Functional Characterisation Of Novel Metabolites In Asthma And Identification Of New Biomarkers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$829,922.00
Summary
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that represents a major health burden. Severe asthma represents 10% of those suffering the disease and poses an urgent problem due to exacerbations and resistance to current therapies. We have conducted the first study of the metabolites that are altered in the airways of patients with severe asthma and identified functional metabolites and disease biomarkers. We now aim to assess the function of these molecules in asthma disease models.
Apoptosis is a fundamental mechanism in regulating normal development and preventing cancer. Cancer cells must avoid apoptosis and also adapt to harsh metabolic environments in order to survive in the absence of effective nutrient supply and to resist the action of certain drugs. This project will provide a detailed analysis of metabolic changes allowing cells to survive long periods when the apoptotic process is absent and nutrients are limiting.
Identification Of Molecular Signatures In Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Australians With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus To Enable A Precision Medicine Approach.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$645,205.00
Summary
Lupus is an incurable illness, strikingly more prevalent and severe in Indigenous Australians. The biological explanation for this has, however, never been explored. Markers measurable in the blood number in the thousands. To discover new drugs, highly complex data analysis methods, known as bioinformatics, are required to analyse the ‘stack’ of these blood markers. This study will be a first in Indigenous Australians with lupus, and will help in patient selection for emerging drugs.
Probing The Gene-Environment Interaction In Metabolic Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$863,910.00
Summary
A major problem with modern medicine is it is based on the law of averages, assuming everybody responds in the same way to a drug or a diet. In view of the diversity between humans as a function of genetic, epigenetic and other factors this is not the case. In the clinic there is marked variation in the response to drugs commonly used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes. This proposal seeks to embrace this complexity to develop a precision medicine approach to future medical care.
Metabolomics Applied To Emerging Infectious Diseases: Advancing Biomarker Discovery And Characterising Host-pathogen Interaction In Melioidosis And Seps
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$420,158.00
Summary
Melioidosis is an emerging disease in Australia and South-East Asia due to its association with diabetes and changing climate. The current clinical methods often fail to save the life of melioidosis patients who develop sepsis. This study will search for melioidosis metabolite biomarkers that help in rapid diagnosis and in selecting adequate treatment which is essential to reduce the mortality. Future, similar studies on other sepsis infections could improve clinical sepsis management world wide ....Melioidosis is an emerging disease in Australia and South-East Asia due to its association with diabetes and changing climate. The current clinical methods often fail to save the life of melioidosis patients who develop sepsis. This study will search for melioidosis metabolite biomarkers that help in rapid diagnosis and in selecting adequate treatment which is essential to reduce the mortality. Future, similar studies on other sepsis infections could improve clinical sepsis management world wide.Read moreRead less
Investigating The Consequences Of Dysregulated Lipogenesis In Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$600,647.00
Summary
Reprogramming of cellular metabolism is a hallmark of cancer. As such, there has been growing interest in developing strategies to exploit metabolism for therapeutic gain. Our ability to do this is dependent on a thorough understanding of the mechanisms by which dysregulation of cellular metabolism contributes to tumour progression. In this project, we seek to the investigate the fundamental mechanisms by which aberrant activation of lipid metabolism contributes to the tumourigenic process.
An Integrated Virtual Cell Approach Towards Elucidating The Systems Pharmacology Of Antibiotics Against Pseudomonas Aeruginosa
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$823,718.00
Summary
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a top-priority dangerous ‘superbug’ causing life-threatening infections worldwide. This innovative study will employ a multi-disciplinary approach to model bacterial responses to antibiotic treatments by taking into account all essential components in a cell. This project is of high significance and will shift the paradigm of traditional antimicrobial pharmacology. Importantly, this proposal targets an urgent and critical global health issue: antibiotic resistance.
Metabolomic Analysis Of Plasmodum Falciparum And Mode Of Action Of Antimalarial Compounds
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$917,196.00
Summary
There is an urgent need to develop new drugs to treat malaria, one of the most important diseases to afflict humanity. We have developed new analytical approaches for measuring parasite metabolism while they live inside host cells. These approaches will be used to identify metabolic pathways that are essential for parasite infectivity and to understand the mode of action of new classes of antimalarial compounds
Discovery Of Active Metabolic Pathways Suitable For Drug Targeting In Trypanosoma Brucei
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$485,517.00
Summary
Sleeping Sickness is a parasitic disease affecting many of the world’s poorest countries, and is fatal if left untreated. The aim of this project is to identify new metabolic pathways in the parasite that causes Sleeping Sickness, and to investigate how drugs interfere with parasite metabolism. This will provide the basis for new drug discovery efforts and facilitate the development of new medicines for Sleeping Sickness.