Centre For Clinical Research Execllence In Infectous Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,000,000.00
Summary
The Centre will enhance Australia's capacity in patient oriented research in infectious disease, building on the strengths of the Victorian Infectious Diseases Service for improvement of patient outcomes and betterment of human health. They will strengthen programs in clinical virology, infections in immunocompromised hosts, infections of travellers and immigrants, computer assisted decision making and will fill an important gap in training and mentoring physicians for clinical research.
Plasmids are extra mini-chromosomes that are present in many bacteria. They carry information that enables their hosts to survive and prosper in hostile environments. Plasmids are able to spread rapidly between bacteria, ensuring that the information they carry is rapidly disseminated throughout bacterial populations. Many plasmids carry information that increases the virulence of their host bacteria, because it adds to their repertoire of toxins and other adjuncts to invasiveness and colonisati ....Plasmids are extra mini-chromosomes that are present in many bacteria. They carry information that enables their hosts to survive and prosper in hostile environments. Plasmids are able to spread rapidly between bacteria, ensuring that the information they carry is rapidly disseminated throughout bacterial populations. Many plasmids carry information that increases the virulence of their host bacteria, because it adds to their repertoire of toxins and other adjuncts to invasiveness and colonisation, or enables them to survive in the presence of antibiotics. The emergence of multi-drug resistant bacteria and the rapid spread of the ability of bacteria to withstand most antibiotics available to date were mediated by plasmids. Plasmids also carry information that ensures their own survival. The consequence of this is that their bacterial hosts retain the plasmids, even when it is no longer beneficial to do so. For example, plasmids carrying information for resistance to antibiotics are not lost when their bacterial hosts grow in the absence of antibiotics. This is because plasmids have control systems, which ensure that on the one hand, replication of the plasmid keeps pace with the replication of its host, and on the other hand that the plasmid does not produce so many copies of itself that it overwhelms its host. This project examines the intricate regulatory system that a group of antibiotic-resistance plasmids uses to ensure that on average each plasmid molecule is replicated once per bacterial cell cycle. This system uses an antisense RNA, a tertiary RNA structure (pseudoknot) that acts as a translational switch, and a protein that interacts with different sequences on the plasmid to initiate replication. Detailed knowledge of the processes underlying this complex system is required if we are to develop new treatments that will lead to elimination of antibiotic-resistance and virulence-contributing plasmids from populations of pathogenic bacteria.Read moreRead less
PRevention & Early Intervention In Mental Illness And Substance UsE (PREMISE CRE)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,495,969.00
Summary
Substance use and mental disorders are among the leading causes of burden of disease in young people globally. Effective prevention and early intervention can reduce disease burden by halting, interrupting or delaying the onset and development of disorder. The PREMISE CRE will build the science to move the field from crisis, acute care and containment to prevention and early intervention, achieving a critical aim of the Australian Government’s program of reform in mental health and addiction.
Improving Translation Of Evidence Into Practice For Musculoskeletal Conditions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$948,684.00
Summary
Musculoskeletal conditions place a huge burden on the world’s population. Yet current trials in this field may not reflect priorities based upon this burden and few trials address well-recognised evidence-practice gaps. My fellowship will aim to transform the current ad hoc approach to Australian musculoskeletal clinical trials. It will identify the most critical unanswered questions, formulate a national research agenda, and identify best methods for optimising uptake of findings into practice.
Nocturnin: A Post-transcriptional Regulator Of Circadian Fat Metabolism
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$574,696.00
Summary
Our metabolism is aligned with the 24-hour rotation of the earth in what is termed the circadian clock. Being misaligned to this clock explains jetlag and the poor health associated with shift-workers. For example, whether fat is utilised or stored depends on the time of day. This study aims to investigate the post-transcriptional mechanisms that underpin the rhythmic changes that occur throughout our bodies to ensure that our metabolism is matched to our environment.