Characterisation of PAR2 knockout and transgenic mice: towards gene therapy for epithelia based inflammatory diseases

Funding Activity

Website
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/145828

Funding Status
Closed

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Funded Activity Summary

Debilitating and sometimes fatal diseases like asthma and rheumatoid arthritis urgently require new approaches for their effective management and hopefully, cure. We have recently discovered that the airways posses a powerful and naturally-occuring protective mechanism which is regulated by unique molecules in the membranes of the lining cells of the air passages. These molecules are called protease-activated receptors, or PARs, and are also found on cells lining the inner surfaces of blood vessels and joints as well as in skin. We are fortunate to have strains of mice - a species in which the PAR-mediated protective mechanism is well developed - in which the gene for the most important of the PARs found in the lung, PAR2, is missing. These animals are called PAR2 'knock-outs'. We also have another strain of mouse in which the human PAR2 gene has been inserted back into PAR2 knock-out mice. These animals will allow us to determine the importance of PAR2 in protection against asthma, arthritis, vascular disease and deficiencies in skin healing, as well as how PAR2 might be a more effective protective agent in mice rather than humans. Thus, modification of the human gene to make the protective system work as effectively as in the mouse might provide an effective therapy or cure for diseases of the lungs, joints and skin as well as in vascular diseases.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2001

End Date: 01-01-2005

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $486,943.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Medical biochemistry - carbohydrates

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

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Other Keywords

Airway inflammation | Arthritis | Epithelium and Endothelium | Inflammation | Protease-activated receptors | Vascular remodeling | Wound healing | cytoprotection | genetically manipulated animals

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