Radiotherapy Treatment For Prostate Cancer - A Change In Practice Based On Direct Evidence For Targeting And Toxicity Effects Using Real Outcomes Data
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$555,129.00
Summary
Radiotherapy for prostate cancer treatment will be more effective when we have better knowledge of what patient anatomy needs to be targeted, and what needs to be avoided. This project will combine data collected during a large Australasian prostate cancer radiotherapy trial, ‘RADAR’, with data collected using new patient imaging methods to determine how patient anatomy impacts on the effectiveness of their treatment and the side-effects they experience.
Heparin-induced Thrombocytopenia And Thrombosis: Better Understanding Of Pathogenesis And Improving Diagnosis And Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$653,137.00
Summary
Heparin, a widely used drug, can cause an adverse effect which results in a fall of the platelet count and the development of serious thrombosis. This drug complication is mediated by an immune mechanism. This proposal aims to provide a better understanding of the disease mechanism. It also aims to develop a new test that will improve the diagnosis, and to produce a novel drug that will effectively suppress the immune reaction and improve the treatment.
Development Of A New High Throughput Screen For Drug Binding To HERG K+ Channels
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$351,320.00
Summary
Inadvertent drug block of hERG, a potassium channel in the heart, can cause cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Screening for hERG toxicity has become a major hurdle for development of new drugs. We will use a mutant hERG protein that has enhanced drug binding to develop a high throughput test for hERG toxicity. Identification of dangerous drugs early in the drug discovery process will save the pharmaceutical industry millions of dollars in the costs of brining new drugs to market.
Drug-induced Immune Thrombocytopenia: Understanding The Disease Mechanisms Is The Key To Better Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$509,550.00
Summary
Many very commonly used medications cause an allergic reaction in a small number of patients that receive them. The allergic reaction results in platelets being destroyed and puts the patients at risk of bleeding. The patient recovers slowly if the drug is stopped but there is no other treatment and no way to reverse the effect quickly if the patient starts to bleed. This project will try to understand the mechanism of the condition and test a potential treatment.
A Randomised Open-label Study Comparing The Safety And Efficacy Of Two Alternative Treatment Options In The Management Of HIV-1 Infected Participants Who Have Virologically Failed A Standard First-line Combination ART Regimen
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$457,676.00
Summary
For the past decade there has been an unprecedented international effort to provide access to care for all HIV-infected people as a basic human right. Most of these people are treated with a simple combination of drugs that are well proven to control HIV. However, what to do when this first drug combination stops working is unknown. This study aims to fill that knowledge gap so that patients failing the first drug combination can be offered a second combination with a maximal chance of success.
A Phase III Trial Comparing Adjuvant Versus Salvage Radiotherapy For High Risk Patients Post Radical Prostatectomy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$819,138.00
Summary
About half of all patients Treated with an operation to remove their prostate cancer have a high chance of the cancer coming back. Giving immediate radiotherapy to all patients will improve cure rates but does not benefit all men and can cause significant side effects. This study explores whether it is safe to wait and only give radiotherapy when there is a rising PSA after surgery indicating active cancer. A total of 470 men from Australasia will enter this study comparing the two approaches.