Activation Of The Respiratory Syncytial Virus Fusion Protein
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$582,072.00
Summary
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the most important viral cause of respiratory tract disease in both infants and the elderly. However, there are few available options for control, whether by vaccination or therapeutic intervention. This proposal investigates the way RSV infects cells. A clearer understanding of the molecular basis of this process should provide potential targets for new drugs that can block this process and new insights for the generation of vaccine candidates.
Dissecting The Divisome: Development Of Antibacterial Agents That Inhibit Bacterial Cytokinesis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$504,097.00
Summary
Infectious diseases accounted for 25-30% of the estimated 54 million deaths worldwide in 1998. Unfortunately, the recent spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria from hospitals into the community has coincided with a marked downturn in the rate of development of new antibiotics. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop new antimicrobial agents. The aim of this project is to provide essential groundwork for the development of new antimicrobials that inhibit bacterial cell division.
Towards The Rational Design Of Calcium Sensing Receptor Allosteric Modulators For The Treatment Of Osteoporosis And Calcium Handling Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$741,390.00
Summary
Drugs that target the human calcium sensing receptor can be too strong or too weak, resulting in side effects or lack of efficacy. This proposal thus seeks to establish whether the strength of drug activity can be rationally altered and exploited to treat different disease states by fine-tuning CaSR activity in a disease-specific manner.
Bismuth Compounds And Materials As Antibacterial Agents
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$476,535.00
Summary
Antimicrobial resistance has been identified by the World Health Organisation as one of the greatest threats we face globally. The amount of effective antibacterial agents is rapidly diminishing. The threat of antimicrobial resistance is greatest in hospitals and health-care facilities. Our project aims to produce a new range of bismuth based antibacterial materials, which will be used in devices, coatings and surfaces in the clinic, to combat the rise of infections caused by resistant bacteria.
Development Of Peptide-based Scaffolds For Intracellular Cancer Targets
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,479,836.00
Summary
The overall aim of this project is to develop peptide-based drugs that are able to cross cell membranes and inhibit specific targets inside cells leading to more effective, safer and cost effective drugs for cancer. One potential outcome of the project will be new drug leads to treat melanoma and leukemia that are likely to be less toxic, more potent and less likely to develop resistance than current treatments.
Structure-based Design Of Inhibitors Of PimA - A New Target For Tuberculosis Therapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$666,246.00
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) is a devastating disease that kills 2 million people worldwide each year and affects one-third of the entire human population. Bacterial resistance to existing antibiotics is an ever increasing problem, highlighting the need to develop new anti-TB drugs. The aim of this project is to develop specific inhibitors to target a protein that is essential for the survival of the tuberculosis bacterium.
Characterization Of Haemopoietic Lineage Determining Genes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$631,021.00
Summary
Haemopoiesis is the process by which blood cells develop from stem cells. This process is tightly regulated and is dependant upon the appropriate expression of genes at each developmental stage within various lineages. Our work focuses on two genes (Mlf1 and Hls5) that are involved in determining lineage commitment and affect the expression of key hemopoietic regulators. If these genes are aberrantly expressed leukemias and other blood disorders can develop.