Thalamocortical Neural Circuits In Higher Order Cognitive And Sensory Processing
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$370,860.00
Summary
Schizophrenia, depression and dementia are devastating disorders with problems in thinking and sensory perception, but the neural circuits causing these symptoms are not known. I will use new optical and genetic tools in mice to identify the cortical and subcortical circuits required for complex touchscreen tasks, the same tasks to assess patients. Identification of neural circuits that underlie clinical symptoms will increase our understanding of these disorders and improve treatments.
Improving Physical Health Outcomes For Young People With Psychotic Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$189,384.00
Summary
Enduring psychotic disorders are associated with a reduced life expectancy by 25 years, which is mainly due to cardiovascular disease. This project will produce a training package that will improve clinician’s skills and knowledge of screening and treatment for physical health risk factors in young people with psychosis. This project will result in the development of an intervention for reducing the prevalence of these cardiovascular risk factors known to contribute to this early mortality.
Investigating The Antimicrobial Activity Of Zinc At The Host-pneumococcal Interface
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a human-only bacterium that is responsible for killing more than one million people every year. This project will analyse how the human immune system fights this bacterium, and subsequently, how the bacteria manages to subvert these attacks and survive in the human host. This will provide crucial information for developing new drugs against this pathogen, in an attempt to combat the ever-increasing problem of antibiotic resistance.
From Brain Maps To Mechanisms: Modeling The Pathophysiology Of Schizophrenia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$320,891.00
Summary
My Fellowship will develop a framework that integrates brain imaging data with mathematical models of the brain to help understand the mechanisms responsible for schizophrenia. By linking functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) measurements to models of their underlying causes, the work may lead to new treatments that target the specific dysfunction in individuals with this debilitating brain disorder.
Optimising Large-scale Public Health Interventions To Control Neglected Tropical Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Neglected tropical diseases (NTD) are a group of health conditions that affect the poorest of the poor, particularly in remote and rural areas. They affect the most vulnerable communities and cause substantial, chronic health harms impairing personal and social development. Several debilitating NTD are common in remote indigenous communities and Pacific islands. I propose a series of studies to investigate new strategies to control NTD in large populations where these diseases are endemic.
Improving Linkages For Chronic Disease Prevention In Indigenous Communities: A Quality Improvement Approach.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Primary health care and public health are often conceived as two entities providing complementary services within the health system. This research aims to better understand how to link these complementary services by using quality improvement methods and to identify successful interventions that facilitate these linkages in the prevention of chronic disease in Indigenous communities.
Vancomycin is the antibiotic we rely on for the treatment of major infections due to bacteria that are resistant to other antibiotics (MRSA). Vancomycin is monitored in each patient to individualise the dose. This is done to improve treatment efficacy, reduce adverse effects and to prevent antibiotic resistance. This project will introduce a vancomycin guideline and train hospital staff to use vancomycin safely, effectively and to minimise the development of resistance.
The Identification Of Thoracic Targets For Prevention And Intervention In Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$316,449.00
Summary
The persistence of breathing problems from infancy to later life is a complication of premature birth with lifelong consequences. Breathing problems often occur together with lung disease, but prematurity can also affect heart and blood vessel development, and weakness of the main breathing muscle. We will find out how much the heart, lungs and diaphragm contribute to breathing problems in babies; helping us to better predict, diagnose and treat severe breathing problems in babies born preterm.