Description
Cancer cachexia is a life-threatening condition characterised by a progressive loss of skeletal muscle and fat mass. Up to 80% of patients with advanced cancer suffer from cachexia and as many as 25% of cancer-related deaths (2 million people globally in 2012) are due to cachexia rather than direct tumour burden. Despite this, treatment options for cachexia are lacking and patients generally receive little more than palliative care. We have shown that the TGF- proteins, activin A and B, drive muscle wasting in cancer cachexia, identifying these molecules as exciting therapeutic targets to treat this devastating condition.
Essential criteria:
Minimum entry requirements can be found here: https://www.monash.edu/admissions/entry-requirements/minimum
Keywords
cancer cachexia, muscle wasting, myostatin and activin, Department of Physiology
School
Biomedicine Discovery Institute (School of Biomedical Sciences) » Physiology
Available options
PhD/Doctorate
Honours
Time commitment
Full-time
Top-up scholarship funding available
No
Physical location
Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Co-supervisors
Dr
Kelly Walton