Summer Research Scholarships 2009/2010 - Projects arranged by School or Institute

Below is a list of available projects listed by the host School or Institute.

• ANZAC Institute
• Brain and Mind Research Institute
• Central Clinical School
• Children’s Hospital Westmead
• Concord Clinical School
• The George Institute for International Health
• Heart Research Institute
• Nepean Clinical School
• Northern Clinical School
• Office of Postgraduate Medical Education
• School of Medical Science
• School of Public Health
• Western Clinical School

All linked files below are PDF.

Alternatively, return to the list of available projects arranged by subject

ANZAC Research Institute

• Serum Amyloid A in Cardiovascular Disease
  Supervisors: Dr Susan Hua and Dr Paul Witting
• Granulosa cell specific role of Androgens in Female Fertility
  Supervisor: Dr Kirsty Walters
• Molecular genetic studies of motor neuron disease (MND)
  Supervisor: Dr Ian Blair
• Interleukin 6 and Prostate Cancer Cell growth
  Supervisors: Dr Hong Zhou and Dr Yu Zheng
• Location of the Estrogen receptor and its signaling pathways in the mouse prostate
  Supervisors: Dr Ulla Simanainen and Keely McNamara
• CD147 Expression in Coronary Artery Disease
  Supervisors: Dr Gabrielle Pennings and Professor Len Kritharides
• Androgen regulation of structure and cellular differentiation of vas deferens
  Supervisor: Dr Ulla Simanainen
• Direct role of estrogen receptor (ER)α and ERβ activation for bone mass and architecture
  Supervisors: Dr Ulla Simanainen and Dr Hong Zhou

Brain and Mind Research Institute

• Sleep-wake patterns in bipolar disorder
  Supervisors: Associate Professor Naomi Rogers and Mr Bradley Whitwell
• Beyond Ageing Project
  Supervisors: Dr Sharon Naismith and Dr Keri Diamond

Central Clinical School

• Can relaxed breathing patterns give reliable results for lung function testing in patients with respiratory disease?
  Supervisors: Dr Sue Downie and Dr Cheryl Salome
• Determining the gene response to hypoxia in cardiovascular system
  Supervisor: Dr Bing Yu
• Correlation between serotonin receptor and apoptosis in the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) brainstem
  Supervisors: Dr Rita Machaalani and Associate Professor Karen Waters
• On the receiving end: patient perceptions of the side-effects from chemotherapy in the 21st century
  Supervisors: Dr Janette Vardy and Ms Haryana Dhillon
• The effect of gravity on the human vestibulo-ocular reflex
  Supervisor: Dr Miriam Welgampola
• Testing Human Balance Pathways to the Lower Limbs
  Supervisor: Dr Miriam Welgampola
• Leukocyte Activation: - Its Role in Diabetic Complications
  Supervisors: Dr Danqing Min and Dr Susan McLennan
• Role of TIMP-1 in regulation of fat cell differentiation
  Supervisors: Dr Susan McLennan and Associate Professor Stephen Twigg
• Role of the MMP/TIMP system in development of liver fibrosis
  Supervisors: Dr Susan McLennan and Dr Nicholas Shackel
• The validation of a web-based neurocognitive and questionnaire testing battery for sleep research
  Supervisor: Professor Ronald R Grunstein
• Role of incretins in preventing diabetes related heart disease
  Supervisor: Associate Professor Stephen Twigg
• Skin Biopsy as a Diagnostic Tool in Peripheral Neuropathy
  Supervisors: Dr Min-Xia Wang and Dr Judy Spies
• Role of the Hedgehog system in development of liver fibrosis
  Supervisors: Dr Fiona Warner and Dr Nicholas Shackel
• Role of CD147 in development of liver fibrosis
  Supervisors: Dr Nicholas Shackel, Dr Fiona Warner and Dr Sue McLennan
• Modelling choice in bone marrow donation: Evaluating and developing research methods
  Supervisor: Dr Paul Cheung
• Placenta Previa, the RPA Hospital experience
  Supervisors: Dr Selvan Pather and Professor Jonathan Carter
• Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy at the Sydney Cancer Centre
  Supervisors: Dr Selvan Pather and Professor Jonathan Carter

Children’s Hospital Westmead

• Otitis media terminology across studies: are we comparing apples with oranges?
  Supervisor: Dr Hasantha Gunasekera
• The global burden of otitis media: a systematic review of incidence studies
  Supervisors: Dr Hasantha Gunasekera and Professor Jonathan Craig
• Investigating the role of BMP receptors in muscle stem cell transdifferentiation
  Supervisors: Dr Aaron Schindeler, Renjing Liu and Associate Professor David Little
• Genes that affect athletic performance: study of the influence of ACTN3 genotype in a knockout mouse model.
  Supervisors: Dr Nan Yang and Professor Kathryn North
• Systematic review of quality of life instruments in children with cerebral palsy
  Supervisors: Dr Angie Morrow and Lynn McCartney
• Detection of Early Executive Dysfunction in Preschool Aged Children after Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pilot Study
  Supervisor: Dr Suzanne Benson
• Evaluation of the King’s Outcome Scale for Childhood Head Injury (KOSCHI) in measuring long-term outcome in children with traumatic brain injury
  Supervisors: Dr Simon Paget, Dr Mary-Clare Waugh and Dr Angie Morrow
• Adverse effects after botulinum toxin injection for the management of spasticity
  Supervisors: Dr Stephen O’Flaherty and Dr Angie Morrow
• Genotype and phenotype analysis in diabetes complications
  Supervisors: Associate Professor Bruce Bennetts, Dr Jim Minchenko and Associate Professor Kim Donaghue
• Identifying mediators of the invasive phenotype that follows Tumour protein D52 overexpression in mouse 3T3 fibroblast cells
  Supervisors: Austin Della-Franca and Associate Professor Jennifer Byrne
• Mutational screening for tumor protein D52 (TPD52) in breast cancer cell lines
  Supervisors: Dr Yuyan Chen and Associate Professor Jennifer Byrne
• Why do Australian families look to the United Kingdom for support and information about childhood rare diseases?
  Supervisors: Dr Yvonne Zurynski and Professor Elizabeth Elliott
• Alcohol-related birth defects
  Supervisors: Dr Elizabeth Peadon and Professor Elizabeth Elliott
• Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis in children aged < 15 years
  Supervisors: Dr Monica Lahra and Professor Elizabeth Elliott
• Impacts of Influenza A (H1N1 09 swine) in children < 15 years
  Supervisors: Dr Yvonne Zurynski and Professor Elizabeth Elliott
• How do rare childhood diseases impact on our hospitals?
  Supervisors: Dr Yvonne Zurynski and Professor Elizabeth Elliott
• Identification and Characterisation of a Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain Disorder
  Supervisors: Professor John Christodoulou and Dr Lisa Riley
• Investigating CDKL5 sub-cellular localisation during the cell cycle
  Supervisors: Professor John Christodoulou and Dr Sarah Williamson
• Detection and effects of NMDA-receptor antibody in paediatric encephalitis
  Supervisors: Dr Fabienne Brilot-Turville and Dr Russell Dale
• Does breastfeeding alone protect infants against vaccine preventable diseases? A literature review
  Supervisors: Dr Jane Jelfs and Dr Nick Woods
• An analysis of Australian public media (newspapers and television news stories) on HPV vaccination
  Supervisors: Dr Spring Cooper and Dr Julie Leask
• Effects of OSA on ventilatory responses of infants
  Supervisors: Associate Professor Karen Waters and Dr Joanna MacLean
• Could MG53 be a novel cause of human muscular dystrophy?
  Supervisors: Dr Sandra Cooper and Professor Kathryn North
• Defective membrane resealing in muscular dystrophy: defining the molecular interaction between dysferlin and MG53
  Supervisors: Dr Sandra Cooper and Professor Kathryn North
• Dysferlin muscular dystrophy: How does dysferlin mediate calcium-activated membrane resealing?
  Supervisors: Dr Sandra Cooper and Professor Kathryn North
• Keeping up with the evidence: updating systematic reviews in kidney disease
  Supervisor: Dr Angela C Webster
• Searching for diagnostic evidence – what is done and how well is it described?
  Supervisor: Dr Angela C Webster
• Clinical trial registration in contemporary trials of kidney disease – is it working?
  Supervisor: Dr Angela C Webster

Concord Clinical School

• An investigation of aetiological factors relevant to haording
  Supervisor: Clinical Professor John Snowdon

The George Institute for International Health

• Bodily awareness in knee osteoarthritis
  Supervisor: Dr Christine Lin
• Monitoring salt reduction in Australian processed foods
  Supervisors: Ms Jacqui Webster and Dr Elizabeth Dunford
• Current use of Front-of-Pack nutrition information in Australian supermarkets
  Supervisors: Ms Jacqui Webster and Dr Elizabeth Dunford
• Sleep and low back pain
  Supervisor: Dr James McAuley
• Exercise for people recently discharged from hospital
  Supervisor: Dr Cathie Sherrington

Heart Research Institute

• Dietary Phospholipids and Cardiovascular Disease
  Supervisor: Associate Professor Jeffrey Cohn
• When Lipoproteins Turn Bad
  Supervisor: Dr Clare Hawkins
• Putting the Brakes on Ageing
  Supervisor: Dr Ken Rodgers
• Enzyme activity, smoking and heart disease
  Supervisors: Ojia Skaff, Dr David I. Pattison and Professor Michael J. Davies

Nepean Clinical School

• Are Lamins the link between aging and senile osteoporosis
  Supervisor: Associate Professor Gustavo Duque
• Fat and Bone: an odd couple
  Supervisor: Associate Professor Gustavo Duque

Northern Clinical School

• Assessment of autonomic function in critically ill patients NEW!
  Supervisors: Dr James Padley and Dr Richard Piper
• Bioinformatics of non-coding RNA – project withdrawn
  Supervisor: Clinical Professor Leslie Burnett
• Systematic review of first trimester biomarkers as predictors of preeclampsia
  Supervisors: Dr Natasha Nassar and Associate Professor Christine Roberts
• Normative data by age for thermal quantitative sensory testing
  Supervisors: Dr Karl Ng and Dr Paul Wrigley
• Normative data for experimental ischaemic nerve excitability
  Supervisor: Dr Karl Ng
• The role of miRNAs in preventing the development of diabetic kidney diseases
  Supervisors: Professor Carol Pollock and Dr Xin-Ming Chen
• The thioredoxin system and vascular dysfunction in diabetes mellitus
  Supervisors: Professor Carol Pollock and Dr Xin-Ming Chen
• Gender and myocardial protection
  Supervisor: Dr Anastasia Susie Mihailidou
• Construction of Tissue Microarrays for Cancer Research
  Supervisors: Dr Viive Howell, Dr Anthony Gill and Associate Professor Deborah Marsh
• The role of insulin-like growth factor-II receptor in cancer
  Supervisors: Dr Karin Lyon, Dr Carolyn Scott and Dr Sue Firth
• New mechanisms whereby IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-5 influence tumour progression: Modification of the Unfolded Protein Response
  Supervisor: Dr Steve Grkovic
• The role of APC in RA synoviocytes proliferation in vitro using RA synovium
  Supervisors: Dr Sohel Julovi, Dr Meilang Xue and Associate Professor Chris Jackson
• Simulation and Surgical Performance
  Supervisor: Associate Professor Peter Cosman
• Evaluation of the level of pain and disability due to hip/knee osteoarthritis
  Supervisors: Dr Lidia Sanchez Riera, Associate Professor Lyn March and Dr Emma Smith
• Systematic Review of Burden of Musculoskeletal Diseases
  Supervisors: Dr Lidia Sanchez Riera, Associate Professor Lyn March and Dr Emma Smith
• Spinal 3D Motion Tracking
  Supervisor: Dr Richard Appleyard
• Novel signalling pathway(s) for the LRP5/6 antagonist sclerostin (SOST), mediate cartilage catabolic gene expression
  Supervisors: Dr Benjamin Chan and Associate Professor Chris Little
• Directing the differentiation of embryonic stem cells
  Supervisor: Dr Michael Morris

Office of Postgraduate Medical Education

• Patient-student-tutor interaction during medical bedside learning encounters
  Supervisors: Dr Rola Ajjawi and Associate Professor Charlotte Rees
• Medical students’ learning of patient-centred medicine within clinical settings
  Supervisor: Associate Professor Charlotte Rees

School of Medical Science

• Selenium supplementation protects renal tissues from acute renal failure
  Supervisors: Dr Paul Witting and Ms Anu Shanu
• Molecular Basis of Human Disease
  Supervisor: Professor Juergen Reichardt
• The development of binocular vision
  Supervisor: Dr Alan Freeman
• The cellular response to altered levels of heme oxygenase
  Supervisors: Dr Maria Lönn and Professor Roland Stocker
• Directing the differentiation of embryonic stem cells
  Supervisor: Dr Michael Morris
• Development of novel methods to characterize and quantify oxidative stress in cells
  Supervisors: Dr Ghassan Maghzal and Professor Roland Stocker
• Cell to cell communication in vascular and cancer cells
  Supervisors: Dr Sabine Wimmer-Kleikamp and Professor Roland Stocker
• Kynurenine is a novel vascular relaxation factor
  Supervisors: Dr Yutang Wang and Professor Roland Stocker
• Investigation of protein knockdown in the rat uterus during pregnancy
  Supervisors: Professor Chris Murphy and Dr Laura Lindsay
• Identifying a Neuron-Glial Link with a View to Unravelling the Development of Neuropathic Pain: a process of differentiation and elimination
  Supervisor: Dr Michelle B. Gerke
• Development of Novel Anti-Tumour Agents for the Treatment of Prostate Cancer
  Supervisor: Professor Des R. Richardson
• Molecular and cellular abnormalities in asthma
  Supervisors: Professor Judith L Black and Dr Thomas Trian

School of Public Health

• Keeping up with the evidence: updating systematic reviews in kidney disease
  Supervisor: Dr Angela C Webster
• Searching for diagnostic evidence – what is done and how well is it described?
  Supervisor: Dr Angela C Webster
• Clinical trial registration in contemporary trials of kidney disease – is it working?
  Supervisor: Dr Angela C Webster
• Communicating health information to patients: what are the best methods?
  Supervisor: Dr Kirsten McCaffery
• Why Do Supermarket Shoppers in Low SES Area Buy More Non-Core Foods?
  Supervisors: Associate Professor Ruth Colagiuri and Dr Seham Girgis
• Detection of malnutrition in fetuses
  Supervisor: Professor Heather Jeffery

Western Clinical School

• The relationship between macrophage subsets and subsequent scarring following paediatric burn injury
  Supervisors: Dr Heather Medbury, Dr Sarah Tarran and Professor Andrew Holland
• Quantifying Pharyngeal Wall Folding
  Supervisors: Dr Kristina Kairaitis and Associate Professor Terence C Amis
• Preadmission screening of surgical patients for carriage of MRSA
  Supervisors: Professor Lyn Gilbert, Dr Brian O’Toole and Dr Matthew O’Sullivan
• Liver Cancer and Fatty Liver Disease
  Supervisor: Dr Lionel Hebbard
• Hepatitis C virus: mechanisms in liver disease
  Supervisor: Dr Mark Douglas
• Notch signalling and NASH
  Supervisor: Dr Liang Qiao
• Microbial forensics: Tracking pathogens for public health
  Supervisor: Dr Vitali Sintchenko
• Computational knowledge discovery in infectious diseases
  Supervisor: Dr Vitali Sintchenko
• Mechanisms Mediating the Mobillisation of Haematopoietic Stem Cells from the Bone Marrow into the Blood
  Supervisors: Dr Linda Bendall and Dr Nadia Harun
• Streptococcus gordonii Hsa/Gspb gene-induced tight junction changes in oral epithelial cells
  Supervisors: Dr Ping Ye and Professor Neil Hunter
• Managing distress in paediatric oncology: A critical review of the relevance of family relationships
  Supervisor: Dr Paul Cheung
• Aren't they both H1N1? Designing a brochure on the prevention of seasonal influenza vaccination among healthcare workers
  Supervisor: Dr Paul Cheung
• Thoracic Immobilisation for radiation treatment of cancer patients
  Supervisors: Dr Verity Ahern, Mrs Rachael Beldham-Collins and Professor Val Gebski