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There is an ongoing need for the development of new anticancer drugs, particularly those directed against solid tumours. In the past plants have been an extremely valuable source of anticancer agents, including the world s best selling anticancer drug, Taxol, isolated from the Pacific Yew tree. However, such molecules are typically complex and often very expensive to manufacture or extract from natural sources. So far very little attention has been paid to protein-based molecules from plants as ....There is an ongoing need for the development of new anticancer drugs, particularly those directed against solid tumours. In the past plants have been an extremely valuable source of anticancer agents, including the world s best selling anticancer drug, Taxol, isolated from the Pacific Yew tree. However, such molecules are typically complex and often very expensive to manufacture or extract from natural sources. So far very little attention has been paid to protein-based molecules from plants as potential anticancer agents because pharmaceutical companies have focused on organic molecules. In principle protein-based molecules could be produced much more cheaply and thus made available more widely to patients than existing drugs. All that is required are the lead molecules, or proteins that display sufficient anticancer activity to be used as the basis for further optimization. We have discovered a family of plant proteins called the cyclotides that have recently been shown to have considerable promise as anticancer agents. In the current project we will use synthetic chemistry to modify selected amino acids on the surface of this new family of proteins to determine which parts of the molecules are responsible for their activity. We will use this information to design improved analogues. The project is a collaboration between researchers at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, who have expertise in the required peptide chemistry and researchers and clinicians at Uppsala University, Sweden who have a range of assays and clinical expertise to test the new molecules. Both groups have been centrally involved in the discovery of the cyclotide family of plant proteins and are committed to developing them as exciting new anticancer agents.Read moreRead less
I am a molecular biologist interested in understanding how cells are able to actively kill themselves, and how cells make the decision to live or die. Understanding how cells kill themselves will ultimately lead to better therapies designed to kill cancer
Role Of Transformation And IAPs In Sensitivity Of Cells To TNFalpha
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$505,786.00
Summary
Current cancer treatments are ineffective and unpleasant for patients. This is because existing cancer treatments target normal as well as cancer cells. New anti-cancer drugs have been designed to encourage cancer cells to kill themselves, by a process called apoptosis, but may still target normal cells. This project aims to discover why cancer cells are susceptible to a novel anti-cancer drug and a natural ligand called TNF but normal cells are not. This will lead to better treatments.
Apo2L/TRAIL Killing Of Tumour Cells And The Role Of Inhibitor Of Apoptosis Proteins
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,321.00
Summary
Melanomas and Gliomas are tumour types that respond poorly to current treatments. Current treatments are not only sometimes ineffective, but also unpleasant and may cause co-lateral damage. We will test 2 new targetted anti-cancer treatments, that so far appear to have minor side effects in small animal models, on these difficult to treat tumour types to see if and how they kill them. We also want to know whether these independent treatments can work together to kill tumours more effectively. Al ....Melanomas and Gliomas are tumour types that respond poorly to current treatments. Current treatments are not only sometimes ineffective, but also unpleasant and may cause co-lateral damage. We will test 2 new targetted anti-cancer treatments, that so far appear to have minor side effects in small animal models, on these difficult to treat tumour types to see if and how they kill them. We also want to know whether these independent treatments can work together to kill tumours more effectively. Although we will not personally test these drugs in clinical settings, these drugs or similar are currently in preclinical and clinical trials. This means that understanding how these drugs function is of paramount importance and may result in better clinical trials and possibly more rapid acceptance of the use of these drugs in patients.Read moreRead less
Advanced Anti-cancer Activities With Therapeutic Agents That Induce Tumor Cell Apoptosis And Antitumor Immune Responses.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$85,701.00
Summary
The aim is to perform pre-clinical studies to identify new therapies for blood cancers. We will utilise three new anti-cancer agents that kill tumor cells and genetically engineered mice that develop cancer. We will determine if these three new agents kill the mouse tumor cells and activate anti-tumor immunity. The combined effect of killing blood cancer cells using new therapeutics, coupled with enhancing the anti-cancer immune response may hold the key to developing new treatments.
2-Methoxyestradiol Analogues: Prototype Modulators Of Annexin II-dependent Plasminogen Activation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$369,690.00
Summary
The enzyme system that enables us to dissolve blood clots is similar to the system that enables cancer cells to escape from the primary tumour and travel in the blood to another organ to form a secondary cancer growth. We have new results showing that some drug candidates can distinguish between these two closely related enzyme systems. We are now working to develop inhibitors that will stop cancer cells from spreading without compromising the ability to dissolve blood clots.
Development Of Small Molecule Isoform-Selective Dynamin Inhibitors
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$85,526.00
Summary
Dynamin has roles in nerve cell communication and in cell division. There are 3 dynamin genes: dynamin I in brain; dynamin II in all cells; and dynamin III in brain and testes. Determination of potential selectivity of small molecule dynamin inhibitors for each dynamin gene can provide a basis for the development of new antiepileptic drugs which are specific for dynamin I and thus neuronal tissues, as well as new anticancer drugs that target dynamin II in nonneuronal cells.
Development Of A Simple Chemical Test For Detecting DNA-interacting Compounds For Medical And
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$315,450.00
Summary
The project exploits a simple chemical reaction to detect and measure the interaction of compounds with DNA. The test will be useful in the early screening of drug candidates for genotoxicity, identifying new anticancer drugs and also find application in the environmental, cosmetic and food industries. Work will focus on establishing peak conditions for the test, determining the scope of application, testing a panel of control compounds and performing a blind study to provide proof of concept.