Structural Analysis Of Poxvirus Immature Particles And Spheroids
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$387,489.00
Summary
Despite the eradication of smallpox by vaccination, poxviruses remain a threat to public health because of bioterrorist scares from kept variola stocks and because of the possible emergence of other poxvirus pathogens from the extensive animal reservoir. The structural analysis of the assembly of poxvirus will not only improve our knowledge of fundamental processes, highly conserved in DNA viruses, but could also provide valuable targets for the rational design of antiviral drugs.
Flaviviruses Must Come Of Age: Design Of Stable, Mature Particles By Structural Vaccinology
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,149,487.00
Summary
We have established a powerful toolset combining advanced structural biology and rapid virus engineering that allows us investigate the assembly of flaviviruses in novel ways. This project will integrate these approaches to investigate the role of new ligands that we have identified in the structure of medically-relevant flaviviruses including dengue virus and delineate a novel maturation path for flaviviruses, which will be used to design safer and more effective flavivirus vaccines.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100121
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
Three-dimensional super-resolution nanophotonic fabrication facility. This stimulated emission depletion microscopy nanophotonic fabrication facility will be the first nanophotonic fabrication facility that is able to achieve optical resolution far beyond the diffraction limit, which will facilitate breakthroughs in cutting-edge nanotechnology research areas.
Assembly Of Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain Complexes And Their Defects Associated With Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$413,431.00
Summary
Mitochondrial “respiratory chain complexes are multi-subunit assemblies that function to produce most of our cellular energy. Defects in the assembly of these complexes can result in mitochondrial disease, including infant death. The assembly of the respiratory complexes is a complicated procedure and the mechanisms involved in disease remain elusive. This work will aid in our understanding of how these protein complexes are built and how defects in their assembly can cause disease.
Understanding The Role Of The Scaffolding Protein D13 In Poxvirus Assembly And Its Inhibition By Rifampicin
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$371,275.00
Summary
Smallpox is one the most notorious diseases in human history. Despite its eradication in the 1970s, human cases of animal poxviruses such as monkeypox virus and the potential use of smallpox as a bioterrorism weapon have called for an improved preparedness of Australia against (re)-emerging poxviruses. This project combines structural biology approaches to understand the complex assembly of poxviruses and provide the basis for the development of broad-spectrum antiviral drugs.
Identification Of Host Restriction Factors That Block Respiratory Virus Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$956,898.00
Summary
Following inhalation, respiratory viruses can infect and grow in airway epithelial cells. Although immune cells such as macrophages are also susceptible to infection, this is generally abortive and new viruses are not released. This project will identify proteins induced in macrophages that block respiratory viruses and prevent their spread in the airways. We will also define mechanisms by which some virulent strains overcome this block to grow in macrophages.