NHMRC Fellowships 2008Dr Qing (Dennis) Wang from the School of Health Sciences was awarded an Australian-based Biomedical Fellowship Project Title: ‘Simvastatin prevents dopaminergic neuronal injury in experimental PD models via activation of NF-kB and MMP 9 and 3.’ Funding of $279,000 over four years was awarded. Summary:
Increasing evidence shows that neuroinflammation may account for dopamine neuron death in Parkinson’s disease (PD). This work aims to provide a systematic picture of inflammatory response in PD, and explore anti-inflammatory mechanisms of simvastatin on the progression of PD. We expect that the results may provide a therapeutic strategy using simvastatin via different methods of administration in treating PD, and provide new information about the anti-inflammatory roles of simvastatin.
Dr Jason Cole from the School of Biological Sciences was awarded an overseas-based Biomedical Fellowship Project Title: ‘Defining the mechanism of group A streptococcal flesh-eating invasive disease.’ Funding of $279,000 over four years plus overseas allowances was awarded. Summary:
Streptococcus pyogenes (group A Streptococcus; GAS) causes life-threatening invasive infections including "flesh-eating" disease and toxic shock syndrome (>600,000 cases and 163,000 deaths per year). We recently discovered the trigger for invasive disease in a globally disseminated GAS strain. The aim of this work is to determine whether this trigger applies to other strains associated with GAS invasive disease. These studies will allow the development of new therapeutics and treatments.
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