The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) invites you to participate in a short survey about your
interaction with the ARDC and use of our national research infrastructure and services. The survey will take
approximately 5 minutes and is anonymous. It’s open to anyone who uses our digital research infrastructure
services including Reasearch Link Australia.
We will use the information you provide to improve the national research infrastructure and services we
deliver and to report on user satisfaction to the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research
Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) program.
Please take a few minutes to provide your input. The survey closes COB Friday 29 May 2026.
Complete the 5 min survey now by clicking on the link below.
Molecular Pharmacology Of Chemokine Receptor Signalling In Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$371,770.00
Summary
Molecular pharmacology is the study of how hormones, neurotransmitters and pharmaceuticals interact with our cells through receptors, which transfer a signal across the cell membrane to change the function of that cell. Chemokine receptors are recognised to play a role in the development of many cancers. Understanding how these receptors work has enormous implications for improving our ability to develop better anti-cancer treatments with fewer side effects.
Allosteric Targeting Of The Dopamine D2 Receptor: A Novel Approach For The Treatment Of Parkinson’s Disease And Schizophrenia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$469,644.00
Summary
The dopamine D2 receptor is a brain protein that is the target for drugs that are used in the treatment of schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease (PD). In both cases the current drugs have significant side effects because they simply act to switch the receptor off or on respectively. We will focus on a new class of drugs that, because they act to tune up or tune down the activity of the D2 receptor, may be a safer more effective approach to treat these disorders.
This research will push the boundaries of current knowledge in receptor pharmacology and translate this knowledge into clinical outcomes. Receptors are proteins on the surface of our cells that bind hormones, neurotransmitters and pharmaceuticals. By better understanding the complexities of how these receptors work at the molecular level, the objective is to develop improved treatments and better clinical management for a range of medical conditions.
Understanding Allosteric Modulation And Biased Signalling At Family B GPCRs
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$428,065.00
Summary
Family B GPCRs are therapeutic targets for drugs treating osteoporosis, hypercalcaemia, Paget’s disease, type II diabetes and are being actively pursued for other diseases that represent major global health burdens. Despite huge financial input, there are no orally available drugs that act on these receptors. This speaks to a lack of mechanistic understanding of how they work. My research focuses on addressing this question and how to exploit these receptors to design and identify better drugs.
The Structural Basis For Biased Agonism At The Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$872,536.00
Summary
The glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor plays an essential role in nutrient-regulated insulin release, and is a major target for therapeutic treatment of type 2 diabetes. The binding of different drugs to this receptor can promote distinct signalling profiles inside the cell that can lead to different physiological outcomes. Understanding the mechanistic basis for this will provide a framework to enable rational design of novel, better and safer therapeutics for the treatment of diabetes.
Understanding The Structural Basis For Family B G Protein-coupled Receptor Function
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$745,082.00
Summary
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of cell surface proteins that enable communication from external signals to the inside of cells of the body. Family B GPCRs are a therapeutically important subclass of these receptors and they play crucial roles in bone and energy homeostasis, cardiovascular control and immune response. This grant will uncover fundamental knowledge on how these receptors work, and will enhance future development of therapeutics.
Pharmacological Investigation Of The Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor (GLP-1R)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$367,948.00
Summary
Family B G protein-coupled receptors represent key therapeutic targets for many conditions, including metabolic, bone, growth and neuronal disorders. However, poor mechanistic understanding of this receptor family impacts on their clinical value. Consequently, this research is aimed at gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the structure and function of the family B glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor through use of new and novel pharmacological techniques.
Novel Treatments Of Fibrosis For Hypertensive Heart Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$912,536.00
Summary
A recognised risk factor for cardiovascular disease is high blood pressure which contributes to a stiffer heart that can ultimately lead to heart failure. There are very few treatments that can reduce heart stiffening, called fibrosis. This project is focused on the preclinical testing of novel compounds that we have developed to reverse the build-up of fibrosis in the heart, which will lead to better treatment of elderly patients with high blood pressure and poorly-functioning hearts.
Understanding The Major Class Of Cell Surface Drug Targets
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$7,595,840.00
Summary
G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) form the largest family of receptors and drug targets in living organisms. Currently, the major reason that new drugs fail to reach the clinic is lack of appropriate drug effect (approx. 30%). Thus, we need a better understanding of how GPCRs work and how this relates to disease. Our Program addresses this knowledge gap, using GPCR models that are relevant to treatment of metabolic, inflammatory, cardiovascular and central nervous system disease.
Formyl Peptide Receptor Biased Agonists As Novel Cardioprotective Agents Against Myocardial Infarction.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Heart attack and its resulting heart failure are the leading causes of death in Australia. Examining a promising new target (formyl peptide receptors), I will use my knowledge of drug action at the single cell level to identify new drugs that act via a unique biased mechanism. These will be tested in pre-clinical animal models of heart attack to uncover critical new potential therapies that will protect the heart post heart attack and prevent the development heart failure.