Nanomedicines Immunotargeting: Hitting The Target Or Lost In Translation ?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$413,042.00
Summary
Nanomedicines are some of the most exciting novel approaches to improving the way we detect, manage and treat cancers. This cross-disciplinary project aims to provide a rigorous understanding of how nanomedicines penetrate solid tumour tissues. To validate in vitro tumour model developed in the project, in vivo studies will be carried out in a mice model. The penetration and distribution of nanomedicines inside tumour tissues after intravenous administration will be determined.
Characterisation Of A New Poor-Risk Sub-Category Of Chronic Phase Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$609,320.00
Summary
The introduction of targeted therapy for chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) has resulted in excellent responses for many patients. However, some 30-40% of patients respond very poorly to this therapy and therapeutic advances are urgently needed to improve response in these patients. In order to better treat these poor risk patients we aim, in this project, to develop a greater understanding of their disease, and from this identify specific cellular targets for future drug treatment/combination ther ....The introduction of targeted therapy for chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) has resulted in excellent responses for many patients. However, some 30-40% of patients respond very poorly to this therapy and therapeutic advances are urgently needed to improve response in these patients. In order to better treat these poor risk patients we aim, in this project, to develop a greater understanding of their disease, and from this identify specific cellular targets for future drug treatment/combination therapy.Read moreRead less
Pharmacological Targeting Of Integrated Oncogenic And Tumour Suppressive Pathways Using Novel Therapeutics.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$510,953.00
Summary
We will investigate NDRG1, a novel molecular target that has been demonstrated to inhibit the progression of numerous cancers. We aim to better understand the underlying function of NDRG1 in pancreatic cancer and how we can potentially target this gene with novel therapeutics being developed in our lab. We hope that this new approach will lead to promising treatments and a better outcome for those suffering from pancreatic cancer.
Phosphonated Calixarenes For The Targeted Intracellular Delivery Of Anticancer Agents
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$322,267.00
Summary
Many anticancer drugs have severe side effects due to their potency and non-specificity of action. To improve the treatment outcome for thousands of cancer patients, we aim to engineer calixarene-based nanocarriers that bypass normal tissues to selectively deposit drugs and imaging agents into tumour cells. Such delivery systems will optimize the performance of a host of anticancer agents that act within cells, and enable drug treatment and monitoring to be simultaneously realised.
Integrating Drug Delivery Principles Into Drug Design To Transform The Treatment Of Immune Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$552,635.00
Summary
Immune system disorders (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, transplant rejection, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis) are often treated with immunosuppresant drugs. However, immunosuppressant drugs can cause significant toxicity and can lack efficacy. This proposal will show how the design of drugs used to treat immune disorders can be changed to allow drugs to be delivered specifically to their site of action (immune cells) thereby enhancing activity and reducing toxicity.
Schistosomiasis is one of the world's most serious and prevalent diseases affecting nearly 200 million people world-wide. It is currently treated with a single drug, though there is growing concern about the development of resistance to it. In this proposal we will explore whether a new cellular pathway involving the cell death machinery we have identified in the disease-causing parasites could provide a possible target for the development of new treatments against schistosomiasis.
Structure And Function Of Antimicrobial Therapies And Their Interaction With Upper Respiratory Biofilms
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$320,891.00
Summary
Bacterial infections of the upper respiratory tract are a major public health problem affecting millions of Australians. Commonly prescribed antibiotics are often not able to eradicate all bacteria as the bacteria often reside in a protective, self-produced gel-like matrix known as biofilm. This Fellowship aims to unravel the interaction of modern anti-infective therapeutics with the biofilm for the development of the next generation of safe and efficacious anti-biofilm strategies.
Novel Fluorescent Probes Of Cellular Microenvironments To Study The Mechanism Of Action Of Endoperoxide Antimalarials
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$983,305.00
Summary
Malaria is responsible for the deaths of about two million children each year. As current drugs become increasingly useless due to the development of parasite resistance, there is an urgent need for new antimalarials. Artemisinin, an ancient Chinese drug that is extracted from wormwood, is now a front-line antimalarial, however its mechanism of action is not clear. Information about how artemisinin works is needed to help design cheap synthetic drugs that work in the same way.
Advancing Nanomedicine Through Particle Technology
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$876,005.00
Summary
This proposal will support the development of advanced particle systems to improve the delivery of medicines in neurological diseases, HIV, diabetes and cancer. It will provide important insights for particle-based therapeutic delivery that are expected to underpin progress on nanotechnology in the areas of biology and medicine. These developments in nanotechnology-enabled medicines towards commercialisation will ultimately improve the health and quality of life of Australians.
Pharmacological Targeting Of Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase I
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$474,653.00
Summary
This project will investigate a novel approach to controlling how cancer cells grow and spread. It plans to study whether a protein termed N-acetyltransferase is a key to determining whether cancer cells can change thier characteristics, allowing them to invade other tissues. In addition, novel approaches to target this protein are proposed. If successful, the work outlined in this project will open new avenues to understanding and trerating cancers.