Malaria: From Target Identification And Therapeutics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$5,276,440.00
Summary
The team brings together a number of experts in various aspects of malaria, vaccines and drug design to develop new therapeutic approaches to control of one of the world�s major infectious diseases. Recent developments such as the complete sequence of every malaria gene provides an unparalleled opportunity to use a number of powerful new techniques in biology to identify vulnerabilities in the parasite that may be targeted. Members of the team include Professor von Itzstein who was responsible f ....The team brings together a number of experts in various aspects of malaria, vaccines and drug design to develop new therapeutic approaches to control of one of the world�s major infectious diseases. Recent developments such as the complete sequence of every malaria gene provides an unparalleled opportunity to use a number of powerful new techniques in biology to identify vulnerabilities in the parasite that may be targeted. Members of the team include Professor von Itzstein who was responsible for the design of the anti-flu drug Relenza, Professor Ross Coppel who is a pioneer in the application of molecular biology to the study of malaria, and Drs Cooke and Plebanski, exciting and talented young scientists who already have made highly significant and important contributions to our understanding of how malaria parasites function and cause disease. Success in this research program has the capacity to save millions of lives each year by preventing the deadly toll of this important human scourge.Read moreRead less
Design And Evaluation Of Inhibitors Targeting Serine Proteases In Blood To Alleviate Systemic Inflammatory Response To Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$317,559.00
Summary
Over 20,000 Australians undergo bypass surgery each year with a 3% mortality rate linked to complications from the procedure. One such common complication is caused by the body’s immune system being activated when the blood comes in contact with the blood bypass pump machine. This project aims to develop new medicines to block this activation of the immune system during bypass surgery to reduce complications and mortality associated with this procedure.
Venoms To Drugs: Characterizing The Molecular Interactions Between Venom Peptides And Ion Channels With A View To Rational Drug Design
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$316,449.00
Summary
The conventional approach to drug development is reaching a state of crisis as it is producing fewer new drugs at increasing cost. A promising alternative is to harness the rich and diverse chemistry of venom peptides. This project aims to understand the mechanism by which venom peptides achieve their pharmacological activity. This knowledge is essential for venom-based drug design for treating diseases ranging from nervous systems disorders, stroke, chronic pain and psychiatric illnesses.
We aim to develop a new class of cholesterol-lowering drugs by blocking the interaction between a protein in the blood called PCSK9 and its receptor, which is implicated in cholesterol absorption. We will do this by designing small stable peptides (mini proteins) that mimic part of the receptor and have the potential to interfere with the normal PCSK9 binding process. These drugs should be less expensive and potentially less immunogenic than competing therapies based on antibodies.
Development Of A Generic Strategy For The Stabilisation Of Peptide-based Therapeutics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$443,196.00
Summary
There is huge interest in the development of bioactive peptides and proteins for the treatment of a wide range of diseases. However, there are still a number of hurdles that need to be overcome before this source of promising pharmaceuticals can fulfil their vast potential. One of the biggest challenges in the development of peptides and proteins as drugs is overcoming their poor stability in the human body. The broad aim of this research proposal is to develop a novel strategy that provides the ....There is huge interest in the development of bioactive peptides and proteins for the treatment of a wide range of diseases. However, there are still a number of hurdles that need to be overcome before this source of promising pharmaceuticals can fulfil their vast potential. One of the biggest challenges in the development of peptides and proteins as drugs is overcoming their poor stability in the human body. The broad aim of this research proposal is to develop a novel strategy that provides therapeutically promising peptides and proteins the ability to resist the body s natural degradation pathways so they are able to reach their biological target. To develop this strategy we will use the recently discovered peptide hepcidin as a model system. Hepcidin is the major iron-regulatory hormone in the human body and incorrect levels of this hormone result in either iron overload (haemochromatosis), when there is not enough hepcidin produced by the body, or anemia of inflammation when there is too much hepcidin. The development of hepcidin-based therapeutic agents to treat these conditions has the potential to have significant impact as it has been estimated that up to 1 in 300 Australians are affected by haemochromatosis during their lifetimes. Unfortunately, unmodified peptides, like hepcidin, are of limited therapeutic value due to their poor stability within the human body. This research proposal describes the development of stabilised hepcidin analogues with the potential of being useful drug leads for the treatment of haemochromatosis.Read moreRead less
Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological disorders; it affects 1% of the world’s population, yet about 1 in 3 patients fail to achieve seizure control with current drugs. We will improve the properties of small molecules (drugs) that specifically target the GTPase activity of the enzyme dynamin, to reduce seizure effect in the brain by a novel mechanism. We will optimize and pre-clinically test these future chemical entities as potential anti-epileptic drugs.
Development Of Peptide-based Scaffolds For Intracellular Cancer Targets
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,479,836.00
Summary
The overall aim of this project is to develop peptide-based drugs that are able to cross cell membranes and inhibit specific targets inside cells leading to more effective, safer and cost effective drugs for cancer. One potential outcome of the project will be new drug leads to treat melanoma and leukemia that are likely to be less toxic, more potent and less likely to develop resistance than current treatments.
Development Of Fragment Hits Into Effective Antimalarials; Targeting Malaria Eradication
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$676,798.00
Summary
We have used a novel method that samples the diversity of natural products with a small sub-set of compounds, and observed direct interaction between these compounds and proteins important in the malaria parasite life cycle. This project will develop these identified active compounds towards the goal of producing a drug to fight stages of the malaria parasite’s life cycle that are not targeted by currently available antimalarial drugs.
Potent Antibiotics Against Drug-resistant Tuberculosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$531,410.00
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) is a significant killer and caused 1.7 million deaths in 2009. The disease affects all countries, including Australia, in which the incidence in the indigenous population is 14 times higher than that in the non-indigenous population. We will develop a new anti-TB drug that can replace or enhance the current drugs that are not effective against drug resistant TB.