Optimising Asthma Management In Pregnancy For Optimal Infant Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$428,065.00
Summary
Asthma affects 12% of pregnant women in Australia. These women are at increased risk of poor pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth and hospitalisation of the neonate. Reducing asthma attacks by providing optimal asthma management during pregnancy may lower these risks. This research will test whether a strategy which determines treatment changes based on a marker of airway inflammation, improves outcomes for maternal, neonatal and child health.
We stand without falling by using silent senses from muscles and the balance organs of the inner ear to unconsciously detect and control our movements. Since the leg muscles provide both the force and the sense, and critically rely on good circulation, they are vitally important. I propose to study how these sensory and muscle functions are used to control balance, posture and stepping reflexes, making it easier to identify older people who will fall and design new preventative strategies.
Understanding How The Brain Senses And Encodes Hunger And Satiety
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$473,477.00
Summary
Obesity is the most important health concern in the world today. Despite all the epidemiology evidence and despite the intervention approaches, obesity and type-2 diabetes continues to rise in Australia and worldwide. Clearly, a greater biological understanding of the mechanisms driving increased calorie intake and decreased calorie expenditure. This fellowship explores the different neural circuits in the brain and how they regulate motivation for food and food consumption
Exploring And Exploiting Novel Therapeutic Avenues In Mesothelioma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$425,048.00
Summary
Mesothelioma is a fatal cancer of the lungs. It rapidly grows and invades surrounding tissues such as the ribcage, causing severe shortness of breath and pain. Chemotherapy has limited effect and although immunotherapy appears promising, most patients do not respond. I will investigate why mesothelioma is so invasive; how to improve the response to immunotherapy and how to best combine chemotherapy and immunotherapy. I aim to develop new treatments that will benefit patients with mesothelioma.
Evolutionary Events Shaping The Genome Of Cryptococcus Neoformans And Their Effects On Pathogenesis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$387,489.00
Summary
Recurring infection in patients with fungal meningitis caused by Cryptococcus neoformans is typically caused by persistence of the original infection rather than reinfection with a new strain. Our analysis of relapse strains shows that small-scale alterations frequently occur at the chromosome ends - regions containing important pathogenesis-related genes in other pathogens. We seek to characterise this microevolution further to understand how it contributes to the success of this pathogen.
Development And Plasticity Of The Visual Cortex: An Anatomical And Functional Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$420,872.00
Summary
Much of the human brain is devoted to vision, which requires the integrated activity of many interconnected areas of the cerebral cortex. Damage to these areas is a relatively common complication of preterm delivery and- or perinatal conditions including trauma and infection. The aim of this project is to investigate the way in which the multiple visual areas of the brain develop and become 'wired' together, and determine how the brain can successfully compensate for damage to these areas.
Acute Respiratory Illness In Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Australian Children And The Pathways To Chronic Lung Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$415,218.00
Summary
Dr Kerry-Ann O'Grady aims to establish a comprehensive research program addressing acute and chronic respiratory infections in Australian children in urban, rural and remote areas. Drawing on national and international collaborations, Dr O'Grady will undertake a range of epidemiological and clinical studies that will address burden, risk, pathways to chronic lung disease and novel interventions aimed at improving lung health.