Eradicating Leukaemic Stem Cells By Targeting The Arginine Methyltransferase PRMT5
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$770,950.00
Summary
Acute leukemia is a devastating cancer arising from primitive cells in the bone marrow called stem cells. We have identified a protein (PRMT5) that is highly expressed in leukemia stem cells. Our preliminary experiments suggest that blocking the function of this protein with a novel drug can stop the growth of these cells. This project will use a variety of mouse models of acute leukemia to determine how PRMT5 keeps stem cells alive and whether this drug will be a valuable new treatment.
Microenvironmental Impact In The Treatment Of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$621,458.00
Summary
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia remains one of the leading causes of death in children and outcomes for adults with this disease remain poor. This project examines how manipulation of the environment where leukemia arises can be used to therpaeutic advancage. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells are highly dependent on the support provided by bone marrow cells but the mechanisms are not well understood. Disrupting signals from the bone marrow cells has potential as a therapeutic strategy.
Harnessing RNA Interference In Gene Therapy Vectors For ?-thalassaemia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$719,188.00
Summary
There is an urgent need to develop safe and effective treatments for ?-thalassaemia. We anticipate that ?-globin-specific RNAi sequences will synergise with ?-globin transgene expression to achieve balanced ?-/?-globin ratio in a clinical setting. Given that one of the major issues with current gene therapy vectors is achieving high levels of expression, we believe this will be a more effective gene therapy strategy than ?-globin transgene expression alone.
We want to understand more about the control of blood cell formation and the development of leukemia. We have discovered one gene that is very important in both these processes. It is the most common genetic abnormality involved in causing human T-cell leukemia, and we have recently shown that it is absolutely required for the development of all blood cells within an animal. We wish to take these observations further so that we can ultimately understand how a gene important in blood cell formati ....We want to understand more about the control of blood cell formation and the development of leukemia. We have discovered one gene that is very important in both these processes. It is the most common genetic abnormality involved in causing human T-cell leukemia, and we have recently shown that it is absolutely required for the development of all blood cells within an animal. We wish to take these observations further so that we can ultimately understand how a gene important in blood cell formation can also be important in causing leukemia. Here we propose to use genetic engineering approaches to generate mice in which the function of this gene is ablated or removed in a controlled and regulated fashion.Read moreRead less
Analysis Of The Hematopoietic Function Of Endophilin And MASH Proteins
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,055.00
Summary
We want to understand more about the control of blood cell formation and the development of leukaemia. We have discovered one gene that is very important in both these processes. It is the most common genetic abnormality involved in causing human T-cell leukaemia and we have recently shown that it is absolutely required for the development of all blood cells within an animal. We wish to understand how a gene important in blood cell formation can also be important in causing leukaemia. To address ....We want to understand more about the control of blood cell formation and the development of leukaemia. We have discovered one gene that is very important in both these processes. It is the most common genetic abnormality involved in causing human T-cell leukaemia and we have recently shown that it is absolutely required for the development of all blood cells within an animal. We wish to understand how a gene important in blood cell formation can also be important in causing leukaemia. To address this we will study a new molecule with which it partners, and two molecules via which it exerts its actions.Read moreRead less
Molecular Regulation Of Haematopoiesis In Health And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$863,413.00
Summary
The blood forming system coordinates production of cells that confer immunity to infection, transport oxygen and assist blood clotting. When the molecular mechanisms that control these functions go awry, diseases including leukaemia and autoimmunity result. This research will define fundamental molecular regulators of blood cell production and function, assess their role in blood cell diseases and explore their potential to provide leads for development of new therapeutics.