Combating Giardiasis By Investigating New Potent Compound Series As Leads For Improved Treatment Options
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$776,028.00
Summary
Giardia parasites infect ~1 billion people globally and are responsible for significant morbidity and disadvantage. There is no licensed vaccine and current treatment options are inadequate, resulting in poor compliance, treatment failures, rapid re-infection and drug resistance. New therapies are needed to combat this parasite and improve the health of millions world-wide. We will address this issue by investigating new drug candidates for the treatment of Giardia infections.
Discovery Of Active Metabolic Pathways Suitable For Drug Targeting In Trypanosoma Brucei
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$485,517.00
Summary
Sleeping Sickness is a parasitic disease affecting many of the world’s poorest countries, and is fatal if left untreated. The aim of this project is to identify new metabolic pathways in the parasite that causes Sleeping Sickness, and to investigate how drugs interfere with parasite metabolism. This will provide the basis for new drug discovery efforts and facilitate the development of new medicines for Sleeping Sickness.
Function And Physiological Role Of Inhibitory Circuits In The Amygdala
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$741,518.00
Summary
The amygdala is part of the brain that assigns emotional content to our sensory world and dysfunction of the amygdala is responsible for many anxiety-related disorders. Many anxiolytics, like valium, act on receptors in the amygdala. In this project we will study circuits in the amygdala that are modulated by anxiolytics. These studies will provide essential information in the understanding of anxiety disorders and help in developing drugs to treat these disorders.
Stimulant laxatives are widely used and usually very effective in the short term, but how they work is very poorly understood. Our recent work has shown that they selectively excite sensory pathways from the colon which then trigger defaecation. This points to an undiscovered mechanism that potently affects colonic sensation and motility. This is likely to be a target for new treatments for other colonic disorders such as Irritable bowel syndrome and faecal incontinence.
Melanotransferrin: A “Missing Link” And A Novel Pharmacological Target For Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$613,848.00
Summary
Despite >30 years of research, the precise function of the protein, melanotransferrin (MTf), is unknown. However, we have breakthrough evidence that MTf stimulates WNT signalling as a major driver in cancer progression. We will investigate this hypothesis, which will underpin new cancer therapies. Indeed, we designed a new class of drugs that target the WNT pathway via up-regulating the WNT inhibitor, NDRG1. This drug (DpC) inhibits MTf expression to block tumour cell growth and metastasis.
Defining The Mechanisms Of Action For Ozonide Antimalarials
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$668,152.00
Summary
Deadly malaria parasites have emerged that are resistant to all classes of approved drugs. Ozonides are a new class of medicines recently approved for malaria, and provide a much-needed treatment option for multi-drug resistant infections. However, the mode of action and potential for cross-resistance is poorly understood. This project will use modern analytical techniques to measure the impact of ozonides on parasite biochemistry to reveal mechanisms involved in drug action and resistance.
Endogenous Oestrogen Is A Key Missing Link In Urethral Hypospadias
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$456,467.00
Summary
Defects in penis development are among the most common birth abnormalities, and affect around 1 in every 150 live male births in Australia. Development of the penis is known to be driven by male hormones (androgens), but we have recently shown that oestrogen also plays a role in this process. This project will define the role of estrogen in penis development and how a loss or gain of estrogens can cause developmental defects.
Targeting Cancer-initiating Cells With DNA Methyltransferase Inhibitors: Single-cell Analysis To Decipher Molecular Mechanisms And Improve Efficacy.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$175,000.00
Summary
Certain cancer cells, termed cancer-initiating cells (CICs), have special properties allowing them to drive cancer growth and disease progression. These cells are particularly sensitive to low-dose treatment with drugs called DNA methyltransferase inhibitors. Using cutting-edge "single-cell" technologies this project will determine how these drugs target CICs and identify new ways to increase treatment efficacy. This work will identify new clinical opportunities for prevention of cancer relapse.
Retargeting The Antibiotic Azithromycin As An Antimalarial With Dual Modality.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$773,613.00
Summary
Malaria parasites resistant to first-line treatments continue to spread in South East Asia. New drugs need to be developed urgently to ensure alternative treatment strategies are available. We will retarget the safe and widely used antibiotic azithromycin as an antimalarial with dual modalities against parasite invasion and growth inside the host red blood cell. This strategy has significant potential to increase drug efficacy while reducing the chances for the development of resistance.
Dendritic Activity And Neuronal Output During Sensory Perception
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$832,748.00
Summary
A fundamental goal of neuroscience is to understand how sensory experiences arise from activity in the brain. This is no easy feat and is the basis of the research in this proposal. Here, using cutting edge recording techniques, the activity of brain cells within the cortex will be measured during sensory-based behavioural tasks. This research will provide insight into therapeutic approaches to numerous brain diseases where sensory processing is compromised.