Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0883078
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$356,000.00
Summary
Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry Steroid Analysis Facility. This first of a new generation of ultra-sensitive analytical mass spectrometers for small molecules will be established as a national assay facility allowing all Australian researchers open access to a new dimension of highly accurate and simultaneous measurements of multiple bodily chemicals such as steroids, vitamins and hormones. It is crucial to developing new knowledge in basic, developmental and pathological cell bio ....Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry Steroid Analysis Facility. This first of a new generation of ultra-sensitive analytical mass spectrometers for small molecules will be established as a national assay facility allowing all Australian researchers open access to a new dimension of highly accurate and simultaneous measurements of multiple bodily chemicals such as steroids, vitamins and hormones. It is crucial to developing new knowledge in basic, developmental and pathological cell biology and for underpinning commercial developments of new molecular targets for therapeutic drugs for many diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease and reproductive disorders. This facility is pivotal to maintaining international competitiveness in many areas of biological research in national priority areas.Read moreRead less
A Novel Metabolic Role For UDP Glycosyltransferase 8 (UGT8)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$419,144.00
Summary
The UDP glycosyltransferases (UGTs) are a family of enzymes that remove drugs and toxins from the human body as well as control levels of naturally produced molecules such as bile acids and hormones. We found that a new member of this family called UGT8 processes bile acids in the kidney and intestine and can affect how bile acids act to regulate metabolism. Our studies uncover new roles for bile acids in liver, kidney and gut health and in metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity.
Pharmacological investigation of medicinal plant products from Kaanju Homelands, Wenlock and Pascoe Rivers, Cape York Peninsula. This research will examine the potential for products to be developed from plants on Kaanju homelands. Kaanju people have an immense ecological knowledge accumulated over generations, about the natural resources in an area recognised as being one of Australia's most biologically diverse. Preservation of this knowledge is critical not only to Kaanju people but to the he ....Pharmacological investigation of medicinal plant products from Kaanju Homelands, Wenlock and Pascoe Rivers, Cape York Peninsula. This research will examine the potential for products to be developed from plants on Kaanju homelands. Kaanju people have an immense ecological knowledge accumulated over generations, about the natural resources in an area recognised as being one of Australia's most biologically diverse. Preservation of this knowledge is critical not only to Kaanju people but to the heritage of the Nation as a whole. The research also addresses the National priority 'Promoting & maintaining good health' through the investigation of novel pharmacological activities in areas of cardiovascular health, diabetes and cancer. The collaborative research partnership will serve as a model to assist other Aboriginal organisations, particularly in rural & remote areas.Read moreRead less
GABA(B) Receptor Modulation Of Gastrointestinal Function In Health And Disease By Alpha-Conotoxins
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$689,050.00
Summary
Chronic visceral pain is a common and debilitating condition arising from numerous diseases that affect our internal organs. There is a desperate need for more information about the mechanisms responsible for signalling chronic visceral pain to provide therapies and potentially find a cure for it. Our research focuses on ?-conotoxins (small peptides from marine cone snail venom) as novel potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of chronic visceral pain.
Chronic inflammation underlies common and debilitating diseases and causes pain by unknown mechanisms. There is an urgent need to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of chronic pain, which will allow the development of improved therapies with fewer side-effects. Our research program investigates the mechanisms of pain that are associated with inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome, with the goal of developing more effective and selective therapies.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is one of the leading causes of chronic pain both world-wide and in Australia for which there is a lack of treatments. Chronic pain arises from nerve fibres in the colon wall, which fail to 'reset' back to normal following inflammation. Targeting these nerve endings with drugs is a key advance in IBS treatment. This project will identify selective oxytocin analogues that act in the colon to lower pain in sensory nerves thus providing efficacious pain relief in IBS.
New insulins for the improved management of diabetes. The prevalence of diabetes has increased dramatically over the past few decades and now this condition is widely considered the world’s fastest growing disease. New insulins with improved pharmacological and storage properties are desperately needed, and this project will work on chemical synthesis enabling designer insulins to be prepared for improved management of diabetes.
Toll Like Receptor signalling as a mediator of sex differences in pain, opioid and alcohol action. Brain immunology will be examined in this project to see if the signalling of a receptor called Toll Like Receptor 4 can explain sex differences in pain, and the action of pain killers and alcohol. These findings will have significant implications on the understanding of male and female brains, and will assist in the design of new drugs to treat brain and spinal cord diseases.
Pharmacological probes to facilitate preclinical development of modulators of a6 subunit containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Allosteric modulators of alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors have a promising future as drugs targeting attention deficits in Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia but the mechanisms underlying modulation are poorly understood. This project aims to determine its binding site and develop a radioactive labelled compound that competes with its binding. The radi ....Pharmacological probes to facilitate preclinical development of modulators of a6 subunit containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Allosteric modulators of alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors have a promising future as drugs targeting attention deficits in Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia but the mechanisms underlying modulation are poorly understood. This project aims to determine its binding site and develop a radioactive labelled compound that competes with its binding. The radiolabelled compound and a deeper insight into the mode of action will enable development of ligands for positron emission tomography (PET) which will aid in the development of BNC375 as well as other alpha7 modulators.Read moreRead less
Is Abdominal Discomfort A “colonic Itch”? Identification Of Itch Specific Pathways In The Gut In Health And Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$906,996.00
Summary
Chronic abdominal pain is a major worldwide problem. TGR5 and Mrgpr receptors are expressed by neuronal pathways innervating the skin, where they detect irritants and transmit itch. Our novel, innovative project shows a similar pathway exists within the viscera, which plays a major and unappreciated role in chronic abdominal pain. These receptors represent novel targets for therapeutic treatment, potentially creating multibillion-dollar savings to the Australian economy and healthcare systems.