Understanding the Cellular Pathways of Nuclear Receptor Activation. The success of drug treatment depends critically on specificity, i.e., stimulation of a therapeutic response at a target site, and avoidance of activity at other (potentially toxic) locations. This project aims to explore how drug interactions with binding proteins in the cytosol can induce nuclear transport and tissue specific activation of nuclear receptors - a major drug target. The project intends to employ molecular, struct ....Understanding the Cellular Pathways of Nuclear Receptor Activation. The success of drug treatment depends critically on specificity, i.e., stimulation of a therapeutic response at a target site, and avoidance of activity at other (potentially toxic) locations. This project aims to explore how drug interactions with binding proteins in the cytosol can induce nuclear transport and tissue specific activation of nuclear receptors - a major drug target. The project intends to employ molecular, structural and cell biology approaches to map drug-binding protein-receptor interactions and to determine how the structure of these complexes dictates receptor activation. The data could provide a roadmap to design drugs that interact with the right protein in the right tissue and in doing so dramatically enhance drug specificity.Read moreRead less
Functional Materials to Hijack on Lipid Transport Pathways. This Project aims to provide new design rules for novel polymers with lipid elements that would allow them to interact with natural lipid trafficking pathways in precise ways.
The anticipated goal is to generate a greater understanding on how these materials co-opt lipid transport pathways, serum albumins and lipoprotein nanoparticle assemblies, as a function of lipid component, molecular weight and macromolecular structure.
Expected ....Functional Materials to Hijack on Lipid Transport Pathways. This Project aims to provide new design rules for novel polymers with lipid elements that would allow them to interact with natural lipid trafficking pathways in precise ways.
The anticipated goal is to generate a greater understanding on how these materials co-opt lipid transport pathways, serum albumins and lipoprotein nanoparticle assemblies, as a function of lipid component, molecular weight and macromolecular structure.
Expected outcomes of this project may be novel lipid functional materials with tuneable pharmokinetics, plasma exposure, lymph exposure and biodistribution. These materials would have wide application in the pharmaceutical and veterinary industries.Read moreRead less
Enabling aerosol delivery of phages to defeat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This project aims to explore the use of bacteriophages towards producing a safe, natural, and highly effective alternative to traditional antibiotics. Respiratory infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria are a major health problem worldwide, and cost Australia over $150 million annually. Some 5,000 Australians die each year from antibiotic resistant infections. The project aims to produce efficac ....Enabling aerosol delivery of phages to defeat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This project aims to explore the use of bacteriophages towards producing a safe, natural, and highly effective alternative to traditional antibiotics. Respiratory infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria are a major health problem worldwide, and cost Australia over $150 million annually. Some 5,000 Australians die each year from antibiotic resistant infections. The project aims to produce efficacious and stable formulations of bacteriophages for easy delivery by inhalation as aerosols with a long shelf-life, making them a commercially viable product. The expected research outcome can lead to an economic and efficient technology to produce phage powders for novel treatment strategies of infections by inhalation.Read moreRead less
Engineering of co-crystal drug molecules for pharmaceutical aerosols. This project will enable Australia to become a world leader in treatment of respiratory diseases. The Australian financial burden of respiratory diseases is currently estimated as $900m with significant impact on infrastructure (through regular clinical visits, hospitalisation and workforce loss). The global market for the treatment of COPD is currently $32 billion and is expected to increase significantly by 2010. The positio ....Engineering of co-crystal drug molecules for pharmaceutical aerosols. This project will enable Australia to become a world leader in treatment of respiratory diseases. The Australian financial burden of respiratory diseases is currently estimated as $900m with significant impact on infrastructure (through regular clinical visits, hospitalisation and workforce loss). The global market for the treatment of COPD is currently $32 billion and is expected to increase significantly by 2010. The positioning of an Australian research as a world leader in the development of new treatments will have significant national benefit, whilst the sector will benefit for scientific advancements that arise during this project.Read moreRead less
Treating tuberculosis: targeted delivery of multidrug nano-suspensions. Tuberculosis (TB) is a lung disease of worldwide prevalence. Treatment times are long and mortality is high in children and the elderly. Current treatments are ineffective and drug resistant TB is a real pandemic threat. The project will develop a cost-effective nano-particle system that can be incorporated into conventional nebulisers for use worldwide.
Intracellular lipid binding proteins as gatekeepers of drug activity. This project will explore the mechanisms by which drug molecules interact with lipid transport pathways within cells. The data obtained will provide a framework for the design of a new generation of drug candidates which have the potential to hijack intracellular transport pathways as a mechanism of targeted delivery to their sites of action.
Antibacterial Material Design via Mechanism-Based Mathematical Modelling. This Project aims to provide new rules for the design of novel polymer materials with antibacterial properties by employing mechanism-based mathematical modelling.
This Project expects to generate new understanding of those mechanisms which underpin the antibacterial activity of these materials, how bacteria respond to these through metabolic changes and emergence of resistance.These rules will govern material design to yi ....Antibacterial Material Design via Mechanism-Based Mathematical Modelling. This Project aims to provide new rules for the design of novel polymer materials with antibacterial properties by employing mechanism-based mathematical modelling.
This Project expects to generate new understanding of those mechanisms which underpin the antibacterial activity of these materials, how bacteria respond to these through metabolic changes and emergence of resistance.These rules will govern material design to yield new antibacterial materials with improved properties.
Expected outcomes of this project may be a novel mechanism-based mathematical model that will enable the next-generation of antibacterial materials.
This outcome will help address the increasing economic and social burden of antibiotic drug resistance in Australia.
Read moreRead less
Production of nano-composite particles for inhalational delivery of combination drugs. The project seeks to create a new particle engineering process for pharmaceuticals. The successful outcome will i) enhance substantially the competitiveness of Australia’s research in functional nanomaterials and advanced biomaterials, and ii) benefit the Australian pharmaceutical industry in developing proprietary pharmaceutical formulations.
CHARGED LIPOSACCHARIDE BASED DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM. Complexation of a drug with lipid and/or sugar units represents one of the most important of the strategies being investigated in this burgeoning field. Increasing the lipid solubility of a hydrophilic compound has been established as an important factor in improving its absorption as it is necessary for passive transport across intestinal mucosal membranes. The role of sugar unit is very important: (i) it modifies the physico-chemical propertie ....CHARGED LIPOSACCHARIDE BASED DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM. Complexation of a drug with lipid and/or sugar units represents one of the most important of the strategies being investigated in this burgeoning field. Increasing the lipid solubility of a hydrophilic compound has been established as an important factor in improving its absorption as it is necessary for passive transport across intestinal mucosal membranes. The role of sugar unit is very important: (i) it modifies the physico-chemical properties (solubility), (ii) utilizes active transport systems (e.g. Glucose transport) and (iii) target the compound - "MAGIC BULET" (Lewis X analogues - damaged cells). There is no limit to the areas of medicine and public health that would benefit from revolutionary new technology in these areas.Read moreRead less
Dispersion of Pharmaceutical Powders as Aerosols for Inhalation. The detrimental environmental effects of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) have led to an urgent need of a replacement for the existing CFC propellant driven medical inhalers. Generation of aerosols from dry powders has enormous potential as an alternative for delivery of drugs to the lung. The aims of the proposed research are to investigate specifically the powder surface properties and the orperating conditions on the dispersion of po ....Dispersion of Pharmaceutical Powders as Aerosols for Inhalation. The detrimental environmental effects of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) have led to an urgent need of a replacement for the existing CFC propellant driven medical inhalers. Generation of aerosols from dry powders has enormous potential as an alternative for delivery of drugs to the lung. The aims of the proposed research are to investigate specifically the powder surface properties and the orperating conditions on the dispersion of powders as aerosols for inhalation. The knowledge gained will acclerate the design of better powder aerosols, thus benefiting patients suffering from respiratory and systemic diseases.Read moreRead less