The Contribution Of Host Caveolin-1 To Breast Cancer Metastasis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$517,992.00
Summary
Mortality in breast cancer rises to 80% in cases where secondary tumors form in other organs. To improve outcome, a better understanding of the processes involved in cancer spread is needed. Normal cells contribute to the growth and spread of a tumour and are a target for therapy. When a protein called caveolin-1 is lost from normal cells in a tumour, the prognosis for the patient is much worse. The aim of this project is to understand how this protein can regulate the spread of breast cancer.
Hormonal Modulation Of Prostatic Growth And Contractility
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$324,237.00
Summary
With increasing age human males are likely to develop benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a disorder characterized by urethral obstruction due to an increase in size of the prostate gland. Drug treatments of this condition are not entirely satisfactory and the current project is to examine the mechanisms by which the prostate grows and occludes the urethra. We will use human prostate cells grown in artificial conditions to determine which hormones alter the types of cells and especially examine ....With increasing age human males are likely to develop benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a disorder characterized by urethral obstruction due to an increase in size of the prostate gland. Drug treatments of this condition are not entirely satisfactory and the current project is to examine the mechanisms by which the prostate grows and occludes the urethra. We will use human prostate cells grown in artificial conditions to determine which hormones alter the types of cells and especially examine those cells which can contract as these may be of critical importance in the urethral obstruction. We hypothesize that an enzyme called protein kinase C may be implicitly involved in both cell growth and contractile function and we will examine the role of protein kinase C with a view ultimately to develop drugs which may interfere with this process and therefore aid in non-surgical treatment of the condition.Read moreRead less
Function Of The Lysophospholipid Receptor Family In Neuronal Stem Cells And Their Progenitors.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$380,723.00
Summary
Stem cells have the potential to give rise to a vast array of differentiated cells. Neuronal stem cells (NSC) can differentiate into progenitor cells which can themselves differentiate into cells of the nervous system: neurons and macroglial cells (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, Schwann cells). This in turn can assist in the treatment of degenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, motoneuron desease etc. Our project aims to study the effects on NSC and their progenitor ....Stem cells have the potential to give rise to a vast array of differentiated cells. Neuronal stem cells (NSC) can differentiate into progenitor cells which can themselves differentiate into cells of the nervous system: neurons and macroglial cells (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, Schwann cells). This in turn can assist in the treatment of degenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, motoneuron desease etc. Our project aims to study the effects on NSC and their progenitor cells of the lysophospholipids lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), bioactive molecules known to play an essential role in the nervous system during development and inflammation. Our project aims to understand the mechanisms of action of these molecules in NSC maintenance, proliferation, differentiation and migration. By understanding how these molecules are able to regulate NSC biology will provide new avenues in the development of tools necessary for stem cell therapy.Read moreRead less
Regulation Of The Drosophila C-Myc Homologue In Stem Cell Growth And Division.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$613,397.00
Summary
The mechanisms controlling stem cell growth and division require elucidation if we are to use stem cells in regenerative medicine and find cancer treatments. Due to experimental limitations such mechanisms are largely unknown in humans. We aim to use the vinegar fly as a model system to understand the importance of microenvironment to cancer gene control in stem cells. We will identify the secreted signals, from the neighbouring cells, required to control cancer initiation in stem cells.
Cell death by a specialised process known apoptosis is a way of deleting unwanted and harmful cells from the body. As such, aberrant apoptosis is associated with a wide array of diseases including cancer. For example, abnormal levels of proteins that suppress apoptosis or enhance cell survival can result in cancer and often produce resistance to chemotherapy. To understand and treat cancers that result from aberrant apoptosis we need to know at a molecular level how apoptosis is regulated. Centr ....Cell death by a specialised process known apoptosis is a way of deleting unwanted and harmful cells from the body. As such, aberrant apoptosis is associated with a wide array of diseases including cancer. For example, abnormal levels of proteins that suppress apoptosis or enhance cell survival can result in cancer and often produce resistance to chemotherapy. To understand and treat cancers that result from aberrant apoptosis we need to know at a molecular level how apoptosis is regulated. Central to the apoptosis execution are a group of enzymes called caspases that target many cellular proteins for specific cleavage. In this proposal, we will investigate the function of one of the caspases (called caspase-2), in order to better understand its potential role in the apoptosis of cancer cells. A number of recent reports suggest that caspase-2 levels are reduced in many cancer cells. The human caspase-2 gene localizes to a chromosomal region frequently affected- deleted in leukaemia, and caspase-2 levels have been proposed to be predictors of remission and survival in patients with some types of leukaemia. We will study if loss of caspase-2 in cancer cells makes them resistant to killing by drugs and if mice lacking caspase-2 have an increased potential to develop cancer. Understanding caspase-2 function and its regulation is likely to provide new therapeutic opportunities and potential targets for cancer therapy.Read moreRead less