Development of small molecule primary sulfonamides as new drugs for malaria. Malaria is a major global health threat, causing approximately 800,000 deaths annually. Lives can be saved if patients are treated. The use of current antimalarial drugs is limited by drug resistance, low activity and poor safety. This project investigates the effectiveness of a new class of molecule as a safe drug treatment option to kill malaria parasites.
Chemical probes to dissect the cell cycle of globally important parasites . This project aims to develop new reagents, called chemical probes, to visualise key biological events in globally important pathogens. We will use innovative chemistry to modify the building blocks of DNA and provide researchers with essential tools to 'see' DNA synthesis in order to study growth and replication of pathogens in combination with microscopy. This project expects to support a major technical advance that wi ....Chemical probes to dissect the cell cycle of globally important parasites . This project aims to develop new reagents, called chemical probes, to visualise key biological events in globally important pathogens. We will use innovative chemistry to modify the building blocks of DNA and provide researchers with essential tools to 'see' DNA synthesis in order to study growth and replication of pathogens in combination with microscopy. This project expects to support a major technical advance that will address important gaps in our understanding of many pathogens (e.g. those that cause malaria and tuberculosis), at both the cellular and molecular levels. This should provide significant benefits by enabling researchers worldwide to identify new intervention opportunities that target unique aspects of pathogen biology.Read moreRead less
Translating pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data to better design new drugs for the treatment of Trypanosoma cruzi infection. New drugs to treat T. cruzi infection are urgently needed, however their design has been hampered by an incomplete understanding of complex host-parasite interactions, inadequate in vitro and in vivo tools to rigorously define activity during drug discovery, and a poor appreciation of concentration/effect relationships. This project aims to develop new and much needed ....Translating pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data to better design new drugs for the treatment of Trypanosoma cruzi infection. New drugs to treat T. cruzi infection are urgently needed, however their design has been hampered by an incomplete understanding of complex host-parasite interactions, inadequate in vitro and in vivo tools to rigorously define activity during drug discovery, and a poor appreciation of concentration/effect relationships. This project aims to develop new and much needed in vitro methods to better define the kinetic and dynamic activity of new drug candidates, and will provide a rational basis for translating this information into lengthy animal models of T. cruzi infection. The outcome aims to be rationally designed drug candidates that are available in a shorter period of time and are suitable for further development.Read moreRead less
Screening platforms for malaria drug discovery: identification of new therapeutics. Innovative image based technologies will be developed to identify molecules which stop malaria parasite growth and its transmission to the mosquito host. As more resistance is emerging against the current drugs of choice, new molecules acting through different mechanisms are urgently needed.