Mental and substance use disorders account for more years of life lost due to disability than any other disorders. These disorders often occur together (comorbidity), yet, people with both mental and substance use disorders rarely have both disorders effectively treated. This CRE is a world first, tackling prevention and treatment for people with both mental and substance use disorders.
Pharmaceutical Opioid Analgesic (POA) Dependence And Treatment Responses
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,628.00
Summary
Dependence on opioid based pain medication is a rapidly growing health concern in Australia. In the United States more people die each year from misusing pain medication than from using illicit drugs like heroin. Dr Suzanne Nielsen, an emerging expert in pharmaceutical misuse, will undertake essential research to understand the dependence to opioid pain medication in Australia and to develop appropriate treatment responses.
Development Of A Generic Strategy For The Stabilisation Of Peptide-based Therapeutics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$443,196.00
Summary
There is huge interest in the development of bioactive peptides and proteins for the treatment of a wide range of diseases. However, there are still a number of hurdles that need to be overcome before this source of promising pharmaceuticals can fulfil their vast potential. One of the biggest challenges in the development of peptides and proteins as drugs is overcoming their poor stability in the human body. The broad aim of this research proposal is to develop a novel strategy that provides the ....There is huge interest in the development of bioactive peptides and proteins for the treatment of a wide range of diseases. However, there are still a number of hurdles that need to be overcome before this source of promising pharmaceuticals can fulfil their vast potential. One of the biggest challenges in the development of peptides and proteins as drugs is overcoming their poor stability in the human body. The broad aim of this research proposal is to develop a novel strategy that provides therapeutically promising peptides and proteins the ability to resist the body s natural degradation pathways so they are able to reach their biological target. To develop this strategy we will use the recently discovered peptide hepcidin as a model system. Hepcidin is the major iron-regulatory hormone in the human body and incorrect levels of this hormone result in either iron overload (haemochromatosis), when there is not enough hepcidin produced by the body, or anemia of inflammation when there is too much hepcidin. The development of hepcidin-based therapeutic agents to treat these conditions has the potential to have significant impact as it has been estimated that up to 1 in 300 Australians are affected by haemochromatosis during their lifetimes. Unfortunately, unmodified peptides, like hepcidin, are of limited therapeutic value due to their poor stability within the human body. This research proposal describes the development of stabilised hepcidin analogues with the potential of being useful drug leads for the treatment of haemochromatosis.Read moreRead less
Revolutionising Alcohol Dependence Treatment: Targeting Individual Genetic And Psychological Risk Through Clinical Decision Support Systems
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$446,023.00
Summary
Alcohol misuse impacts significantly Australia’s health. More effective treatments are needed. Computer-based, decision-making tools improve treatment outcomes. Based on genetic and psychological prognostic information provided by these decision-making tools, individual patient’s strengths and weaknesses can be identified and targeted in treatment. We expect this will significantly improve treatment outcomes in this chronic, relapsing condition.
Se015: A Developmental Drug For The Treatment Of Brain Tumours
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$304,206.00
Summary
Primary malignant brain tumors are amongst the most lethal forms of human cancers with median survival for these patients being only around 1 year. In spite of the advent of new targeted therapies for some cancers the prognosis for these patients remains dismal. Worldwide, more than 95% of all people who contract the disease will die of it. This is because there are no effective therapies and all current treatments are only palliative, seeking to lesson the distressing suffering associated with ....Primary malignant brain tumors are amongst the most lethal forms of human cancers with median survival for these patients being only around 1 year. In spite of the advent of new targeted therapies for some cancers the prognosis for these patients remains dismal. Worldwide, more than 95% of all people who contract the disease will die of it. This is because there are no effective therapies and all current treatments are only palliative, seeking to lesson the distressing suffering associated with disease progression. Nearly all therapies that have shown some efficacy in treating cancer, such as chemotherapy and radiation have a mode of action whereby they attempt to kill cancer cells by inflicting enough damage to the cancer cells that they induce them to commit cell suicide, a process called apoptosis. Unfortunately, cancer cells can become resistant to these therapies by activating the cells' own signaling pathways that normally block apoptosis. One of the key pathways that has been implicated in resistance to apoptosis in human cancers is the PI3K-Akt pathway. This pathway is overactivated in many advanced human tumors, particularly in glioblastoma. We have discovered a compound, Se015, which can effecitively block this pathway in brain cancer cells and is able to dramatically improve the effectiveness of both chemotherapy and radiation in killing these cells. We have confirmed the efectiveness of Se015 in preliminary animal models of brain cancer, where we have shown that Se015 demonstrated no noticeable toxicity and was active when taken orally. We now need to explore further the molecular mode of action of Se015, as well as complete our animal studies with the eventual aim of initiating a small trial of Se015 in glioblastoma patients in the forseeable future.Read moreRead less
Development Fo A Novel Treatment For Asthma: The Identification Of Lead Small Molecule Antagonists Of The IL-13/IL-13 Re
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$99,750.00
Summary
In developed countries Asthma ranks among the most common chronic illnesses. Over two million Australians now have this condition and the cost to our community is estimated to be in excess of $720 million per annum. In 1996 researchers at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute discovered a new member of the cytokine receptor family, IL-13Ra1, which further research has strongly implicated in the pathology of this disease. The main goal of the proposed research is to discover small molecule antagoni ....In developed countries Asthma ranks among the most common chronic illnesses. Over two million Australians now have this condition and the cost to our community is estimated to be in excess of $720 million per annum. In 1996 researchers at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute discovered a new member of the cytokine receptor family, IL-13Ra1, which further research has strongly implicated in the pathology of this disease. The main goal of the proposed research is to discover small molecule antagonists of IL-13Ra1 and to identify those suitable for development as novel asthma therapeutics.Read moreRead less
Assessment Of Development Of Resistance To Neuraminidase Inhibitors In A (H5N1) Influenza Viruses Using A Ferret Model
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$165,546.00
Summary
The neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors are considered the most effective anti-influenza drugs available for both prevention and treatment of influenza virus infection including A(H5N1) viruses. The drugs are effective against all subtypes of influenza A, making them ideal for use in the early months of a pandemic prior to an appropriate vaccine being produced. As a result many countries around the world, including Australia, have stockpiled these drugs (mainly Tamiflu) as part of their pandemic prepa ....The neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors are considered the most effective anti-influenza drugs available for both prevention and treatment of influenza virus infection including A(H5N1) viruses. The drugs are effective against all subtypes of influenza A, making them ideal for use in the early months of a pandemic prior to an appropriate vaccine being produced. As a result many countries around the world, including Australia, have stockpiled these drugs (mainly Tamiflu) as part of their pandemic preparedness plans. However, of concern is the increasing number of recent reports of a higher than expected level of resistance in epidemic influenza being generated against these drugs. A recent isolation of an H5N1 virus from a Vietnamese girl highlights that these viruses can also be resistant to Tamiflu. Within Australia, Tamiflu will be a critical weapon against the initial wave of an influenza pandemic, therefore it is vital that more is known about the propensity of the H5N1 virus to generate resistance, and possibly make these drugs clinically less effective. The aim of the project is to determine the levels, mode and type of resistance that may occur when ferrets are experimentally infected with HP A(H5N1) virus and then treated with NA inhibitors drugs such as Tamiflu. In the event of resistant viruses being isolated following drug pressure from Tamiflu, the strains will then be tested for their sensitivity to the other NA inhibitor drugs Relenza (zanamivir) or the peramivir (a third currently unlicensed NA inhibitor). The results from this cross resistance work will allow strategies to be put into place regarding the administration of an alternative NA inhibitor in the event of a pandemic virus acquiring particular NA mutations which may for example result in Tamiflu resistance. To determine the relative human risk of a NA inhibitor resistant A(H5N1) virus, studies to determine how infectious or transmissible the viruses are would be performed on all resistant strains isolated. NA inhibitor resistant strains demonstrate varying degrees of transmissibility and fitness, therefore it would be beneficial to classify this for any strains generated from this study so as to be in a better position to understand the public health implications if a particular resistant strain was to arise.Read moreRead less
The Effect Of Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors On The Bone Environment In Multiple Myeloma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$356,899.00
Summary
Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable hematological malignancy with 1,400 people diagnosed each year. Severe bone loss occurs in up to 90% of these patientssignificantly impacting on quality of life resulting in severe bone pain and bone lesions that fail to heal. This project proposes that a novel histone deacetylase inhibitor could provide an appropriate therapeutic strategy that inhibits tumor growth and prevents bone loss whilst also promoting bone repair.