Research Projects for 2007 2007 RESEARCH - 9 projects, $126,401 Evaluation of early skin changes in chronic venous disease Chief Investigators: Dr Antonina Volikova, Dr Hilary Wallace, Prof Mike Stacey Amount Awarded: $14,750 SPONSORED BY THE FREMANTLE HOSPITAL LADIES AUXILIARY The team will use high frequency ultrasound to test whether they can detect early skin changes in patients who have experienced a deep vein thrombosis. They hope this will allow changes to be picked up before they become more serious, for example leg ulceration, and enable preventative treatment to be started. The team will also use high frequency ultrasound to evaluate the impact of compression therapy used to treat leg ulcers. Iron Transport in the Liver. Chief Investigators: Dr Anita Chua, Dr Debbie Trinder, Prof John Olynyk Amount Awarded: $11,925 SPONSORED BY THE LITTLE CREATURES BREWING Too much or too little iron is harmful to the body. The team will study an iron transport mechanism that is known to transport iron in the intestine, but the role of which is unknown in the transport of iron in the liver. This will lead to a better understanding of its role in iron deficiency and iron overload. Determining a less invasive method for measuring blood pressure in the heart Chief Investigators: Dr Fiona Foo, Dr Barry McKeown, Ms Kate Brown Amount Awarded: $10,650 SPONSORED BY THE STAFF OF SMAHS (FREODOCTORLOTTERY) Heart failure is one of the most common causes for hospital admission in Australia, yet bedside diagnosis remains a difficult diagnostic challenge. High blood pressure in the left ventricle is a powerful predictor of heart failure, but one which can currently only be determined by cardiac catheterization. The researchers will derive a formula for estimating filling pressures in the heart through a combination of blood tests and cardiac ultrasound. The significance of the interaction between two genes in iron overload disease Chief Investigators: Dr Ross Graham, Dr Debbie Trinder, Prof John Olynyk Amount Awarded: $15,000 SPONSORED BY THE STAFF OF AUSTAL Hereditary haemachromatosis, or iron overload disease, affects one in 200 Australians and can lead to cirrhosis and cancer. The team will investigate how the interaction between two genes, known to cause haemachromatosis when they become mutated, modify iron metabolism. Are stem cells responsible for causing fibrosis in liver disease patients? Chief Investigators: Dr Belinda Knight, Prof John Olynyk Amount Awarded: $14,300 SPONSORED BY BREMICK Patients with ongoing, severe liver disease such as Hepatitis C are at a high risk of developing conditions such as cirrhosis and cancer. Until now, scientists believed that the massive scarring associated with the development of excessive fibrous tissue was caused by the main cells of the liver (hepatocytes) dying. The team however believe that it may be liver stem cells, rather than hepatocytes, which stimulate the scarring process, and that the liver stem cells and the cells responsible for the fibrosis may directly communicate with each other, ultimately giving rise to cirrhosis. Do aspirin and bacteria give rise to problems with stomach ulcers in people with diabetes? Chief Investigators:     Dr Katrin Schimke, Prof Tim Davis, Prof David Bruce, Dr Wendy Davis Amount Awarded:    $15,000 SPONSORED BY THE COMMUNITY Most people with diabetes need aspirin therapy to help prevent heart disease. However aspirin can cause stomach ulcers, and in diabetes, infection with the bacteria that causes ulcers is increased. The team will investigate whether aspirin and the bacteria act together in diabetes to increase the risk of bleeding and other serious ulcer complications. Could ankle taping put your knees at risk? A study of risk injury in Australian Rules Football Chief Investigators:     Dr Karl Stoffel, Dr David Lloyd, Dr Jeff Boyle, Dr Rochelle Nicholls Amount Awarded:    $14,776 SPONSORED BY THE FREMANTLE FOOTBALL CLUB Ankle taping is commonly used to prevent sprain injuries in sports, however recent data suggests it may actually increase the risk of knee injuries in AFL. This study will measure lower limb posture and loading during side-stepping tasks with and without ankle taping. The development of colon cancer and the presence of SPARC Chief Investigators:     Dr Ian Lawrance, Dr Borut Klopcic Amount Awarded:    $15,000 SPONSORED BY LITTLE CREATURES BREWING Inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are conditions that have an increased risk of colon cancer. A protein known as SPARC is a factor increased in many cancers and is involved in blood vessel formation that is essential for tumour formation. The researchers will investigate whether SPARC levels impact on the development of colon cancer, which is the second most common cancer and one with which 1000 patients per year are diagnosed. How does atherosclerotic plaque develop in coronary arteries in patients with diabetes? Chief Investigators:     Dr Bu Yeap, Mr Bruce Wong Amount Awarded:    $15,000 SPONSORED BY THE CITY OF COCKBURN Atherosclerosis, or plaque building up in arteries supplying the heart and brain, results in heart attacks and strokes and is accelerated in people with diabetes. Drugs used to treat diabetes also affect atherosclerotic plaque, but their effects at the cellular level have not been studied specifically in the setting of diabetes. The researchers will develop a new, more relevant model to study this process, which will lead to new knowledge and better treatment for patients with diabetes.

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