Optimising Human Vascularisation And Liver Tissue Engineering Models To Develop Functional Bio-artificial Human Liver Tissue
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$124,761.00
Summary
This project aims to grow human blood vessels and liver cells derived from human stem cells within a supporting scaffold to generate a “liver in a dish”. Transplantation involves connecting blood vessels in this structure to those of the recipient. This should restore function in mice with human-like liver disease, thereby demonstrating potential of this technology to be developed as an alternative to liver transplantation.
Assessment Of Bilateral Oedema By Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$180,000.00
Summary
Swelling of tissue due to fluid accumulation, known as oedema, is one of the earliest signs of diseases such as kidney failure, burn injury or lymphedema. All of these are not uncommon conditions. Lymphedema, for example, is a common sequela of radiotherapy or surgery in the treatment of malignancies such as breast, uterine, and prostatic carcinoma. It is reported to occur in up to 40% of patients depending on the type of surgery and whether or not the patient received radiotherapy. It is estima ....Swelling of tissue due to fluid accumulation, known as oedema, is one of the earliest signs of diseases such as kidney failure, burn injury or lymphedema. All of these are not uncommon conditions. Lymphedema, for example, is a common sequela of radiotherapy or surgery in the treatment of malignancies such as breast, uterine, and prostatic carcinoma. It is reported to occur in up to 40% of patients depending on the type of surgery and whether or not the patient received radiotherapy. It is estimated that at any time 100000 women are suffering from post- mastectomy lymphedema in Australia alone. Treatment of breast cancer alone therefore, given the incidence of the disease, produces a large at-risk population. Add to this other causes of oedema and the magnitude of the problem becomes clearly apparent. The presence of chronic oedema is often a disfiguring and disabling disorder, usually accompanied by pain, recurrent infection, reduced mobility and impaired function. In acute oedema the problem often resolves with recovery from the underlying pathology. In chronic oedema, progression may be arrested by early intervention including complex physical therapy (exercise regimen, compression bandaging, and massage) which is effective in reducing limb volume, in improving the quality of life, function and body image of patients. Although the assessment of oedema is clearly of clinical importance, relatively few objective and accurate techniques for its measurement exist. Research conducted over the past decade by the applicants has pioneered the Use of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis for the assessment of lymphedema. This study aims to translate this basic research into clinical practice. Sensitivity and specificity studies will establish normative and threshold values for impedance measurements that can be used as presumptive indicators of oedema. User friendly technology and equipment suitable for clinical use will be developed which should improve treatment therapies.Read moreRead less
Regulation Of Bone Resorption In Periodontal Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$258,500.00
Summary
Periodontal disease is the most common disease involving bone loss in the world. We know little about the causes and how the disease develops. Some of the bacteria that live in the mouth are associated with the disease but the presence of these bacteria does not mean a person will have it. We do not know why some people suffer from the disease and others do not. Unfortunately when a person has periodontal disease the dentist has few choices in the way in which the patient is treated. There are n ....Periodontal disease is the most common disease involving bone loss in the world. We know little about the causes and how the disease develops. Some of the bacteria that live in the mouth are associated with the disease but the presence of these bacteria does not mean a person will have it. We do not know why some people suffer from the disease and others do not. Unfortunately when a person has periodontal disease the dentist has few choices in the way in which the patient is treated. There are no drugs presently available to treat this disease and surgical removal of the diseased tissue is the only option for treatment. Often after this treatment the disease continues to get worse and more bone is lost sometimes resulting in the loss of teeth. This study aims to understand how the disease causes the bone loss. We believe that some newly identified factors that regulate the cells which destroy bone are responsible. Our recently works show that these factors are present in abnormal levels in the diseased tissues of patients. We also wish to go further and try and find ways of treating the disease. We aim to find new treatments based on controlling the factors that regulate the cells that destroy bone .Read moreRead less
NCE Based Strategy For Nuclear Reprogramming And Regenerative Medicine
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Summary
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be made by reprogramming adult cells. These cells can become any cell type in the human body. We can now create patient specific cells that may restore function in patients and not be rejected by their immune system. However, current methods for making iPSCs are slow, inefficient and have some safety concerns. This project aims to overcome these issues by using new chemical entities to reprogram cells that may be used for tissue repair and regeneration.
Identification And Characterisation Of Novel RNAs Involved In Cardiovascular Cell (de)differentiation.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$632,701.00
Summary
Several recent breakthroughs have made us realise that there is a lot of plasticity in cellular development, and we can now harness this plasticity to create stem cells that may eventually be used to repair the damaged heart and blood vessels after heart attacks and stroke. Here we will use mouse stem cells to discover the genetic factors responsible for a cell’s plasticity and memory in order to create pure populations of heart and blood vessel cells that can be used in repair settings.
The Role Of Crim1 In Growth Factor Activity And Cell Motility/adhesion.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$600,065.00
Summary
Crim1 is a novel protein which appears to regulate the activity of growth factors and therefore affects the normal development of a number of organs. It is particulrly involved in normal development of blood vessels. A greater understanding of how growth factor activity is modulated by Crim1 will have significance to almost every developmental and disease state involving such growth factors. The potential for Crim1 to link the activity of several distinct growth factor pathways may explain tissu ....Crim1 is a novel protein which appears to regulate the activity of growth factors and therefore affects the normal development of a number of organs. It is particulrly involved in normal development of blood vessels. A greater understanding of how growth factor activity is modulated by Crim1 will have significance to almost every developmental and disease state involving such growth factors. The potential for Crim1 to link the activity of several distinct growth factor pathways may explain tissue specific differences in growth factor responses. These basic advances in understanding will have implications for many disease states, including renal disease, vascular disease and cancer.Read moreRead less