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Can Malaria Parastie Resistance To An Important Drug Spread?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$689,168.00
Summary
Malaria is a major global health issue. Drugs are a key weapon against the disease, but resistance eventually emerges and spreads, rendering a succession of drugs useless. We have preliminary evidence that resistance to a safe and cheap drug is unable to spread. We believe drug resistant parasites die when attempting to transmit from person to person via the mosquito vector. Inability to spread resistance would make this drug extremely valuable in the fight against malaria.
This Fellowship will enable research into the basis for life-threatening infection in the critically ill, including severe pneumonia, septic shock and the complexities of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, as well as the translation of this research into practice (including rapid diagnostics).
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE120100020
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$520,000.00
Summary
Collaborative high bio-containment immunological research facility. Emerging infectious diseases are a serious threat to animals and humans, with most new human infections originating in animals. Our capacity to study these infections and their effects on the immune system is limited. This Facility will provide core equipment for analysis of immune responses to infection at the highest levels of bio-containment.
An Investigation Into Chromatin Dynamics In Host-pathogen Interactions And Fungal Virulence
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$700,585.00
Summary
Fungal infections represent a major health burden, with loss of lives that parallels malaria. Only a handful of antifungal therapeutics is available, and mortality remains very high (30% or more). By using molecular biology approaches and animal infection models, this project aims to characterize a new class of promising antifungal drug targets in the major human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. The outcomes will provide the knowledge foundation for future antifungal drug discovery.
Investigating the intercellular trafficking of proteins and RNA and its relevance to neurodegenerative diseases. Alzheimer's and prion diseases are neurodegenerative disorders associated with protein misfolding. This project brings together similar features of these diseases using novel cell- and animal-based studies to develop a greater understanding of the molecular basis of these disorders.
Octapeptin-based Antibiotics Against Multi-drug Resistant Gram-negative Bacteria
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$767,504.00
Summary
Infectious disease is a leading cause of death, and the emergence of "superbugs" in the community and hospitals is of grave concern. We have resurrected a ‘forgotten’ antibiotic from the 1970s that kills superbugs causing pneumonia, skin and urinary track infections; diseases that cause death and discomfort for thousands of Australians today. We will determine how the original antibiotic works against superbugs, and use this information to design better drugs for the future.
Evolution of immunoregulatory networks: preventing autoimmunity at the expense of perpetuating chronicity in persistent infections. Chronic pathogens like HIV take advantage of human genes that regulate immune responses, which evolved to prevent autoimmunity, enabling them to evade eradication. This project defines the nature and interplays between these genes and will provide valuable clues as to how immunity can be manipulated to promote clearance of persistent infections.
An Investigation Into Mitochondrial Dynamics In The Human Pathogen Candida Albicans
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$581,966.00
Summary
Our goal is to find new therapies to treat infections with Candida albicans, a major human pathogen that causes highly fatal hospital-associated disease. We have identified the mitochondrion, the cellular powerhouse, as a promising target for the development of new anti-candida drugs. We will use innovative imaging and molecular approaches, together with experimental animal infection models to understand how mitochondria could be inhibited to treat life-threatening infections with Candida.
How Do Glycosaminoglycans Promote The Propagation Of Prions?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$512,270.00
Summary
The prion diseases are a group of transmissible, neurodegenerative disorders affecting both humans and animals. The most common form in humans is sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), although acquired (variant CJD) and inherited (familial CJD) forms are recognised. Prion diseases are transmissible to the same species by inoculation with, or dietary exposure to, infected tissues. The infectious agent, referred to as a prion , has not been identified at the molecular level. However, a major c ....The prion diseases are a group of transmissible, neurodegenerative disorders affecting both humans and animals. The most common form in humans is sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), although acquired (variant CJD) and inherited (familial CJD) forms are recognised. Prion diseases are transmissible to the same species by inoculation with, or dietary exposure to, infected tissues. The infectious agent, referred to as a prion , has not been identified at the molecular level. However, a major component of purified prions is an abnormal disease associated form of the host encoded prion protein. Understanding how the disease associated form of the prion protein is generated and how host-derived cofactors contribute to its formation will help in our understanding of the infectious nature of these diseases and in the development of effective therapeutic and prophylactic strategies. Glycosaminoglycans are host-derived components of the extracellular matrix that are associated with prion protein plaques found in the brain tissue of patients with prion diseases. Glycosaminoglycans are believed to influence the transmission of prions and the ongoing propagation of infectivity. In this study the importance of glycosaminoglycans in the formation of the disease associated prion protein and the generation of infectivity will be investigated using both cell-free and cell-based models of prion propagation. The understanding gained from this study will be used to develop a high throughput assay that can be used to detect prion infection prior to the development of clinical disease and within a time frame whereby therapeutic intervention may be effective.Read moreRead less
Troublesome ticks: a new molecular toolkit to investigate zoonotic tick-borne pathogens in Australia. This project will use the latest molecular diagnostic techniques to address unanswered questions about potential tick-transmitted diseases of humans and companion animals in Australia. The study will identify 'hot-spots' for tick-borne pathogens, identify areas of potential risk for humans, and investigate vector-host-pathogen interactions nationwide.