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
Inhibition Of Alloreactivity By Modulation Of Antigen Presenting Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$504,097.00
Summary
Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is the most effect treatment for a number of conditions, especially leukemia. Graft versus host disease (GVHD) is a complication of BMT and results in the death of up to 50% of transplant recipients. GVHD occurs when the newly transplanted immune system recognizes the recipient as foreign and mounts and immune reponse against the patients tissues. These studies will focus on identifying and understanding the function of the immune cells which drive GVHD.