Bioactive Polymers for Wound Healing Applications. VitroGroR is a growth factor complex which enhances cell growth and migration, and hence has great potential for treating wounds. Tissue Therapies, which holds the rights to commercialization of VitroGroR, is seeking to develop methods of delivering VitroGroR in its active form to the wound environment. Two solutions to this problem will be developed in this project; a bioactive bandage containing a novel combination of microspheres and a hydrog ....Bioactive Polymers for Wound Healing Applications. VitroGroR is a growth factor complex which enhances cell growth and migration, and hence has great potential for treating wounds. Tissue Therapies, which holds the rights to commercialization of VitroGroR, is seeking to develop methods of delivering VitroGroR in its active form to the wound environment. Two solutions to this problem will be developed in this project; a bioactive bandage containing a novel combination of microspheres and a hydrogel matrix, and secondly an in-situ polymerisable matrix for treatment of deep wounds. The growth factor complex will be protected from aggressive proteases through encapsulation within microspheres, and the use of MMP-inhibiting comonomers.Read moreRead less
Transdermal penetration of corticosteroids in the dog. Topical application of corticosteroids enhances drug concentration and effectiveness in the treatment of skin diseases. Most topical corticosteroid preparations have been developed for human use and are poorly efficacious or promote a high incidence of adverse effects in dogs. This project will characterize corticosteroid penetration through canine skin to permit the development of suitable topical formulations to more effectively control ....Transdermal penetration of corticosteroids in the dog. Topical application of corticosteroids enhances drug concentration and effectiveness in the treatment of skin diseases. Most topical corticosteroid preparations have been developed for human use and are poorly efficacious or promote a high incidence of adverse effects in dogs. This project will characterize corticosteroid penetration through canine skin to permit the development of suitable topical formulations to more effectively control skin diseases in the dog. Skin diseases are a significant problem in veterinary science and this project will not only provide an effective therapeutic option, but also reduce animal (and client) distress when suffering skin disease and/or adverse effects from traditional therapy.Read moreRead less
Molecularly engineered cell-instructive hydrogels for enhanced tissue regeneration. The outcomes of this project will be relevant to range of wounds, including burns, bed-sores, and diabetic and venous ulcers. Clearly, innovation in wound healing is urgently required as the treatment of wounds represents a significant challenge at all levels of our society, in terms of cost (physical, emotional and financial) to patients, the economy and to the wider community. Despite this obvious and overwhelm ....Molecularly engineered cell-instructive hydrogels for enhanced tissue regeneration. The outcomes of this project will be relevant to range of wounds, including burns, bed-sores, and diabetic and venous ulcers. Clearly, innovation in wound healing is urgently required as the treatment of wounds represents a significant challenge at all levels of our society, in terms of cost (physical, emotional and financial) to patients, the economy and to the wider community. Despite this obvious and overwhelming need, research in wound healing is relatively under-developed and has yet to adopt modern biotechnology and biomaterials approaches. This project is therefore directed at generating cost-effective frontier wound dressing technologies that accelerate wound repair.Read moreRead less
Development of carbohydrate-based drug delivery systems. Chronic skin disorders affect 5% of the population. Treatment is challenging and long term because these disorders are chronic and unpredictable. Currently the most potent therapies for psoriasis are administered systemically. Long term usage of these therapies causes side effects such as kidney or liver damage. This proposal describes a new approach to the topical treatment of psoriasis where potent drugs are linked to a hyaluronan sca ....Development of carbohydrate-based drug delivery systems. Chronic skin disorders affect 5% of the population. Treatment is challenging and long term because these disorders are chronic and unpredictable. Currently the most potent therapies for psoriasis are administered systemically. Long term usage of these therapies causes side effects such as kidney or liver damage. This proposal describes a new approach to the topical treatment of psoriasis where potent drugs are linked to a hyaluronan scaffold molecule and are directly applied to the diseased tissue. Advantages of this approach include targeted drug delivery mediated by hyaluronan receptor processes and potential amelioration of the observed drug toxicities.Read moreRead less
Unraveling the genetic networks of cancer development. Cancer causes nearly 30% of all deaths in Australia and the aging of our population means that its incidence will increase for the foreseeable future. The past two decades of cancer research have yielded great advances in identifying the genetic mutations that contribute to cancer, but our understanding of how these mutations cooperate to transform a healthy cell into a tumour cell remains limited. High-throughput genomic analysis of DNA fro ....Unraveling the genetic networks of cancer development. Cancer causes nearly 30% of all deaths in Australia and the aging of our population means that its incidence will increase for the foreseeable future. The past two decades of cancer research have yielded great advances in identifying the genetic mutations that contribute to cancer, but our understanding of how these mutations cooperate to transform a healthy cell into a tumour cell remains limited. High-throughput genomic analysis of DNA from large numbers of tumours is essential to identify and understand the combinations of cancer mutations that are most deadly. Such studies can form the basis for developing better diagnostics and new treatments for patients whose tumours are resistant to current therapies.Read moreRead less
Synthesis of the pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepines: potent DNA binders. Chemicals that bind to DNA have a long history of use as anticancer drugs. In recent times, the biotechnology revolution has greatly expanded our understanding of how these drugs work and the genetic basis of a wide range of other diseases. The aim of this project is to discover novel compounds that selectively bind to DNA. Starting from a class of naturally occurring compounds (called the pyrrolobenzodiazepines) as a templ ....Synthesis of the pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepines: potent DNA binders. Chemicals that bind to DNA have a long history of use as anticancer drugs. In recent times, the biotechnology revolution has greatly expanded our understanding of how these drugs work and the genetic basis of a wide range of other diseases. The aim of this project is to discover novel compounds that selectively bind to DNA. Starting from a class of naturally occurring compounds (called the pyrrolobenzodiazepines) as a template, it will develop powerful new methods to supply wholly new DNA interactive molecules with great potential as new drugs to treat cancer or other genetic diseases.Read moreRead less
Anti-Cancer Natural Products: Total Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Lasonolide A and Analogues. One in three men and one in four women in Australia will be diagnosed with cancer before they reach 75. Cancer is a leading cause of death within this country with 28% of deaths each year due to this disease. Although there have been advances in the treatment of various forms of cancer there remains a pressing need for new therapies with improved potency, selectivity and reduced side effects. T ....Anti-Cancer Natural Products: Total Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Lasonolide A and Analogues. One in three men and one in four women in Australia will be diagnosed with cancer before they reach 75. Cancer is a leading cause of death within this country with 28% of deaths each year due to this disease. Although there have been advances in the treatment of various forms of cancer there remains a pressing need for new therapies with improved potency, selectivity and reduced side effects. This project will provide new compounds of potential clinical use in the treatment of cancer, thereby aiding the large population of Australians who will be affected by this disease. Furthermore, the new advanced materials produced by this project will aid in the study of biochemical processes involved in cancer.Read moreRead less
Redox-Tuneable Sensitisers for Photodynamic Therapy of Malignant and Non-Malignant Proliferative Diseases. Cancer is currently Australia's leading cause of death with 85 231 new cases reported during 2000, costing the health system >$2 billion annually. Photodynamic Therapy is a promising anti-cancer therapy which combines the action of a photosensitising drug and light to destroy tumours. This project will lead to the development of new photosensitisers which will enable the specific targeting ....Redox-Tuneable Sensitisers for Photodynamic Therapy of Malignant and Non-Malignant Proliferative Diseases. Cancer is currently Australia's leading cause of death with 85 231 new cases reported during 2000, costing the health system >$2 billion annually. Photodynamic Therapy is a promising anti-cancer therapy which combines the action of a photosensitising drug and light to destroy tumours. This project will lead to the development of new photosensitisers which will enable the specific targeting of tumours while protecting healthy tissue from damage. Post-treatment skin photosensitivity will be minimised by antioxidant features integrated into the photosensitisers. The development of improved photosensitisers during this project will ultimately lead to improved treatment and new alternatives for Australian cancer sufferers.Read moreRead less
Genetic manipulation of Clostridium sporogenes. The overall objective of this project is to develop genetic methods for the manipulation of the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium sporogenes. Specifically, the project aims to manipulate this microorganism so that genes encoding enzymes that convert prodrugs to anticancer drugs can be introduced and stably maintained on its chromosome. The significance of the project is that the resultant bacteria, and others constructed using these methods, will th ....Genetic manipulation of Clostridium sporogenes. The overall objective of this project is to develop genetic methods for the manipulation of the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium sporogenes. Specifically, the project aims to manipulate this microorganism so that genes encoding enzymes that convert prodrugs to anticancer drugs can be introduced and stably maintained on its chromosome. The significance of the project is that the resultant bacteria, and others constructed using these methods, will then be able to be tested for their ability to act as specific drug delivery systems for use in the treatment of solid tumours.Read moreRead less
Anticancer Agents from Australian Marine Biodiversity. This project aims to initiate a proof of concept research collaboration in order to detect, isolate, characterise, identify and evaluate new marine anticancer drugs. This will be achieved through screening Australian marine biodiversity for the ability to inhibit key processes in tumor cell physiology. Significant outcomes from the project will not only be targets that yield new anticancer agents, but also the participation of Australian r ....Anticancer Agents from Australian Marine Biodiversity. This project aims to initiate a proof of concept research collaboration in order to detect, isolate, characterise, identify and evaluate new marine anticancer drugs. This will be achieved through screening Australian marine biodiversity for the ability to inhibit key processes in tumor cell physiology. Significant outcomes from the project will not only be targets that yield new anticancer agents, but also the participation of Australian researchers in the environmentally sustainable exploration, discovery and development of next generation anticancer drugs from Australia's unique marine biodiversity. Read moreRead less