Respiratory Syncytial Virus Matrix Protein-Host Protein Interactions As Targets For Therapeutics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$686,885.00
Summary
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes more deaths in winter than influenza, being the major cause of viral pneumonia in infants worldwide, and a potent lower respiratory pathogen in the elderly and immunosuppressed adults. The present proposal will apply a range of techniques to search for new inhibitors of viral infection which target host-virus interactions, as the first step towards new generation anti-viral agents to treat RSV infection.
Targeting Novel Sites On Reverse Transcriptase For HIV Treatment And Prevention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$978,994.00
Summary
HIV/AIDS remains a major global threat with 37 million individuals living with HIV in 2014. Antiretroviral drugs have transformed HIV from a death sentence into a chronic disease. Public health organisations recommend dramatic scale up of drugs for HIV treatment and prevention. However, a major threat is that drug options will be exhausted due to drug resistance and toxicity. The major aim of this study is to undertake fundamental studies to advance the development of a new HIV drug class.
Towards A New Class Of Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor For HIV Prevention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$688,833.00
Summary
There remains an urgent need for new HIV prevention strategies. New HIV drugs that block the virus by distinct ways are needed to prevent transmission of drug resistant HIV. This study seeks to identify very small molecules called “fragments” that bind to previously undiscovered pockets on the HIV reverse transcriptase to stop its function, and that can be used as building blocks to design more potent HIV drugs to be used solely for HIV prevention.
Functional Roles Of The Tegument Proteins Of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$461,597.00
Summary
The occurrence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) in the general population is very high (up to 60%). HSV enters the human body via the skin before entering nerve cells where it lies dormant in most people. Intermittently the virus reactivates and usually forms blisters at the skin when it sheds. The aim of this project is to define a molecular interaction network at the protein level during the course of infection of a host cell. This information will provide new targets for design of antivirals.