Characterisation of the mechanisms of gastrointestinal and hepatic iron transport in hereditary haemochromatosis

Funding Activity

Website
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/254609

Funding Status
Closed

Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the .

Funded Activity Summary

Hereditary haemochromatosis is a very common genetic disease that affects approximately 1:200 Australians. It alters the way the body uses iron. Iron is essential for health but too much iron is toxic to the body and causes harmful damage to organs. In hereditary haemochromatosis the body absorbs too much iron from the diet and most of the extra iron goes to the liver where it may cause liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Some of the excess iron also goes to the heart, pancreas and joints where it can lead to heart failure, diabetes and arthritis, respectively. There are several types of haemochromatosis that are caused by mutations in different genes that are important in the regulation of iron metabolism. In this study we will investigate two types of haemochromatosis caused by mutations in genes called HFE and transferrin receptor 2. How defects in these genes cause iron overload is not known. We will use laboratory models that have mutations in HFE and transferrin receptor 2 genes to identify for the first time how these proteins control the amount of iron the body absorbs from the diet and how much iron to delivered to the tissues such as the liver. From this study, we will gain a better understanding of the role of HFE and transferrin receptor 2 in both normal iron metabolism and haemochromatosis. This new knowledge will provide opportunities for the development of new more effective therapies for the prevention and treatment of iron overload.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2003

End Date: 01-01-2005

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $474,750.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

Haemochromatosis | Hereditary haemochromatosis | Instestine | Iron metabolism | Iron overload | Liver | Liver disease

Related Links