Infrared Thermal Imaging: An Innovative Technique To Assess Peripheral Body Temperature.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$192,710.00
Summary
Insomnia is a significant health issue, with 10-12% of the general population reporting sleeping difficulties requiring treatment. Pharmacological treatment with hypnotics-sedatives remain the main treatment strategy for most insomnias, despite the adverse side-effects. A better understanding of the physiological triggers for sleep will make it possible to develop more specific treatments for insomnia. Sleep onset is reported to be associated with changes in body temperature. Broadly speaking, s ....Insomnia is a significant health issue, with 10-12% of the general population reporting sleeping difficulties requiring treatment. Pharmacological treatment with hypnotics-sedatives remain the main treatment strategy for most insomnias, despite the adverse side-effects. A better understanding of the physiological triggers for sleep will make it possible to develop more specific treatments for insomnia. Sleep onset is reported to be associated with changes in body temperature. Broadly speaking, sleep onset has been linked with a rapid reduction in core temperature through increased peripheral heat loss. It has been suggested from this that sleep onset insomnia may result from the failure to efficiently lose heat at the periphery and thus, reduce core temperature. To date, the analysis of peripheral temperature physiology has been limited to single temperature thermistors attached to discrete body areas. This technique typically provides very limited information about the dynamic temperature changes. Recently, low cost, high resolution thermal imaging systems have become available, enabling the measurement of real-time changes in peripheral temperature across the whole body simultaneously. This development will help to significantly improve our understanding of the physiological mechanisms involved in both sleep onset and insomnia. The aim of this project then, is to determine whether an impaired capacity to lose heat at the periphery contributes to sleep onset insomnia in both young and older adults. The results of this project will provide insight into whether a reduced capacity to dissipate heat results in an extended sleep onset latency, greatly enhancing our knowledge of the physiology of sleep onset and sleep onset insomnia. In turn, treatments may be developed that directly manipulate the physiological triggers for sleep, minimising the dependence on sedative-hypnotics and the associated adverse effects of these agents.Read moreRead less
Novel Posttranscriptional Pathways The Control Tfh Cell Numbers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$647,539.00
Summary
T follicular helper (Tfh) cells are essential for effective antibody responses against infection. Limiting Tfh cells is crucial for selecting the "fittest" B cells and the success of vaccines. Tfh cell accumulation causes autoimmuity and is associated with inadequate B cell responses in HIV infection. We have recently discovered two novel pathways that control Tfh cells. We speculate they regulate different RNAs that influence Tfh homeostasis and aim to elucidate their mechanism of action.
How Deletional And Non-Deletional Tolerance Mechanisms Integrate To Prevent Autoimmune Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$509,944.00
Summary
The body produces millions of immune cells every day to fight infection. Some of these immune cells are defective and dangerous because they can cause autoimmune diseases, like Type I diabetes and multiple sclerosis. To defuse this risk, such immune cells are either caused to die or are inactivated to prevent autoimmunity. We propose to investigate how the processes of immune cell death and inactivation work in health and disease so we may harness these mechanisms to cure autoimmunity.
Germinal Centres, Rogue B Cells And The Genesis Of Immunological Diseases.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$753,300.00
Summary
This study will determine how the immune system is normally prevented from producing autoantibodies that target the body's own cells and how this fails in autoimmune diseases such as lupus. Targeted studies of a newly discovered "rogue" white blood cell will also provide new clues on how autoimmune diseases arise. In addition, modeling of human immunological disease in mice via CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis will provide valuable new insights into their causes and potential treatments.
Understanding The Pathogenesis And Heterogeneity Of Autoimmunity As Failure Of Multiple Steps
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$504,023.00
Summary
Autoimmune diseases like diabetes, thyroid disease or rheumatoid arthritis affect around 1 in 15 people in Australia. It is clear that defects in a number of different genetic mechanisms can contribute to the development of autoimmunity. But it is currently not clear how these different mechanisms need to interact to prevent the onset of disease. This grant seeks to understand these interactions and how defects in two or more tolerance mechanisms can lead to autoimmunity.
Positive And Negative Selection In The Germinal Centre Reaction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,289,965.00
Summary
We will investigate the processes that control the production of antibodies by the immune system. In particular, we will determine how the immune system is normally prevented from producing autoantibodies that target the body's own cells and how this fails in the case of autoimmune diseases such as lupus. Targeted studies of a new type of "rogue" white blood cell we have identified will also provide important clues on how autoantibody-producing cells escape and cause autoimmune disease.
Addressing Therapeutic Challenges In Sleep Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$851,980.00
Summary
The aim of this fellowship is to improve the health and well-being of Australians by reducing the burden of sleep and disorders that disrupt the body clock such as shift work. My program will involve different fields of research combining their efforts together to understand more about sleep apnea and insomnia, the two most common sleep disorders. By this strategy, better treatment for sleep disorders will be found with particular impact on our aging population