Vortex fluidic mediated chemical transformations. This project aims to develop a continuous flow vortex fluidic device (VFD) for chemical and biochemical transformations. Vortex fluidic devices should lead to cleaner and faster ways of preparing complex molecules. Depending on the VFD’s operating parameters, including applying field effects such as Faraday waves, plasmas and light sources, reactions could have higher yields and selectivity than traditional batch processing. This will be translat ....Vortex fluidic mediated chemical transformations. This project aims to develop a continuous flow vortex fluidic device (VFD) for chemical and biochemical transformations. Vortex fluidic devices should lead to cleaner and faster ways of preparing complex molecules. Depending on the VFD’s operating parameters, including applying field effects such as Faraday waves, plasmas and light sources, reactions could have higher yields and selectivity than traditional batch processing. This will be translated into molecular assembly line syntheses in a single unit or a series. Such syntheses should provide a versatile toolbox for molecular transformations, under continuous flow conditions where scalability is addressed upfront. This will be attractive to industry and minimise effects on the environment.Read moreRead less
Development and application of new peptide ligation methods for the synthesis and structure-function studies of glycoproteins. Novel synthetic technologies will be developed in this project to facilitate the preparation of glycoproteins, which are of widespread biological and therapeutic interest. These methods will enable the preparation of pure glycoproteins for detailed biochemical and functional studies eventually leading to therapeutic and diagnostic applications.
New peptide ligation technology for the rapid assembly of modified proteins. The project aims to develop novel technologies to enable the synthesis of modified proteins that are of widespread biological and therapeutic interest. More than 70 per cent of all human proteins are modified with a range of functionalities after translation from the ribosome. Although these modifications are of crucial importance for biological activity, characterising the effect of a given modification on function is ....New peptide ligation technology for the rapid assembly of modified proteins. The project aims to develop novel technologies to enable the synthesis of modified proteins that are of widespread biological and therapeutic interest. More than 70 per cent of all human proteins are modified with a range of functionalities after translation from the ribosome. Although these modifications are of crucial importance for biological activity, characterising the effect of a given modification on function is difficult due to problems in obtaining the protein in pure form. The goal of this project is to develop a peptide ligation methodology to access pure modified proteins in a rapid manner through the exploitation of a new reaction recently discovered in our laboratory. The project plans to explore the scope and mechanism of the new reaction as well as its application in the total chemical synthesis and structure-function studies of important modified proteins.Read moreRead less
New methods for the chemical synthesis of a library of glycopeptide-based tri-component cancer vaccines. A novel method for the synthesis of tumour-associated glycopeptides will be developed in this research as well as the preparation of a library of glycopeptide-based cancer vaccines. These vaccines will be tested in immunological studies with a view to elucidating new immune-based therapies for the treatment of cancer.
Fine-tuning the conformations of cyclic peptides: a paradigm for optimising synthetic efficiency and biological activity. This proposal develops a strategy for optimising the synthesis and properties of an important class of drug molecules known as cyclic peptides. Such molecules show great promise as therapeutic agents, but they can be very difficult to synthesise and their three-dimensional shapes can be difficult to control. This project simultaneously addresses both of these problems, by exp ....Fine-tuning the conformations of cyclic peptides: a paradigm for optimising synthetic efficiency and biological activity. This proposal develops a strategy for optimising the synthesis and properties of an important class of drug molecules known as cyclic peptides. Such molecules show great promise as therapeutic agents, but they can be very difficult to synthesise and their three-dimensional shapes can be difficult to control. This project simultaneously addresses both of these problems, by exploiting a series of unusual amino acid building blocks that have a variety of shapes and different levels of conformational flexibility. This strategy will enable the development of a wide variety of therapeutically-relevant cyclic peptides, and to exemplify this concept a panel of cyclic peptides will be created that are specifically targeted for activity against solid tumours.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101632
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$395,220.00
Summary
Development of Innovative Chemical Tools for Studying Glycosyltransferases . This project aims to develop chemical probes capable of selectively binding and inhibiting two classes of carbohydrate processing enzymes known as O-linked beta-N-acetylglucosamine transferase and sialyltransferases. These enzymes are overexpressed in various cancers and play critical roles in cancer progression. Probes will be developed to analyse the activities of these enzymes in cancer cells.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130101673
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Access to biomimetic carbohydrate receptors using dynamic combinatorial chemistry. This project aims to utilise novel synthetic technology for the development of cyclic peptide libraries as novel drug leads for the treatment of Dengue virus, HIV and cancer.
Facilitating drug synthesis, development and detection: the enzymatic synthesis of beta-glucuronides. This project will develop new catalysts to aid the development of pharmaceuticals and help fight the war against drugs.
Functional studies of tyrosine sulfation using synthetic sulfoproteins. This project aims to address a lack of knowledge about how post-translational sulfation of tyrosine residues influences protein function. The project will develop a synthetic platform for the rapid and efficient generation of libraries of site-selectively sulfated proteins. The new methods will be used to study bioactive sulfated proteins secreted by ticks that dampen the inflammatory response and prevent blood from clotting ....Functional studies of tyrosine sulfation using synthetic sulfoproteins. This project aims to address a lack of knowledge about how post-translational sulfation of tyrosine residues influences protein function. The project will develop a synthetic platform for the rapid and efficient generation of libraries of site-selectively sulfated proteins. The new methods will be used to study bioactive sulfated proteins secreted by ticks that dampen the inflammatory response and prevent blood from clotting. Underpinned by the ability to access synthetic sulfoproteins, expected outcomes include a detailed understanding of how tyrosine sulfation can modulate function and stability of antibodies and proteins with anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory activities. Significant benefits of the project will include breakthrough technologies for the preparation of homogeneously modified proteins, which will strengthen Australia’s growing biotechnology sector.Read moreRead less
Solid phase synthesis of side-chain cross-linked peptide oligomers. This research will provide a unique opportunity to investigate the biological pathways and causative factors leading to diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Such information will guide the design and development of therapeutic strategies and diagnostic reagents.