A Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) Of Azithromycin Versus Doxycycline For The Treatment Of Rectal Chlamydia Infection In Men Who Have Sex With Men.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$797,906.00
Summary
Rectal chlamydia is very common among gay men; it can exist for long periods without symptoms leading to ongoing transmission. Azithromycin (1 gram single dose) or 7 days doxycycline (100mg twice daily) are the two recommended treatments globally. But, there is concern about rectal chlamydia treatment with reports of up to 22% failure following azithromycin. We will conduct a randomised trial to compare these treatments for rectal chlamydia and determine which drug works better.
Centre Of Research Excellence In Indigenous Children's Healthy EARs (ICHEAR)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,615,897.00
Summary
The overwhelming burden of otitis media (middle ear inflammation, OM) and the consequences of hearing loss on social and educational outcomes in Indigenous children are indisputable. Our CRE_ICHEAR is a multidisciplinary group of Australia’s experts in OM research, policy and practice guidelines. The CRE will derive better value in terms of discovery, translation and sustainability. Increased Indigenous leadership will raise awareness and advocacy, with greater efficiency of research translation
A Randomised Open-label Study Comparing The Safety And Efficacy Of Two Alternative Treatment Options In The Management Of HIV-1 Infected Participants Who Have Virologically Failed A Standard First-line Combination ART Regimen
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$457,676.00
Summary
For the past decade there has been an unprecedented international effort to provide access to care for all HIV-infected people as a basic human right. Most of these people are treated with a simple combination of drugs that are well proven to control HIV. However, what to do when this first drug combination stops working is unknown. This study aims to fill that knowledge gap so that patients failing the first drug combination can be offered a second combination with a maximal chance of success.
RV3 Rotavirus Vaccine: A Human Neonatal Rotavirus Vaccine For The Asia-Pacific Region
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,264,330.00
Summary
Rotavirus infection is the leading cause of severe dehydrating gastroenteritis responsible for ~600,000 deaths per year in children <5 years of age worldwide. In this proposal we outline plans for the development of a human neonatal rotavirus vaccine in Indonesia. The goal is a safe and effective rotavirus vaccine affordable for children within the Asia-Pacific region and worldwide.
Evaluation Of Naturally Occurring Resistance To Direct Acting Antiviral Drugs (DAAs) In Individuals With Acute Hepatitis C Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$333,778.00
Summary
Hepatitis C therapy in the future is likely to involve the use of Directly Acting Antivirals, which offer a better chance of treatment success and shorter treatment courses. The downside to these new agents is the possible development of drug resistance. Studies suggest that drug resistant strains may already exist in some individuals prior to treatment. This study plans to use sensitive methods to examine how common drug resistant strains are in untreated individuals with acute hepatitis C.
Molecular Mechanisms Of Ivermectin Resistance In The Ectoparasitic Mite, Sarcoptes Scabiei
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$289,561.00
Summary
A largely neglected parasitic disease, scabies is a significant disease of children, particularly in remote Aboriginal communities in northern Australia. The recent emergence of ivermectin resistance threatens future control of scabies. This research explores the genetic basis of ivermectin resistance in the scabies mite, developing molecular markers to identify the emergence of resistance in the community, leading to improved tools for resistance management and sustainable treatment strategies.
An In Depth Analysis Of Clinical And Virological Outcomes Of 2 Strategies For The Antiretroviral Salvage Of First-line Regimen Virological Failure For HIV-1 Infection Tested In An Australian-led Randomised, International, Multi-centre Clinical Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$421,747.00
Summary
The recently completed Australian-led SECOND-LINE trial is the first high quality study to provide reliable evidence for policy recommendations for the composition of anti-HIV drug cocktails after standard initial treatment has failed. This award will support the researcher in further refining our understanding of how to manage second-line therapy including proposals to test the use of low-cost technologies for application in resource-limited settings where the majority of people with HIV live.
RECOMBINANT MALARIAL PYRIMIDINE ENZYMES AS DRUG TARGETS
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$229,750.00
Summary
Malarial parasites have now developed resistance to most of the available drugs and there is an urgent need for drugs with new mechanisms of action. Institutions collaborating on the Malarial Genome Project have sequenced the majority of DNA in the 14 chromosomes. The nucleotide sequence available on the internet contains thousands of open reading frames (ORFs) which encode proteins essential for survival of the parasite. Many of these proteins are enzymes which are suitable targets for drug dev ....Malarial parasites have now developed resistance to most of the available drugs and there is an urgent need for drugs with new mechanisms of action. Institutions collaborating on the Malarial Genome Project have sequenced the majority of DNA in the 14 chromosomes. The nucleotide sequence available on the internet contains thousands of open reading frames (ORFs) which encode proteins essential for survival of the parasite. Many of these proteins are enzymes which are suitable targets for drug development. A knowledge of the molecular architecture of the active site of such enzymes provides a template for drug design. The malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, can only synthesise pyrimidine nucleotides for DNA via the de novo pyrimidine pathway. We have cloned the genes encoding three of the enzymes of the de novo pathway using sequence information from the Malarial Genome Project. Dihydroorotase, orotate phosphoribosyltransferase, and OMP decarboxylase, catalyse reactions 3, 5 and 6 of the pathway. We have expressed these enzymes in the bacterium Escherichia coli enabling large-scale production of these drug targets. We propose to characterise the catalytic and inhibitory properties of these enzymes, and grow protein crystals for determination of atomic structures by x-ray diffraction. The structures will provide templates for rational design of new antimalarial drugs. In a second approach for develoment of new drugs, the 3 malarial enzymes will be screened against chemical libraries for inhibition of catalytic activity. The initial screen will utilise a high throughput Biacore 3000 instrument which detects strong interactions between a target enzyme and candidate inhibitors. A thorough knowledge of the catalytic mechanisms, the three-dimensional structures and novel first generation inhibitors of these 3 malarial target enzymes, will provide a strong basis for development of new antimalarial drugs.Read moreRead less