Characterisation and improvement of radiation beams used for radiotherapy of small lesions. This project aims to characterise the radiation dose from a medical linear accelerator after the beam has been shaped by a mini-multileaf collimator. The characterisation will be achieved through a combination of computer simulations and experimental investigation of the beam using the technique of three-dimensional gel dosimetry. When the dosage characteristics are known, techniques will be developed to ....Characterisation and improvement of radiation beams used for radiotherapy of small lesions. This project aims to characterise the radiation dose from a medical linear accelerator after the beam has been shaped by a mini-multileaf collimator. The characterisation will be achieved through a combination of computer simulations and experimental investigation of the beam using the technique of three-dimensional gel dosimetry. When the dosage characteristics are known, techniques will be developed to improve radiotherapy treatments in patients with small lesions with sizes of up to a few centimetres. This will lead to an improved outcome for some cancer patients.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989759
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
Australian Access to and Operation of Advanced Synchrotron Radiation Facilities at the Photon Factory. The primary national benefit of this application will be continued access by peer review for Australian scientists to the advanced synchrotron-radiation capabilities of the Australian National Beamline Facility and other complementary beamlines at the Photon Factory, Japan. This proposal is consistent with the National Research Priorities of An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, Promoting a ....Australian Access to and Operation of Advanced Synchrotron Radiation Facilities at the Photon Factory. The primary national benefit of this application will be continued access by peer review for Australian scientists to the advanced synchrotron-radiation capabilities of the Australian National Beamline Facility and other complementary beamlines at the Photon Factory, Japan. This proposal is consistent with the National Research Priorities of An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries and will generate science to support and stimulate domestic industry, enhance the domestic knowledge base and international research profile, train students and future synchrotron scientists and foster domestic and international collaborations.Read moreRead less
Improvement of anthracycline chemotherapy by enhancement of apoptotic responses and tumour targeted activation. Improved outcomes for anthracycline anticancer chemotherapy is of clear benefit to the nation. Tumour-localised treatment is expected to lead to improved responses, reduced side-effects and improved quality of life while rational selection of drug combinations is expected to enable treatment of tumours that were previously resistant to anthracyclines. With an aging population in Austra ....Improvement of anthracycline chemotherapy by enhancement of apoptotic responses and tumour targeted activation. Improved outcomes for anthracycline anticancer chemotherapy is of clear benefit to the nation. Tumour-localised treatment is expected to lead to improved responses, reduced side-effects and improved quality of life while rational selection of drug combinations is expected to enable treatment of tumours that were previously resistant to anthracyclines. With an aging population in Australia the incidence of cancer is predicted to rise dramatically - improved treatment outcomes and better use of chemotherapeutics will be of obvious national benefit. The development of new tumour-targeted agents is the subject of joint Intellectual Property between Australia and the USA, offering potential economic benefit. Read moreRead less
Tumour localisation and enhancement of anthracycline anticancer activity. The anthracyclines are one of the most widely used anticancer agents today. If the cytotoxicity of these agents can be localised to tumour cells, or their activity improved, then this will result in improved response rates, less side-effects and an improved quality of life for many patients for whom anthracycline treatment is an important part of their therapy. This will result in enormous national/community benefit to an ....Tumour localisation and enhancement of anthracycline anticancer activity. The anthracyclines are one of the most widely used anticancer agents today. If the cytotoxicity of these agents can be localised to tumour cells, or their activity improved, then this will result in improved response rates, less side-effects and an improved quality of life for many patients for whom anthracycline treatment is an important part of their therapy. This will result in enormous national/community benefit to an aging Australian population that is becoming increasingly more prone to cancer. Read moreRead less
Anticancer drug development: Enhancing the anticancer activity of mitoxantrone. Many cancer sufferers may benefit from this work if we are able to develop more active derivatives of mitoxantrone, or develop procedures to inhibit the repair of DNA lesions induced by mitoxantrone. This may result in therapies with improved response, reduced drug dosage and/or reduced side-effects. Because this work may result in one or more patents, and possibly commercialisation with Australian (and overseas) pha ....Anticancer drug development: Enhancing the anticancer activity of mitoxantrone. Many cancer sufferers may benefit from this work if we are able to develop more active derivatives of mitoxantrone, or develop procedures to inhibit the repair of DNA lesions induced by mitoxantrone. This may result in therapies with improved response, reduced drug dosage and/or reduced side-effects. Because this work may result in one or more patents, and possibly commercialisation with Australian (and overseas) pharmaceutical companies, there are potential commercial benefits to Australia. The "discovery" aspect of this work may also identify other cellular responses to mitoxantrone (ie specific genes which are re-expressed) and this may also reveal new targets to further enhance the activity of this drug.Read moreRead less
Molecular basis for the synergistic potentiation of anthracycline anticancer agents by formaldehyde-releasing prodrugs. AIMS: The overall aim is to develop a full understanding of the molecular basis for the synergistic activation of Adriamycin (and other anthracycline anticancer agents) by formaldehyde-releasing prodrugs such as AN-9.
SIGNIFICANCE: Because Adriamycin is currently one of the most widely used anticancer agents, and this activity has the potential to be dramatically enhanced by t ....Molecular basis for the synergistic potentiation of anthracycline anticancer agents by formaldehyde-releasing prodrugs. AIMS: The overall aim is to develop a full understanding of the molecular basis for the synergistic activation of Adriamycin (and other anthracycline anticancer agents) by formaldehyde-releasing prodrugs such as AN-9.
SIGNIFICANCE: Because Adriamycin is currently one of the most widely used anticancer agents, and this activity has the potential to be dramatically enhanced by the concurrent use of formaldehyde-releasing prodrugs, a biochemical understanding of these processes will provide the basis to exploit this synergy to provide improved treatment outcomes (eg, lower drug doses,reduced side-effects, improved activity against drug-resistanct tumours etc).
EXPECTED OUTCOMES: The long-term outcome of this project is commercialisation to develop products for clinical use based on this synergy (eg, drug/prodrug combinations) and ultimately the development of tumour-directed therapy to yield a tumour-localised anticancer response.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100036
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$470,000.00
Summary
A protein molecular interaction and localization facility. This proposal will address a major gap in our mass spectrometry capabilities and aid in our understanding of protein interactions and tissue distribution in areas such as neuroscience, microbiology, immunology, and botany, as well as enhance our understanding of fundamental gas phase chemistry of protein molecules. It brings together a highly successful multidisciplinary team of high-profile researchers with a track record of collaborati ....A protein molecular interaction and localization facility. This proposal will address a major gap in our mass spectrometry capabilities and aid in our understanding of protein interactions and tissue distribution in areas such as neuroscience, microbiology, immunology, and botany, as well as enhance our understanding of fundamental gas phase chemistry of protein molecules. It brings together a highly successful multidisciplinary team of high-profile researchers with a track record of collaboration and delivering outcomes from shared facilities. In addition to these key scientific outcomes this project will also facilitate the training of several new personnel in a skill area for which there is a critical shortage (mass spectrometry) and promote true cross-disciplinary skills.Read moreRead less
New technology for the delivery of peptide-based T-cell vaccines for tumour immunotherapy. This project is dedicated to finding simple methods for vaccinating humans and animals against a wide variety of cancers. Should this be achieved millions of Australians will be protected from the devastating consequences of cancer. Consequently there will be great benefits socially, medically and economically.
New stable and specific mimics of T cell epitopes for tumor immunotherapy. This project is dedicated to finding simple methods for vaccinating humans and animals against a wide variety of cancers. Should this be achieved millions of Australians will be protected from the devastating consequences of cancer. Consequently there will be great benefits socially, medically and economically.
Evolution of a protein fold from toxin to physiological regulator: an endogenous potassium channel blocker in humans. A potassium channel blocking peptide employed by sea anemones as a toxic component of their venom is also found in proteins from a number of higher organisms, including man. In most of these proteins the function of this toxin domain is unknown. This project aims to define the structure and function of this domain in a human protein, matrix metalloprotease 23, which has possible ....Evolution of a protein fold from toxin to physiological regulator: an endogenous potassium channel blocker in humans. A potassium channel blocking peptide employed by sea anemones as a toxic component of their venom is also found in proteins from a number of higher organisms, including man. In most of these proteins the function of this toxin domain is unknown. This project aims to define the structure and function of this domain in a human protein, matrix metalloprotease 23, which has possible roles in prostate and other cancers. Our results will not only be of interest in tracing the structural and functional evolution of this toxin domain but will also provide valuable clues to its role in both the normal physiological function of matrix metalloprotease 23, as well as its potential pathological role in cancer.Read moreRead less