Mastering the Microenvironment - Integrated, functional, biosynthetic scaffolds for tissue engineering. Organ transplantation is available to only the lucky few, with, for example, less than 3000 of Australia's annual 30,000 patients suffering end-stage renal failure receiving transplants. Tissue engineering of soft, functional tissues using in vitro and/or in vivo methods offers the potential to replace missing or non-functioning tissues, such as liver, pancreas, lung, heart, fat and muscle, wi ....Mastering the Microenvironment - Integrated, functional, biosynthetic scaffolds for tissue engineering. Organ transplantation is available to only the lucky few, with, for example, less than 3000 of Australia's annual 30,000 patients suffering end-stage renal failure receiving transplants. Tissue engineering of soft, functional tissues using in vitro and/or in vivo methods offers the potential to replace missing or non-functioning tissues, such as liver, pancreas, lung, heart, fat and muscle, with newly created tissue. This project will deliver integrated, functional polymeric scaffolds for organ replacement. Over 12 higher degree candidates and one research associate will be trained in the field of tissue engineering, representing a significant benefit to the Australian scientific community.Read moreRead less
Carbohydrates and Carbohydrate-Recognising Proteins as Drug Discovery Targets. The significance and roles of carbohydrates in many biological processes, in particular those processes associated with disease, is now well-recognised. These new directions have captured the attention and imagination of not only academic research groups across the world, but also pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and has restimulated their interest in the pursuit of carbohydrate-based drugs and drugs against ....Carbohydrates and Carbohydrate-Recognising Proteins as Drug Discovery Targets. The significance and roles of carbohydrates in many biological processes, in particular those processes associated with disease, is now well-recognised. These new directions have captured the attention and imagination of not only academic research groups across the world, but also pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and has restimulated their interest in the pursuit of carbohydrate-based drugs and drugs against carbohydrate-recognising proteins critical in disease processes. The current application seeks to use some of this information to faciliate the discovery of novel carbohydrate-based chemical entities as inhibitors of the spread of some cancers and diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms.Read moreRead less
Development of carbohydrate-based drug delivery systems. Chronic skin disorders affect 5% of the population. Treatment is challenging and long term because these disorders are chronic and unpredictable. Currently the most potent therapies for psoriasis are administered systemically. Long term usage of these therapies causes side effects such as kidney or liver damage. This proposal describes a new approach to the topical treatment of psoriasis where potent drugs are linked to a hyaluronan sca ....Development of carbohydrate-based drug delivery systems. Chronic skin disorders affect 5% of the population. Treatment is challenging and long term because these disorders are chronic and unpredictable. Currently the most potent therapies for psoriasis are administered systemically. Long term usage of these therapies causes side effects such as kidney or liver damage. This proposal describes a new approach to the topical treatment of psoriasis where potent drugs are linked to a hyaluronan scaffold molecule and are directly applied to the diseased tissue. Advantages of this approach include targeted drug delivery mediated by hyaluronan receptor processes and potential amelioration of the observed drug toxicities.Read moreRead less