Identification Of Heterogeneity In Vasodilator Function In Human And Rat Resistance Vessels: Potential Drug Targets?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$595,330.00
Summary
The balance between the ways that blood vessels decrease in size (constrict) and increase in size (dilate) determine how blood vessels normally function. There are many differences in the ways that blood vessels control this balance in different parts of the body. Such differences are altered in vascular diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, which are prevalent in obesity, such that constriction generally outweighs dilation. However, what these differences are and how they occur are not w ....The balance between the ways that blood vessels decrease in size (constrict) and increase in size (dilate) determine how blood vessels normally function. There are many differences in the ways that blood vessels control this balance in different parts of the body. Such differences are altered in vascular diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, which are prevalent in obesity, such that constriction generally outweighs dilation. However, what these differences are and how they occur are not well understood. While current drugs for treating vascular disease either reduce vessel constriction or increase dilation, they are not specific for individual arteries; a situation that would allow us to control vascular diseases in a very specific manner. Recently, we have described differences between the ways that individual vessels are controlled. These changes relate to differences in the way that different vessels dilate. AIMS - To further understand normal blood vessel function and the changes that occur in blood vessels in cardiovascular disease, with a focus on the ways that blood vessels dilate in normal states and in obesity-related diseases, such as in hypertension and diabetes. - The eventual aim is to identify the specific ways that arteries function, so that artery-specific drug targets can be identified to treat disease-related changes in cardiovascular disease in a very specific manner. EXPECTED OUTCOMES This project will contribute to understanding blood vessel function in health and disease. The expected eventual outcome is the identification of the mechanisms that underlie the function of different arteries in different parts of the body, so that specific individual vessel function can be targeted to treat vascular disease. Additionally, this work will also verify the relevance of the diet-induced obesity animal model, in terms of the characteristics and causes of human obesity and related cardiovascular disease.Read moreRead less
This project examines the types of computations used by brain cells to combine two types of sensory information, in a way that allow us to reach better decisions in everyday life. To address this general problem, we will perform experiments that explore the combination of signals from vision and hearing. The ability to combine sensory information is vital to our mental health, and this process is compromised in a range of psychological, psychiatric and neurological disorders.
Study Of The Functional Consequences Of Angiotensin II Induced Increases In Renal Innervation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$393,750.00
Summary
Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a major public health problem in Australia, being a key risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke. More ominously, recent WHO reports show that cardiovascular disease is the major health burden facing developing countries, particularly in our region. Although some of the burden of cardiovascular diseases may be reduced by effective public health measures (e.g., to reduce saturated fat intake), hypertension remains largely imperv ....Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a major public health problem in Australia, being a key risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke. More ominously, recent WHO reports show that cardiovascular disease is the major health burden facing developing countries, particularly in our region. Although some of the burden of cardiovascular diseases may be reduced by effective public health measures (e.g., to reduce saturated fat intake), hypertension remains largely impervious to preventative public health measures. While treatment of established high blood pressure can reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease, preventing the development of hypertension in the first place is not possible at this time. A major impediment to the development of effective public health measure is our lack of knowledge of the pathological mechanisms involved, despite over 100 years of active research effort. The experiments planned in this study will probe below the surface of two important facts known about hypertension but not previously brought together - that the kidney's blood vessels and nerves are remodeled in hypertension, and that the kidney's control of the level of blood pressure must be changed in order for high blood pressure to develop in the first place. We hope that pursuit of this experimental line of enquiry will provide new clues on where to look for initiating factors in human hypertension.Read moreRead less