Year: 2004-05

Summary: The study focuses on determining age and diabetes-related changes in both microvascular responses and oxygen tension in humans. This is important because both elements are essential prerequisites for tissue repair. The final outcome will be to provide better preventative strategies for people at risk.

Year: 2004-05

Summary: This study establishes the changes in C fibre function with age and diabetes, and the extent to which these changes modulate peripheral microvascular blood flow. The findings will eventually lead to better management strategies for patients who are at risk of developing leg ulceration. This study has already been extended to develop a non-invasive stimulation technique to reduce neuropathic symptoms and accelerate would healing in older diabetic adults.

Summary: Peripheral neuropathy is a known risk factor for leg ulceration. A novel idea of activating C fibres innervating the actual nerve trunk was based on earlier NARI biological research. This was used to develop a non-invasive stimulation technique to reduce neuropathic symptoms in older diabetic adults (Patent No: 2003904303).

Summary: This clinical study is exploring the potential for sensory nerve manipulation to accelerate wound healing in older adults. A non-invasive technique that was developed by the NARI laboratory has been tested for its efficacy to improve rates of wound healing, particularly in long-standing refractory cases (Patent No: 2003904303).

Summary: The study focuses on using the McGill Pain Questionnaire and Brief Pain Inventory to assess pain level at the wound site in patients with leg ulcers, attending the Wound Management Clinic. Adequate attention to both wound and pain management will improve the patient's quality of life.

Summary: The study focuses on determining the differential effects of age and diabetes on pre-terminal and post-terminal sites of sensory nerve function. Using the ECPT, the nerve is stimulated through the skin; bypassing the cutaneous nerve endings while using capsaicin will directly stimulate the nerve endings. Determining the deterioration site of sensory nerve activity will have an impact on the choice of suitable treatment for neuropathy and leg ulcers.

Summary: Previous NARI biological studies have attributed delayed wound repair with age to a decline in sensory nerve function and microvascular blood flow at the injury site. NARI research also provided evidence of a role for free radicals (toxic oxygen-derived species) in these age-related effects. The new study aimed to investigate the effect of short and long-term treatment with vitamin E (a free radical scavenger) for repairing full thickness wounds. Results demonstrated that both short and long-term vitamin E treatment were equally effective in reducing oxidative stress, improving neurovascular function and accelerating wound repair with age. However, as a note of caution, an initial increase in wound size in response to treatment occurred and that could reflect possible adverse side-effects of antioxidants. The study raises the notion that free radicals are essential at the early stages of the repair process and recommends that the basic mechanisms of pathological disease should be taken into account when considering antioxidants as therapeutic agents.

Summary: Using single and multi-antioxidant therapy combined with identifying redox sensitive transcription factors and analysing specific genes involved in tissue repair, the research will clarify the mechanistic aspects underlying beneficial versus undesirable effects of antioxidants. The aim is to provide a scientifically-based evaluation of the risk/benefit ratio for this therapy. Based on NARI's recent studies using single antioxidants and the preliminary data using multi-antioxidants, NARI researchers expect to observe maximal deceleration of the decline in sensory neurovascular function and acceleration of tissue repair with age. A scientifically-based evaluation of the risk/benefit ratio for this therapy is an important outcome. This research can be translated into a future, clinical study with the anticipated result of improving older people's quality of life and reducinghealth care costs.

Year: 2002-06

Summary: This work is developmental, and involves establishing and optimising enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) to measure mediators and modulators of inflammation. These include cytokines, immunoglobulins specific for antigen (IgG, IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, IgE, IgA1, IgA2,and IgM) and T cell-derived antigen binding molecules (TABM). Assays for lipid hydroperoxides, nitrated proteins and substance P have also been developed and continuously monitored. The availability of such assays is extremely valuable for several NARI research projects, and for possibly assessing future patients with chronic inflammation and various allergy conditions of unknown immunological mechanisms.

Summary: Chronic neuropathic pain is experienced by a large cross-section of the community at some time in their lives. It results from several common procedures, such as recovery from surgery, accidents, chronic conditions (diabetic neuropathy, leg ulcers, shingles pain and phantom-limb pain), and pain associated with terminal conditions like cancer and AIDS. In 1998, the NHMRC released a document stating that chronic pain costs Australia $10 billion dollars annually in health care costs. Chronic pain conditions are difficult to treat, and there is a lack of suitable analgesics that can target the periphery. This project examines the analgesic potential of a newly-discovered conotoxin and related structural analogues, as drugs for targeted delivery for peripheral neuropathic pain. An expected outcome of these studies will be the development of a better analgesic that speeds the process of recovery from nerve injury and acts by a different mechanism than the analgesics currently being developed.

Summary: The research focuses on examining changes in molecular mechanisms that result in delayed recovery of aged nerves after injury. The study's clinical significance derives from the fact that chronic neuropathic pain is experienced by a large cross-section of the community, particularly older adults. In addition, high health care costs are associated with this problem.

Summary: The research focuses on examining changes in molecular mechanisms that result in delayed recovery of aged nerves after injury. The study's clinical significance derives from the fact that chronic neuropathic pain is experienced by a large cross-section of the community, particularly older adults. In addition, high health care costs are associated with this problem.

Summary: NARI's biology laboratory was contracted for a study to validate the use of a novel analgesic to treat neuropathic pain. This work is complementary to other projects examining neuropathic pain in ageing and diabetes.

Funding source: Metabolic Pharmaceuticals Ltd