Combating rising sexually transmitted infections among older Australians. This project aims to explore older Australians' knowledge of, and safe sexual practices in regards to, sexually transmitted infections (STIs). STI rates have increased rapidly amongst older age groups in recent years, yet there is a significant research gap concerning older Australians' knowledge of STIs and the preventative sexual practices they engage in. This project is understood to be the only known Australian study c ....Combating rising sexually transmitted infections among older Australians. This project aims to explore older Australians' knowledge of, and safe sexual practices in regards to, sexually transmitted infections (STIs). STI rates have increased rapidly amongst older age groups in recent years, yet there is a significant research gap concerning older Australians' knowledge of STIs and the preventative sexual practices they engage in. This project is understood to be the only known Australian study considering older people's knowledge and practices in relation to STI prevention. In examining this issue the project aims to contribute towards the development of policy and educational resources for older Australians, and is expected to work towards enabling optimal sexual health for older individuals.Read moreRead less
Metals in biocatalysis. Metals and enzymes are essential for the chemistry of life. This project will aim to garner the potential of metal-dependent enzymes to develop new drugs against osteoporosis, combat the spread of antibiotics resistance and optimise some of these enzymes to detoxify pesticide-polluted environments, thus contributing to global health and food security.
Understanding how an old heart gets stiff. Aging is accompanied by a stiffening of the heart and reduced function, which is accelerated by cardiovascular disease and leads to heart failure. How the heart stiffens is poorly understood. A new mechanism is proposed here, involving structural membrane proteins (termed caveolae and cavins) and a signalling molecule (nitric oxide). The current research aims to unravel the interplay between cardiac cells and these proteins/signals to cause stiffness an ....Understanding how an old heart gets stiff. Aging is accompanied by a stiffening of the heart and reduced function, which is accelerated by cardiovascular disease and leads to heart failure. How the heart stiffens is poorly understood. A new mechanism is proposed here, involving structural membrane proteins (termed caveolae and cavins) and a signalling molecule (nitric oxide). The current research aims to unravel the interplay between cardiac cells and these proteins/signals to cause stiffness and to determine whether this process governs normal aging of the heart. This work will advance understanding of how heart function is determined and reveal how the human heart changes with normal aging. Read moreRead less
Sino-Australian neurogenetics initiative. This project will undertake large population studies to identify genes that are associated with motor neuron disease, schizophrenia and intracranial haemorrhage. The project will determine genetic markers, aid development of diagnostic tools and identify new therapeutic targets for these common heritable neurological diseases.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102857
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Innovative chemical tools for the isolation, biochemical and structural analysis of biological macromolecular assemblies. This project will develop a new approach for determining the three dimensional structures of protein complexes. This project will demonstrate this approach by determining the structure of a protein complex involved in gene regulation and disease.
Harnessing non-invasive brain stimulation to improve language function in healthy and pathological ageing. This project will examine how the ability of the ageing brain to process language can be improved by non-invasive brain stimulation. The findings have the potential to reveal new ways to treat language impairments in ageing-associated brain injury and disease.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101180
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$362,000.00
Summary
The neuroethics of cognitive ageing. As the workforce ages, Australian and international governments are prioritising brain health, seeking to increase economic productivity and reduce the costs of age-related cognitive decline. In addition to healthy lifestyle habits, certain neurotechnologies are being promoted as the means to protect cognitive performance. This project aims to explore the ethical issues and social pressures that ageing individuals experience as a result of cognitive ageing. U ....The neuroethics of cognitive ageing. As the workforce ages, Australian and international governments are prioritising brain health, seeking to increase economic productivity and reduce the costs of age-related cognitive decline. In addition to healthy lifestyle habits, certain neurotechnologies are being promoted as the means to protect cognitive performance. This project aims to explore the ethical issues and social pressures that ageing individuals experience as a result of cognitive ageing. Understanding later life from the perspective of ageing individuals may enable society to meet the ethical and policy challenges raised by emphasising cognitive wellbeing above other aspects in the ageing process.Read moreRead less
Episodic foresight and ageing. Episodic foresight refers to the capacity to imagine future events, and consequently often involves the prediction of future needs based on hypothesised possible outcomes. It is therefore unsurprising that episodic foresight has been consistently linked to independent living and many functional behaviours. The aim of the project is to test the hypothesis that psychological changes brought about by ageing decrease the likelihood of acting prudently with the future i ....Episodic foresight and ageing. Episodic foresight refers to the capacity to imagine future events, and consequently often involves the prediction of future needs based on hypothesised possible outcomes. It is therefore unsurprising that episodic foresight has been consistently linked to independent living and many functional behaviours. The aim of the project is to test the hypothesis that psychological changes brought about by ageing decrease the likelihood of acting prudently with the future in mind. By advancing conceptual understanding of how, and under what circumstances, episodic foresight is affected in late adulthood, the proposed research has important implications for finding ways to help older adults maintain a productive and independent life. Read moreRead less
Ageing, trust, and financial exploitation: social, emotional and cognitive mechanisms. This project aims to understand how age-related differences in the processing of social and emotional information contribute to the exploitation of older adults' trust. This research will examine deception detection during financial negotiations and provide new strategies for ensuring the financial independence and well-being of older Australians.
Sociophysical Interactions: understanding the role of social and tangible technologies in maintaining good habits into old age. How can technology help us 'age well'? The project will study, design and evaluate novel information systems that integrate and support social engagement and physical activity in order to build foundational knowledge about these technologies and maintain the opportunities for social engagement and physical activity in our ageing population.