Production Of A Novel Humanised Anti Dendritic Cell Therapeutic Antibody For Graft Versus Host Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$202,500.00
Summary
A transplant of bone marrow or other source of blood stem cells from a donor is often used to treat leukaemia patients whose disease has failed to respond to chemotherapy. The Mater Medical Research Institute has developed a world first dendritic cell depleting therapeutic antibody which may open a new strategy for the control of acute graft versus host disease, which is a very common and often fatal complication of bone marrow transplantation. The new antibody treatment is also likely to be use ....A transplant of bone marrow or other source of blood stem cells from a donor is often used to treat leukaemia patients whose disease has failed to respond to chemotherapy. The Mater Medical Research Institute has developed a world first dendritic cell depleting therapeutic antibody which may open a new strategy for the control of acute graft versus host disease, which is a very common and often fatal complication of bone marrow transplantation. The new antibody treatment is also likely to be useful for the prevention of rejection in solid organ transplantation. If successful, it will selectively control graft versus host disease, without compromising the essential anti-viral immunity and desired anti-leukemia activity of the graft.Read moreRead less
Monoclonal Antibodies Targeting Plasma Cells As Novel Therapeutic Agents And Diagnostic Tools
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$199,275.00
Summary
We have a new tool to identify a very rare immune cell type. This cell makes antibodies, powerful and exquisitely specific proteins that fight infection. In health, antibody-producing cells are beneficial, but in disease (rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and myeloma), these cells cause disease or death. Antibody-producing cells are long-lived. We have no means to specifically deplete them. We are developing reagents to identify and deplete antibody-producing cells to use as novel therapeutic agents.
Development Of A Protein Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor For Modification Of GAG Chains And Prevention Of Atherosclerosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$389,778.00
Summary
The major health issue in Australia is vascular and cardiovascular disease resulting from obesity and diabetes. Whilst prevention strategies based on lifestyle changes are preferable, treating cardiovascular risk factors with the latest drugs has been shown to produce significant benefits. There is however a large group of patients who still acquire cardiovascular disease in spite of drug therapy. New therapies are required and these will most likely target blood vessels directly. We have identi ....The major health issue in Australia is vascular and cardiovascular disease resulting from obesity and diabetes. Whilst prevention strategies based on lifestyle changes are preferable, treating cardiovascular risk factors with the latest drugs has been shown to produce significant benefits. There is however a large group of patients who still acquire cardiovascular disease in spite of drug therapy. New therapies are required and these will most likely target blood vessels directly. We have identified a biochemical mechanism that represents a prime target for vascular wall directed therapy and we aim to exploit the therapeutic potential of this pathway by developing a drug to prevent atherosclerosis. A group of large molecules which have recently received increasing attention are the proteoglycans, combined protein-sugar molecules which are heavily coated with negatively charged groups. The binding and retention of lipids in the wall of the blood vessel is the main cause of atherosclerosis. Specifically, the length of the sugar (GAG) chains on the proteoglycans determines the binding of the lipids. We have discovered a new class of inhibitors which directly target proteoglycan synthesis in the vessel wall and greatly reduce the interaction between proteoglycans and lipids. We wish to demonstrate the efficacy of our compound in an animal model with the aim to produce a marked reduction in the rate and extent of development of atherosclerosis. This would lay the foundation for the compound to be taken into human safety trials and subsequently develop an agent for the prevention of atherosclerosis and a thus a reduction in cardiovascular disease.Read moreRead less