Disentangling The Interrelationship Between Multimordibity, Multimedicine Use, And Cardiovascular Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$480,978.00
Summary
Australians are living longer, but are also living with more health conditions and taking more medicines to treat those conditions. For people with cardiovascular disease (CVD), this is a problem as hundreds of non-cardiac medicines known to increase the risk of cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarction, stroke, or heart failure. We will take a holistic, patient-centred approach determine the true burden of CVD related to use of medicines to treat comorbid conditions in Australia.
Characterisation And Targeting T Cellular Metabolism To Improve Control Of Chronic Viral Infections
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$791,427.00
Summary
CD8+ T cells are the frontline warriors of our immune system that can eliminate infected or cancerous cells. However, diseases caused by overwhelming viral infections are associated with widespread impairments in immunity and cellular metabolism. Here, we propose to examine molecular pathways involved in cellular metabolism that could be utilized to improve therapies against viral infection and cancer.
The Ins And Outs Of Endocytosis Inhibition: Providing Diverse Opportunities For Treatment Of Incurable Cancers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$912,353.00
Summary
The best new immune system anti-cancer drugs only work in ~30% of patients. We found a way to move the drug targets around in people's tumours temporarily to reverse resistance and have tested this in clinical trials. Here we propose to use immunology and the world's frontier electron microscope techniques to work out exactly what is happens to the tumours, immune cells and anti-cancer drugs when they interact in real clinical situations. The aim is to reach at least 60% patient response rate.
A Roadmap For Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Adolescent Health: Defining Priority Health Needs And Actions Through The Empowerment & Capacity Development Of Young People.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,002,448.00
Summary
A third of the Indigenous population are adolescents, their health central to cultural continuity and health equity. Yet priority health needs and evidence-based responses for Indigenous adolescents remain poorly defined, a barrier to effective policy. The project is significant because it will establish a roadmap to guide actions around Indigenous adolescent health. It will also result in a network of engaged and up-skilled Indigenous young people who can drive implementation.
Substandard Bed Nets And Malaria: Causes, Impact And Solutions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$827,057.00
Summary
Long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN) are a cornerstone of malaria control. LLIN undergo strict testing overseen by WHO and are subject to inspections prior to delivery to recipient countries. Despite this, we found that LLINs delivered to Papua New Guinea (PNG) between 2013 and 2019 were ineffective against malaria mosquitoes. Concurrently we observed a massive rise in malaria in PNG. This study is aimed at understanding the causes and impact of substandard LLINs on the global malaria burden.
New Therapies Requiring Ultra Large Scale Monoclonal Ab Production In Microalgae
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$630,089.00
Summary
Monoclonal antibodies target pathogens and molecules with exquisite specificity, and are essential for therapeutics and diagnostics. They are currently made using high-tech/limited-capacity mammalian cell cultures which limit them to low-dose applications. We aim to enable new, high-dose antibody therapies (e.g. antiviral treatments, passive immunisation) via rapid, low-cost, dramatically larger-scale production of valuable medicinal antibodies in a photosynthetic-driven, green algae system.
Targeting A Bacterial Glyco-Achilles Heel To Make New Vaccines For Haemophilus Influenzae And Neisseria Gonorrhoeae.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$526,950.00
Summary
The bacteria that cause gonorrhoea (N. gonorrhoeae), middle ear infections and exacerbations of chronic obstructive lung disease (H. influenzae) have become multi-drug resistant. These diseases are a major health and economic burden. In the absence of new drugs, a vaccine to prevent these diseases has emerged as a major unmet need in human health. In this grant, we will develop a new vaccine that targets a bacterial-specific sugar that we have discovered is the Achilles heel of these bacteria.
This study aims to elucidate central pathways which can be manipulated to drive the storage of excess energy away from fat and instead directing it into the production of bone mass. Having identified leptin-responsive NPY neurons as important in the control of energy partitioning, we will focus on manipulating these neurons in the hypothalamus using innovative technology to alter body composition. This research has the potential to result in novel treatments for obesity and osteoporosis.
Investigating The Role Of Mitochondrial Tom40 In Regulated Cell Death And Neurodegeneration.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$972,660.00
Summary
Mitochondria are internal compartments of cells, separated by bounding membranes. They are crucial to the life and death of cells, and to quality of human life and ageing. Diseases of the nervous system can be caused when mitochondria do not function properly. Our aim is to discover why a protein complex called TOM embedded in the bounding membrane is linked to dementia in some people. This will also lead to a better general understanding of the connection between mitochondria and human health.
Flaviviruses Must Come Of Age: Design Of Stable, Mature Particles By Structural Vaccinology
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,149,487.00
Summary
We have established a powerful toolset combining advanced structural biology and rapid virus engineering that allows us investigate the assembly of flaviviruses in novel ways. This project will integrate these approaches to investigate the role of new ligands that we have identified in the structure of medically-relevant flaviviruses including dengue virus and delineate a novel maturation path for flaviviruses, which will be used to design safer and more effective flavivirus vaccines.