Conologues: Ultra-fast-acting Therapeutic Insulins Based On Cone Snail Venom Insulin Principles
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,082,866.00
Summary
The increasing prevalence of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes demands better treatments. Our Project is based on a fascinating discovery by our international team of CIs of a new type of insulin within marine organisms that could form the basis of a novel diabetes therapeutic. Within our Project we will exploit this discovery to develop a new class of ultra-rapid-acting therapeutic insulins.
Snake envenoming is a neglected tropical disease and results in numerous deaths, psychological problems and economic burden. Antivenoms aren't readily available in resource poor countries. The CRE will investigate the effects of venom and antivenom to improve understanding of human envenoming. It will also develop tests for early diagnosis of envenoming and undertake clinical trials of antivenom. These studies will be translated back into clinical practice to improve treatment of snake bites.
Snakebite is a worldwide health problem, causing some 100,000 deaths per year. We have preliminary evidence that application of nitric oxide-releasing chemical to the skin presents a novel approach to first aid treatment of venomous bites. The method has the advantage of being simple and reliable and could save lives applied by itself or as an adjunct to pressure bandaging with immobilisation (PBI).
Molecular Toxinology Of Australian Box Jellyfish Venoms
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$283,110.00
Summary
Box jellyfish are an ongoing cause of illness and death for coastal communities and tourist regions in northern Australia. As well as creating a significant medical problem, the resulting closure of beaches during boxjellyfish 'season' results in an enormous loss of tourism income and threatens Australia's reputation as a safe destination. The jellyfish venoms contain toxins with potentially lethal effects on humans. For the first time, using pure venoms derived from the specialised stinging cel ....Box jellyfish are an ongoing cause of illness and death for coastal communities and tourist regions in northern Australia. As well as creating a significant medical problem, the resulting closure of beaches during boxjellyfish 'season' results in an enormous loss of tourism income and threatens Australia's reputation as a safe destination. The jellyfish venoms contain toxins with potentially lethal effects on humans. For the first time, using pure venoms derived from the specialised stinging cells (i.e. nematocytsts), we will isolate and characterize the major toxins from four species of box jellyfish. Their mechanism of action will be determined and the effect of various treatments such as antivenom will be investigated. This will also lead to the discovery of toxins with potentially novel targets and modes of action and increase our understanding of proposed treatments and prevention of stings.Read moreRead less
The mechanisms controlling cell growth are often disrupted in cancers. We have identified on such growth control mechanism. When normal body cells are treated with a particular family of drugs known as histone deacetylase inhibitors, they react by stopping proliferating, but will resume normal growth when the drug is removed. However, we have found that similarly treated tumour cells are killed by these drugs. The difference between the normal and tumour cells is the functionality of a particula ....The mechanisms controlling cell growth are often disrupted in cancers. We have identified on such growth control mechanism. When normal body cells are treated with a particular family of drugs known as histone deacetylase inhibitors, they react by stopping proliferating, but will resume normal growth when the drug is removed. However, we have found that similarly treated tumour cells are killed by these drugs. The difference between the normal and tumour cells is the functionality of a particular growth control. The identification of how this growth control mechanism operates in normal cells, and defining the defect in tumour cells has the potential to identify new targets for more specific and potent anti-cancer drugs. The increased specificity, i.e. destruction of only the tumour cells while have little or no effect on the surround normal body tissue, would be extremely beneficial as one of the drawbacks to conventional anti-cancer treatments is their unwanted normal tissue toxicities. This is cause of the many debilitating side effects associated with chemo and radiotherapy which can limit the clinical effectiveness of these treatments.Read moreRead less
Discovering New Pathways To Improved Biotherapeutic Treatment Of Snakebite Envenoming.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$314,644.00
Summary
Snakebite is a public health emergency affecting up to 5.4 million people a year, causing up to 125,000 deaths. This multidisciplinary project will develop a new generation of medicines for treating snakebites, using innovative design approaches supported by cutting edge science and novel production ideas. Directly focused on improving antivenom effectiveness in the treatment of snakebites in Australia, Africa and Papua New Guinea, the results will make Australia a world leader in this field.
Identification And Characterization Of Novel Bioactive Peptides From Australian Conesnails Targeting Pain Pathways
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$320,803.00
Summary
In recent years, significant advances have been made in the identification of new targets in the central or peripheral nervous systems which may be used to develop new pain killers. However, molecules specifically targeting these receptors and channels are lacking to date. This project will use novel cell-based approaches to find new molecules from conesnails which specifically target receptors involved in pain. These will be useful to increase our understanding of the mechanisms of pain.