Development Of A Novel Drug For Chronic And Infected Wounds
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$482,362.00
Summary
Chronic wounds affect more than 9 million people worldwide and demand for wound care is increasing. The annual cost to healthcare systems in the US and Australia in treating such wounds is US$25 billion and AU$3 billion, respectively, and there is urgent need for more effective approaches.
Modulating Skin Regenerative Responses To Improve Wound Repair And Fight Carcinogenesis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$470,144.00
Summary
Skin disorders, such as hard to heal wounds or the most common skin cancers, are a major burden on the national health system. Despite their different nature they employ similar mechanisms of response to injury. In this project we intend to develop a comprehensive understanding of the genetic and molecular mechanisms at play to allow clinical interventions to prevent or to cure these disorders.
A Novel Mesenchymal Stromal Cell And Biomaterial For Corneal Reconstruction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$508,611.00
Summary
Our research group has identified a new cell type (L-MSC) with the potential to treat a variety of eye diseases. We have also developed a novel material from a protein found in silk, that has potential as a vehicle for delivering healthy cells into diseased eyes. The present project will build upon these promising results by evaluating the properties of L-MSC necessary for clinical use and by testing the feasibility of our new cell delivery system.
Role Of Hepatic Stellate Cell And Liver Progenitor Cell Interactions In The Regulation Of Wound Healing And Liver Regeneration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$620,716.00
Summary
The liver has a remarkable capacity for regeneration following acute and chronic liver injury, however, the mechanisms which facilitate this wound healing are not understood. This project will examine the interactions between different liver cell populations, including hepatic stellate cells (liver fibroblasts) and liver progenitor cells (stem cells of the liver) and will determine which factors regulate inflammation, liver scarring and restitution of liver mass following chronic liver injury.
Mechanisms Of Hepatic Fibrogenesis In Chronic Liver Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$697,209.00
Summary
Despite advances made in understanding the mechanisms of liver injury, chronic liver disease continues to be one of the most rapidly growing causes of death in subjects aged <65 years. This is the result of uncontrolled wound healing and regeneration leading ultimately to cirrhosis and liver cancer. This research will identify and characterise pathways that control the wound healing response to liver injury, involving the processes of inflammation, scarring and restitution of normal liver mas ....Despite advances made in understanding the mechanisms of liver injury, chronic liver disease continues to be one of the most rapidly growing causes of death in subjects aged <65 years. This is the result of uncontrolled wound healing and regeneration leading ultimately to cirrhosis and liver cancer. This research will identify and characterise pathways that control the wound healing response to liver injury, involving the processes of inflammation, scarring and restitution of normal liver mass.Read moreRead less
Evaluating Hand Hygiene Interventions And Their Ability To Reduce Haelthcare Associated Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$508,848.00
Summary
Healthcare associated infection is a major problem for Australian hospitals. One of the best ways to reduce it is to improve hand hygiene among hospital workers. The National Hand Hygiene Initiative (NHHI) is currently being implemented to improve hygiene among health care workers. This research will evaluate the NHHI and measure how well the program works, what factors are important to its success, and whether implementing the program is good value for money.
Tuberculosis is one of the most threatening infectious diseases worldwide due to the low efficiency of the only licensed anti-tuberculosis vaccine, BCG. This project aims to interrogate two previously neglected immune mechanisms and their potential to enhance vaccine-induced immunity by incorporating these mechanisms into new genetically modified BCG strains. We will also investigate alternative BCG vaccination routes to generate long-lived immune cells that can rapidly control the infection.
Pathogenomics: New Ways To Exploit Genome Sequence Data From Pathogenic Bacteria.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$547,372.00
Summary
Bacterial pathogens are locked in an evolutionary battle of survival with their eukaryote hosts. The rapidly evolving genes of medically-important pathogens are generally those required for adaptation to the human host. This project aims to exploit the abundance of available bacterial genome sequences to predict rapid evolution in bacterial pathogens using computational methods. The protein products of such genes offer novel targets for therapeutic intervention.
Population-level Epidemiological Trends In Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Queensland 1996 - 2010.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$251,695.00
Summary
Incidence and mortality of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, the most common form of liver cancer) is increasing in Australia, driven by viral hepatitis infections. Disease burden is not defined in Queensland, particularly for Indigenous, migrant and regional and remote communities. Such factors may influence risk of viral hepatitis, access to treatment, and incidence and survival of HCC. Defining disease burdens will enable clinical programs targeted at groups most at risk in order to impact HCC t ....Incidence and mortality of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, the most common form of liver cancer) is increasing in Australia, driven by viral hepatitis infections. Disease burden is not defined in Queensland, particularly for Indigenous, migrant and regional and remote communities. Such factors may influence risk of viral hepatitis, access to treatment, and incidence and survival of HCC. Defining disease burdens will enable clinical programs targeted at groups most at risk in order to impact HCC trends.Read moreRead less