The project aims to understand how a factor responsible for the production of a type of white blood cell interacts with its receptor. If we knew the molecular details of how this factor works then we would be able to control better diseases, such as osteoporosis and arthritis, where such cells can play havoc by destroying tissue. The project also has implications for certain leukaemias which lose growth control mechanisms in response to this factor.
Structural Biology Of Cytokine Receptor Signalling
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,988,996.00
Summary
This Program will be focused on a group of protein hormones and their receptors, implicated in blood cell cancers and inflammatory diseases and for which current treatments are inadequate. We will determine the mechanism of receptor activation and in particular will seek to link different forms of receptor assembly to different functions. This information will help us develop new drugs with more specificity for certain hormone functions and thus less side-effects.