The NHMRC has announced new funding for several gastroenterology-related research projects including studies into diagnosis of Barrett’s oesophagus, biomarkers to guide colonoscopy and pathways underlying coeliac disease.
The gastroenterology projects are among 248 innovative research projects to receive a share of $239 million from the Ideas Grant scheme.
Prof Reginald Lord
Professor Reginald Lord of the University of Notre Dame, Australia, receives $1,001,895 to fund research into improving the diagnosis of Barrett’s oesophagus with dysplasia.
His proposal notes that some patients with Barrett’s oesophagus are at greatly increased risk of developing oesophageal adenocarcinoma, but the current examination method is unreliable for diagnosing these patients prior to cancer, or for accurately predicting cancer risk. “We will investigate a molecular test and the potential to develop an antibody test to improve diagnosis and prediction of cancer risk, and possibly reduce healthcare costs,” his proposal states.
Another project focusing on Barrett’s oesophagus, overseen by Professor Wayne Phillips at Melbourne University receives $1,115,454 for a study of the submucosal glands as the origin of the disease and oesophageal adenocarcinoma.
Dr Melinda Hardy of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research receives an Ideas Grant of $1,100,484 for a project aimed at uncovering the pathway between gluten immunity and adverse symptoms in coeliac disease and gluten sensitivity to define novel treatments and symptom biomarkers.
“This study aims to understand the pathways that are important in the development of symptoms, the true triggers, and how gluten immunity is involved. This will enable targeted treatments to manage symptoms improving patient health and well-being,” she writes.
Associate Professor Erin Symonds of Flinders University, Adelaide, receives $881,020 to fund a study into a novel panel of non-invasive biomarkers to determine need for diagnostic investigation by colonoscopy.
“There is a need for simple tests to determine the need for colonoscopy. Our study will establish the use of blood and stool tests for identifying disease risk. This will ensure that all symptomatic patients are reviewed for bowel cancer risk with tests that are independent of their symptoms,” the proposal notes.
In WA, Dr Ankur Sharma and a team at Curtin University receive $1,195,455 for a project entitled: “Oncofetal ecosystem in advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Implications for Identifying Immunotherapy response.” The team say that a novel immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma has demonstrated significant efficacy. “However, this treatment does not work for all patients. Therefore, we will identify which patients will benefit from this treatment and provide biomarkers, with the overall purpose of guiding clinical decision making.”
Dr Sebastian Furness at Monash University, Melbourne receives $699,712 to fund research into into the molecular basis for the voluntary defecation response , which “could provide the basis for novel therapeutic approaches to treat disorders of colorectal function.”
And in the treatment of colorectal cancer, Dr Lisa Mielke of La Trobe University, Victoria, receives $781,419 for an investigation of novel immune pathways for improving cancer immunotherapy. The project will focus on the bowel barrier function immune cells named intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) that sense cellular stress and recognise microbial agents. “We [will] show that IELs play a critical role in preventing bowel cancer progression. We will discover new genes and molecular pathways that promote the anti-cancer functions of IELs, leading to discovery of novel drug targets to treat bowel cancer,” the proposal states.
The full list of grant winners is available via the NHMRC website.