Development of therapeutic agents that target carbonic anhydrase enzymes. This research will discover new chemical entities (compounds) that may lead to therapies for the treatment of cancer, glaucoma and malaria. The research underpins a mechanism to add value to our compounds before partnering with industry to transform the discoveries made here to deliverable therapies that could benefit the health of millions, thus offering a potentially high value contribution to the Australian economy. The ....Development of therapeutic agents that target carbonic anhydrase enzymes. This research will discover new chemical entities (compounds) that may lead to therapies for the treatment of cancer, glaucoma and malaria. The research underpins a mechanism to add value to our compounds before partnering with industry to transform the discoveries made here to deliverable therapies that could benefit the health of millions, thus offering a potentially high value contribution to the Australian economy. The experience and commitment of the multi-disciplinary network of researchers offers exceptional training and employment opportunities for tomorrow's scientists in techniques for discovery and characterisation of novel chemicals, and their interaction with disease targets.Read moreRead less
Development of Acid Degradable Polymeric Nanoparticles for Intracellular and Tumour Site Selective Delivery of Drugs. There is an enormous need to develop effective anticancer drug delivery systems to reduce the social and economic impact of cancer. One of the most critical problems in tumour treatment is the lack of selective toxicity of anticancer drugs against tumour tissues. Our multidisciplinary team will aim to develop a novel polymer based system for tumour site-selective delivery of anti ....Development of Acid Degradable Polymeric Nanoparticles for Intracellular and Tumour Site Selective Delivery of Drugs. There is an enormous need to develop effective anticancer drug delivery systems to reduce the social and economic impact of cancer. One of the most critical problems in tumour treatment is the lack of selective toxicity of anticancer drugs against tumour tissues. Our multidisciplinary team will aim to develop a novel polymer based system for tumour site-selective delivery of anticancer drugs. Development of such advanced drug delivery systems will significantly enhance Australia`s power in biotechnology. Development and/or formation of strategies to improve the health quality of Australians, is an important anticipated outcome of this innovative project.Read moreRead less
Development and Evaluation of Well-Defined Polymer-RNA Conjugates as Improved Therapeutics. Gene-based drugs offer an enormous potential to treat a wide range of diseases including, but not limited to, AIDS, hepatitis, and cancer. However, effective delivery of these drugs in body is needed to convert their therapeutic potential to clinically applicable treatments. Our multidisciplinary team will aim to develop novel, polymer-gene hybrid materials for efficient delivery of gene based therapeuti ....Development and Evaluation of Well-Defined Polymer-RNA Conjugates as Improved Therapeutics. Gene-based drugs offer an enormous potential to treat a wide range of diseases including, but not limited to, AIDS, hepatitis, and cancer. However, effective delivery of these drugs in body is needed to convert their therapeutic potential to clinically applicable treatments. Our multidisciplinary team will aim to develop novel, polymer-gene hybrid materials for efficient delivery of gene based therapeutics. Development of such advanced drug delivery systems will significantly enhance Australia`s power in biotechnology. Development and/or formation of new materials and strategies to improve the health quality of Australians, is an important anticipated outcome of this innovative project. Read moreRead less
Development of a prime-boost anti-cancer vaccine. New vaccination strategies are urgently needed for a variety of diseases, including cancer. The problem with cancer vaccines is that it is difficult to trigger a response to a self protein. We propose that a prime-boost vaccination, using yellow fever virus and modified vaccinia virus ankara, could create very strong responses against tumor antigens. This approach can be patented and can revive that field of tumor vaccination, which is currently ....Development of a prime-boost anti-cancer vaccine. New vaccination strategies are urgently needed for a variety of diseases, including cancer. The problem with cancer vaccines is that it is difficult to trigger a response to a self protein. We propose that a prime-boost vaccination, using yellow fever virus and modified vaccinia virus ankara, could create very strong responses against tumor antigens. This approach can be patented and can revive that field of tumor vaccination, which is currently restrained by the difficulty of breaking immunological tolerance. We envisage the construction of a anti-cancer vaccine vector with obvious market potential. An exciting prospect is that this approach could be used as a prophylactic vaccine and possibly also as a therapeutic vaccine.Read moreRead less
Stem cell-based interface tissue engineering. Osteoarthritis (OA) causes extreme pain, disability, and reduced quality of life and overall productivity. It is the musculoskeletal disorder with the greatest social and economic implications internationally, with 9.3% of the adult population projected to suffer from OA by 2030. A tissue engineered product capable of functional repair of ligament-cartilage-bone tissue interfaces will have significant benefits. It will improve patient activity and qu ....Stem cell-based interface tissue engineering. Osteoarthritis (OA) causes extreme pain, disability, and reduced quality of life and overall productivity. It is the musculoskeletal disorder with the greatest social and economic implications internationally, with 9.3% of the adult population projected to suffer from OA by 2030. A tissue engineered product capable of functional repair of ligament-cartilage-bone tissue interfaces will have significant benefits. It will improve patient activity and quality of life, and significantly reduce OA-associated health care costs. This proposal will train a total of 12 new generation researchers in the emergent fields of stem cell biology and tissue engineering, having important benefits for the Australian scientific and industrial communities.Read moreRead less