2004 RESEARCH - 9 projects, $80,035.50 Would patients with Type 2 diabetes benefit from the use of cholesterol-lowering drugs? Chief Investigators: Wendy Davis, Prof Tim Davis, and A/Prof David Bruce Amount Awarded: $8,840 Statin drugs are relatively expensive therapies that lower cholesterol, and they may have other beneficial side effects on vascular disease. The researchers aim to determine whether, based on Fremantle Diabetes Study data, all patients with Type 2 diabetes would benefit from statin use, regardless of whether factors such as raised blood pressure and smoking are present. They also aim to determine the cost of such an approach. An investigation into the underlying causes of prescribing errors which result in harm to patients Chief Investigators: Paul Hopkins, A/Prof David Bruce, Dr Ian Craib and Tandy-Sue Copeland Amount Awarded: $10,000 A special tool will be used to detect clues that will lead the investigators to evidence of harm being caused to patients through the use of medications. The project will apply Human Factors Engineering to study both why the errors occur, and why harm occurs. Identifying deficits in the processes of acquiring knowledge in patients with language difficulties, using a new screening tool called the Mini Freo Chief Investigators: Dr Lee Ingram and A/Prof Sergio Starkstein Amount Awarded: $8,329 Patients with brain injury due to stroke, traumatic brain injury or tumours usually present with important cognitive problems, and there is no adequate instrument to assess intellectual disturbance in patients with language impairment. This makes it difficult for these patients to have adequate assessment so that appropriate rehabilitation services can be planned. The researchers designed a brief screening instrument that they call the Mini Freo, for use in this group of people. The Foundation's grant will allow the researchers to demonstrate the reliability and validity of this instrument and make it widely available to clinicians. An investigation into the growth factors that contribute to scarring in Crohn’s Disease Chief Investigator: Dr Ian Lawrance Amount Awarded: $10,000 Inflammatory bowel diseases are life-long, chronic conditions that present in young adults with pain and bloody diarrhoea. Inflammation in Crohn's disease involves the whole of the bowel wall, often resulting in scar formation and obstruction that requires surgery. Growth factors appear to be central to scar development, and unlike in an adult, wounds in a foetus heal without scarring. This lack of scarring may be associated with changes in the ratio between the growth factors, and this is what the researcher will be investigating. Reducing kidney damage during radio peptide therapy for treatment of cancer Chief Investigator: Rachel Moorin and Dr Harvey Turner Amount Awarded: $8,509.50 Proteins are composed of short sequences of amino acid residues, called peptides. Peptides labelled with radioactive metals have been shown to have great potential in the treatment of tumours classified as inoperable and unresponsive to conventional chemotherapy. However relatively high uptake of the radiolabelled peptide in the kidneys may lead to renal function impairment, and this obviously compromises the safety and effectiveness of the therapy. The researchers aim to determine if an acid called DMSA, which was originally developed as a safe, non-toxic antidote for heavy metal poisoning, may be useful as a kidney radiation dose reduction agent in patients undergoing radiopeptide therapy of cancer. Using kangaroo heart tissue to build a frame for regenerating a new heart valve Chief Investigator: Dr Leon Neethling, Dr Alison Rose, Dr Ross Glancy and Dr Andrew Hodge Amount Awarded: $4,657 Previous work by these researchers which was funded by the Foundation, showed that kangaroo heart valves were superior to pig valves for valve replacement procedures, as they did not calcify as quickly. Additional work by this team investigated the issue of calcification, and a comprehensive de-mineralisation process was developed which reduced calcification in all valves by up to 96%. The researchers have now been funded to treat kangaroo pericardium in such a way that it can serve as a frame for regenerating a new heart valve when seeded with cells. The effects of depression and testosterone deficiency in men with Parkinson’s Disease Chief Investigator: Dr Hong Van Nguyen, A/Prof Sergio Starkstein, Dr Bill MacDonald and Dr Bu Yeap Amount Awarded: $10,000 Parkinson's disease is a disabling condition where drug therapy has limited effect. More than half of patients with Parkinson's will show clinically significant depression at some point and this is associated with a poor quality of life for both patients and caregivers, and on patients' cognitive function and long-term motor skills. Preliminary evidence suggests that there may be a link between these factors and low levels of testosterone. The researchers will examine the importance of low testosterone levels in men with Parkinson's disease and determine whether future treatment studies with testosterone are justified. Treating chronic leg ulcers with an antibiotic "Deoxycycline" which also lessens tissue breakdown Chief Investigator: Dr Genevieve Sadler, Dr Hillary Wallace and Prof Michael Stacey Amount Awarded: $10,000 Chronic leg ulcers are a common problem in the elderly, costing approximately 1.3% of the total Australian healthcare budget. The standard treatment is compression bandaging, however only 45% of ulcers heal over 13 weeks. New, cost effective treatments are required to improve healing rates, thereby improving quality of life for patients and reducing the massive costs associated with care. Doxycycline is a commonly used antibiotic. It has also been shown to inhibit protease activity, which are enzymes involved in tissue remodelling. Excessive protease activity contributes to tissue breakdown and poor wound healing in leg ulcers. Thus, doxycycline has the potential to aid ulcer healing independent of its anti-microbial effects. This study will assess the ability of oral doxycycline - at a low and a high dose - to penetrate leg ulcer tissue and decrease the activity of the enzymes. A laboratory study to demonstrate how iron is delivered to the liver in haemachromatosis (iron overload disease). Chief Investigator: Dr Debbie Trinder, Prof John Olynyk and Anita Chua Amount Awarded: $9,700 Hereditary haemochromatosis is a common genetic disorder that affects one in 200 Australians. It alters the way the body uses the essential trace element of iron. In haemachromatosis the body absorbs too much iron from the diet, leading to iron overload in major organs of the body, particularly the liver, causing cirrhosis and cancer. The researchers will use a laboratory model of haemachromatosis to study how iron is delivered to the liver, and how these processes are modified causing liver iron overloading.

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