Drug Companies, their Patenting Strategies and High-Cost Pharmaceuticals: An Empirical Investigation. Pharmaceuticals are a vital part of clinical services that maintain and improve Australia's health; they are also costly, absorbing a substantial proportion of the national health expenditures. By conferring market protections, the patent system helps the manufacturers of pharmaceuticals to recoup the high costs of research associated with developing new products. Abuses of the patent system by ....Drug Companies, their Patenting Strategies and High-Cost Pharmaceuticals: An Empirical Investigation. Pharmaceuticals are a vital part of clinical services that maintain and improve Australia's health; they are also costly, absorbing a substantial proportion of the national health expenditures. By conferring market protections, the patent system helps the manufacturers of pharmaceuticals to recoup the high costs of research associated with developing new products. Abuses of the patent system by pharmaceutical manufacturers have the potential to stifle competition and inappropriately raise the costs of pharmaceuticals to society. This innovative, cross-disciplinary, research will investigate the existence of abusive patents and, if necessary, propose reforms that will prevent further abuse and reduce the size of the health budget. 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
Understanding the cardioprotective effects of flavonols. Heart attack and stroke are a major cause of death and disablement in Australia. Current therapies do not treat the underlying causes of these diseases. In this project we will investigate a promising new drug treatment for these diseases and will determine how this poorly understood drug acts to reduce damage to the heart. This project will lead to new treatments for cardiovascular diseases and will enhance our understanding of the causes ....Understanding the cardioprotective effects of flavonols. Heart attack and stroke are a major cause of death and disablement in Australia. Current therapies do not treat the underlying causes of these diseases. In this project we will investigate a promising new drug treatment for these diseases and will determine how this poorly understood drug acts to reduce damage to the heart. This project will lead to new treatments for cardiovascular diseases and will enhance our understanding of the causes of these disease states.Read moreRead less
RCTs on Trial: How Placebo Effects Could Undermine Double-blind RCTs. Double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard for establishing treatment efficacy. However, there are both theoretical and empirical reasons to believe that they do not adequately control for the placebo effect. Cost and ethical considerations prevent researchers conducting actual double-blind RCTs with patients from exploring these issues. To address this gap, this project uses nove ....RCTs on Trial: How Placebo Effects Could Undermine Double-blind RCTs. Double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard for establishing treatment efficacy. However, there are both theoretical and empirical reasons to believe that they do not adequately control for the placebo effect. Cost and ethical considerations prevent researchers conducting actual double-blind RCTs with patients from exploring these issues. To address this gap, this project uses novel experimental models to systematically test key aspects of the double-blind RCT methodology that are intended to control for the placebo effect. The project aims to provide essential data on the validity of these trials, thereby improving Australia's health and ensuring that Government treatment subsidies are well spent.Read moreRead less
Regulating Medical Nanotechnology in Australia: Developing Practical Improvements in Safety and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis. This Project will provide policy makers with previously unavailable detailed information and well developed, innovative regulatory options, on how best to ensure safe and cost-effective use of one of the fastest growing areas of Australian research and development: medical nanotechnology. The Project will benefit Australian healthcare workers and patients who will increasi ....Regulating Medical Nanotechnology in Australia: Developing Practical Improvements in Safety and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis. This Project will provide policy makers with previously unavailable detailed information and well developed, innovative regulatory options, on how best to ensure safe and cost-effective use of one of the fastest growing areas of Australian research and development: medical nanotechnology. The Project will benefit Australian healthcare workers and patients who will increasingly be exposed to, and concerned about, the risks of medical nanotechnology. It will help to facilitate export and institutional uptake of Australian medical nanotechnology products, by ensuring they comply with world's best practise safety standards and offer value for public expenditure. Read moreRead less
Towards safe care and consumer engagement: addressing the complexities of communication processes for managing medications in hospitals. Ineffective communication is the most common cause of medication problems in Australia. This study focuses on how health professionals of various disciplines including medicine, pharmacy and nursing communicate with each other about medications. Integral involvement of consumers and family members will ensure that health and social outcomes are considered from ....Towards safe care and consumer engagement: addressing the complexities of communication processes for managing medications in hospitals. Ineffective communication is the most common cause of medication problems in Australia. This study focuses on how health professionals of various disciplines including medicine, pharmacy and nursing communicate with each other about medications. Integral involvement of consumers and family members will ensure that health and social outcomes are considered from different perspectives, which are therefore likely to be successful. Examination of communication processes will help lead to safe care and consumer involvement. The unique knowledge obtained will inform policies in various clinical settings and identify strategies for better communication. Health professionals and consumers can adopt these strategies to improve medication safety. Read moreRead less
A fundamental study of the role of signal transduction pathways in the regulation of Chlamydia's complex developmental cycle. Chlamydia are unique organisms in the microbial world. They are among the smallest bacteria and yet have a complex two-stage developmental cycle. In addition they are major causes of disease in animals and humans with no vaccines available. We have used the recent flood of full genome sequence data to identify over 30 new cell signalling proteins. By understanding how the ....A fundamental study of the role of signal transduction pathways in the regulation of Chlamydia's complex developmental cycle. Chlamydia are unique organisms in the microbial world. They are among the smallest bacteria and yet have a complex two-stage developmental cycle. In addition they are major causes of disease in animals and humans with no vaccines available. We have used the recent flood of full genome sequence data to identify over 30 new cell signalling proteins. By understanding how these cell signaling proteins are organized into pathways and how this microorganism controls its complex growth and developmental cycle, we will be able to develop novel methods of control. We are at the fore front of international research and therefore uniquely placed to conduct this project.Read moreRead less
A study of the nongenomic action of Vitamin D: proposed role of the nuclear VDR and downstream signalling molecules. Vitamin D (1,25D) activates genes in the nucleus through the vitamin D receptor (VDR). 1,25D can also elicit rapid responses at the plasma membrane. This action is critical to the activation of nuclear genes. We hypothesise that a proportion of the nuclear VDR is located at the plasma membrane where it stimulates downstream signalling molecules eg Ras, ERK1/2 and ERK5. We plan to ....A study of the nongenomic action of Vitamin D: proposed role of the nuclear VDR and downstream signalling molecules. Vitamin D (1,25D) activates genes in the nucleus through the vitamin D receptor (VDR). 1,25D can also elicit rapid responses at the plasma membrane. This action is critical to the activation of nuclear genes. We hypothesise that a proportion of the nuclear VDR is located at the plasma membrane where it stimulates downstream signalling molecules eg Ras, ERK1/2 and ERK5. We plan to explore this hypothesis and to identify the signalling molecules. We will also investigate our novel finding that a specific Ras isoform is involved in ERK5 activation. The work will provide new information on signalling pathways.Read moreRead less