Understanding And Preventing Chronic Disease In People Living With HIV
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$367,946.00
Summary
Australia’s ageing population is increasingly at risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. For Australians who are living with HIV, these diseases occur more frequently and at an earlier age. I will be investigating the underlying reasons for this increase in risk and will test innovative online systems that help people living with HIV reduce their risk of chronic disease. This work will provide important information for Australians at risk of developing chronic disease.
This project will determine how viruses prevent transmission of messages within cells which orchestrate responses of our immune system to infection and whether our current therapies improve this defect. This knowledge will help us to better understand why our immune system is not able to control chronic virus infection and improve therapies for these diseases.
Endothelial Dysfunction As A Therapeutic Target In Severe Malaria
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$842,329.00
Summary
Even with very best drugs to kill malaria parasites, over 15% of patients with severe malaria still die. Their blood vessels are clogged up by malaria parasites. We have shown that the cells lining their blood vessels can't make enough nitric oxide to keep them non-sticky and allow blood through. We want to test whether giving arginine can 1) increase nitric oxide, 2) open up the clogged blood vessels and 3) dampen down other processes that clog up blood vessels in severe malaria.