Money raised in the Hunter by HCRF stays in the Hunter to establish new and continue existing research projects in such areas as asthma, cancer, cystic fibrosis, diabetes and sleep disorders - illnesses that can affect any family at any time. Projects recently funded by HCRF inlude:

2005

Characterisation of the sex-specific differences of neonatal cardiovascular adaptation
Dr I. Wright & Dr V. Clifton

Validating tool to assess children's food intake to develop healthy eating programs

Dr C. Collins and Dr J. Warren

A web-based fathers' network and health information service for first time fathers

Mr R. and Dr D. Keatinge

 

2006

The effects of passive smoking in children with asthma

Prof P. Gibson, Dr B. Whitehead, Prof M. Hensley.

Development of pituitary autoantibody assays        

Prof Trish Crock

 

2007

In children with type 1 Diabetes on intensive insulin therapy, can improving carbohydrate knowledge and targeted nutrition education strategies improve diabetes management?

Prof C Collins and Mrs C Smart

Genome wide SNP association study of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia      

Dr Nikola Bowden

2008

Preterm infant carbon monoxide (PICOS)
Dr Ian Wright

Prematurity causes most infant death and injury in Australia. One in ten infants born before 31 weeks gestation will die, and boys are twice as likely to die as girls. The reasons for this are not known, but the heart and blood pressure systems are involved. Ian’s previous research has identified sex-specific differences in the control of the small blood vessels that maintain blood pressure in premature babies.

The researchers have shown that a gas in the blood called carbon monoxide may be important in this process, and think that the male blood flow changes may be due to carbon monoxide. This project will investigate the relationship between blood carbon monoxide and blood flow in the small blood vessels in premature babies.