Developing Drugs To Prevent Prostate Cancer Spread.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$99,248.00
Summary
Current therapies for prostate cancer lose their efficacy as the cancer advances. Moreover, despite the spread of cancer being the major cause of prostate cancer mortality, there is no therapy available which selectively targets this process, thus new agents are needed. By using computer modelling to predict molecules that bind to the cell surface protein CD151 and testing these in biological assays, we aim to discover molecules that reduce cell migration of prostate cancer and that can be devel ....Current therapies for prostate cancer lose their efficacy as the cancer advances. Moreover, despite the spread of cancer being the major cause of prostate cancer mortality, there is no therapy available which selectively targets this process, thus new agents are needed. By using computer modelling to predict molecules that bind to the cell surface protein CD151 and testing these in biological assays, we aim to discover molecules that reduce cell migration of prostate cancer and that can be developed into anti-migration drugs.Read moreRead less
Actin filaments are part of a dynamic network of protein fibres inside each cell and play a role in cell shape, movement and division. Cancer cells hijack specific types of actin filaments to spread throughout the body. Our aim is to find out how protein machines assemble these filaments from actin and different binding proteins that give each filament its specific function. This insight will allow us to improve drugs that inhibit filaments associated with cancer.
Glycine Transporters regulate the concentration of glycine in the spinal cord and brain. It has been suggested that elevating glycine levels in these regions may be useful in treating pain and schizophrenia. This project will provide the basis for the development of new glycine transport inhibitors that may be used to treat these conditions.
Enhanced And Highly Specific Delivery Of Small Interfering RNA And Oligonucleotides As Therapeutics For Gene Silencing
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$311,860.00
Summary
This proposal aims to develop glyco-nanocarriers for the efficient and specific delivery of siRNA/oligonucleotides to treat liver diseases. Complex glycopolymer architectures developed here will protect desired genes from enzymatic degradation and will deliver the gene to the liver specifically for therapy, hence providing a solution towards nucleic acid therapy.
Design And Delivery Of Peptide-based Anti-cancer Grb7 Inhibitors
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$603,126.00
Summary
The Grb7 protein is overproduced in many types of cancer cells and plays a role in cancer cell growth and spread. The current proposal builds upon the discovery of a peptide-based Grb7 inhibitor that has anti-cancer activity. This proposal is to prepare more potent inhibitor molecules that can efficiently reach the target cancer cells. Such molecules will be used for the study of Grb7 and for the development of a new Grb7-based anti-cancer drug therapy.
Multidrug Recognition And Resistance In Staphylococcus Aureus
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$598,978.00
Summary
Strains of Staphylococcus aureus (Golden Staph), resistant to almost all available anti-staphylococcal agents, are responsible for serious infections among patients; in some hospitals such outbreaks reach epidemic proportions. Resistance has emerged to all classes of antimicrobial agents. We will increase our understanding of proteins that confer resistance by pumping multiple antimicrobials out of the cell to ultimately design more effective antibacterials able to bypass such drug pumps.