PhD Scholarship Program
The Asthma Foundation of Queensland PhD Scholarship for Eligible Medical, Scientific, Nursing & Pharmacy Graduates and equivalently qualified Allied Health Practitioners
Round 2 open now for commencement in 2011 Applications are invited for the Asthma Foundation of Queensland PhD Scholarship open to eligible medical, scientific, nursing and pharmacy graduates and equivalently qualified allied health practitioners (e.g. psychologists, physiotherapists, asthma educators, etc) who plan to commence a PhD in 2011. The scholarship will provide financial support for a graduate looking to build a career in research relevant to asthma. The research must be undertaken in Queensland. The scholarships are open to Australian citizens or permanent residents intending to nurture a career in Queensland, and are for a period of up to three years, with the stipend and allowances based upon NHMRC rates. Application form and further information is available for downloading below: (The Scholarship Application Form is designed for Microsoft Word 2007. If you have an earlier version of Word, please contact the Foundation) Our Inaugural 2009 PhD Scholarship We are pleased to advise that Ms Camilla Tuttle is the recipient of our inaugural PhD Research Scholarship. Ms Tuttle will be undertaking her studies at Queensland University of Technology. Ms Tuttle’s project will investigate the factors that control how the airway surface of people with asthma becomes inflamed and how this is affected by anti-inflammatory treatment. There is an expectation that airway inflammation is controlled, at least in part, via a specific chemical change (acetylation) in specific mediators termed transcription factors. Inflammation is caused by an increase in inflammatory genes. Inflammatory genes code for inflammatory mediators that control the inflammatory response. Alteration to DNA may play an important role in the regulation of genes. Histone acetylation is a DNA modification that affects gene expression. To investigate the role of acetylation in controlling transcription factors in asthma, the levels of these genes and proteins, and those of mediators and cells known to be involved in airway inflammation, will be measured in sputum samples from individuals with asthma (using bronchodilator or anti-inflammatory treatment), and individuals without asthma. The information generated from the project has important implications for the development of new treatments for asthma as airway inflammation is the primary component of asthma. As this project will investigate novel mechanisms controlling airway inflammation in asthma, at the gene expression and protein levels, it will provide information on potential new targets for treatment intervention.
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