood cancer which affects almost 1000 Australians annually. One quarter have a mutation affecting a gene called FLT3, which results in aggressive leukaemia rarely cured by chemotherapy alone. Dr Andrew Wei from the Alfred Hospital will lead a nationwide randomised clinical trial through the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group network to investigate whether a targeted FLT3 inhibitor small molecule called Sorafenib will improve outcomes for patients with this poor risk blood cancer.Read moreRead less
Defining The Role Of The Novel Gene MUL1 In Antiviral Innate Immunity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$511,596.00
Summary
Uncontrolled immune responses can clinically manifest in chronic inflammatory disorders. Viral infections carry a significant global health burden, causing acute and chronic inflammation. This study will characterize a novel regulator of anti-viral immune responses. Understanding the regulation of infection models may provide the means of manipulating immune responses to control infections and provide better health outcomes.
Only recently has it emerged that our cells have a built-in backup mechanism that instructs cells to die in extreme cases, such as when viruses have hijacked a cell. A misfiring backup mechanism is thought to underlie a number of human diseases, including inflammatory disease. Our investigation will establish a starting point for the development of novel anti-inflammatory drugs.
Tao Kinase, A New Member Of The Hippo Tumour Suppressor Pathway
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$605,190.00
Summary
The Hippo pathway is a key regulator of tissue growth. It was first discovered in vinegar flies and plays a similar role in mammals. We aim to define the mechanism by which the Tao kinase controls tissue growth by regulating the Hippo pathway. These studies will be performed in flies and mammalian cell culture. Our studies will shed light on how tissue growth is controlled, and have the potential to inform the way that we treat human cancers and tissue growth disorders.
Characterising The Novel Signalling Mechanism For A New Interferon
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$525,485.00
Summary
We have discovered a new regulatory protein called interferon epsilon, made in the female reproductive tract and is crucial for protection against bacterial( Chlamydia) and viral (Herpes Simplex Virus) infections. However, we are yet to understand how it interacts with target cells. This grant will study how IFN? binds to cells and the nature of the signals it transmits. This will help us understand its role in disease and its clinical potential
Proof Of Principle For Minimally-Invasive Intravascular Brain-Computer Interface
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$110,068.00
Summary
Severe injury to limb or spinal cord leads to significant disability. Despite advances in many areas of modern medicine, prosthetic limbs have changed little over decades. A new field of medicine seeks to create a "brain-computer interface" that is capable of controlling a robotic limb, or any electronic device just by thinking. Brain-computer interfaces are currently implanted in an open brain operation. This project aims to demonstrate that a brain-computer interface can be be implanted in a m ....Severe injury to limb or spinal cord leads to significant disability. Despite advances in many areas of modern medicine, prosthetic limbs have changed little over decades. A new field of medicine seeks to create a "brain-computer interface" that is capable of controlling a robotic limb, or any electronic device just by thinking. Brain-computer interfaces are currently implanted in an open brain operation. This project aims to demonstrate that a brain-computer interface can be be implanted in a minimally invasive procedure.Read moreRead less
Elucidation Of Signalling Enzymes Regulating The Small GTPase RhoA
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$226,320.00
Summary
Many normal and pathological processes in the human body depend on the ability of cells to attach to a biological surface (adhesion), spread out, or move to another site (migration). Examples of biological processes that require such events include the division and arrangement of cells in a developing embryo, or the ability of cancer cells to spread (metastasise). A driving force behind the attachment or movement of cells is their ability to rearrange a scaffolding called the cytoskeleton. The c ....Many normal and pathological processes in the human body depend on the ability of cells to attach to a biological surface (adhesion), spread out, or move to another site (migration). Examples of biological processes that require such events include the division and arrangement of cells in a developing embryo, or the ability of cancer cells to spread (metastasise). A driving force behind the attachment or movement of cells is their ability to rearrange a scaffolding called the cytoskeleton. The cytoskeleton is similar to the skeleton of the human body, in that it acts to maintain cell shape and rigidity. However, it is also actively reorganised to participate in many cellular processes, including cell attachment and movement. By furthering our understanding of how the cytoskeleton is rearranged, this will provide important insights not only into the basics of cell behaviour, but will also have important implications for a number of human disease states. This proposal aims to investigate mechanisms that regulate the reorganisation of the cytoskeleton. It is well established that the rearrangement of this scaffolding, in many different types of cells, is controlled by a family of proteins called the Rho family of small GTPases. One of the members of this family, RhoA, has a specific role in controlling cell attachment, and interestingly, has been implicated in the invasive and metastatic properties of human tumour cells. We have recently identified a protein that is responsible for controlling the activation of RhoA. This proposal aims to further our understanding of how this protein regulates RhoA, and therefore cell attachment and movement. Given that cell attachment and movement are important events contributing to the spread of tumours, this study may provide important insight into alternative approaches of controlling cell movement, and ultimately malignant progression.Read moreRead less