Functional Characterisation Of Novel Metabolites In Asthma And Identification Of New Biomarkers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$829,922.00
Summary
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that represents a major health burden. Severe asthma represents 10% of those suffering the disease and poses an urgent problem due to exacerbations and resistance to current therapies. We have conducted the first study of the metabolites that are altered in the airways of patients with severe asthma and identified functional metabolites and disease biomarkers. We now aim to assess the function of these molecules in asthma disease models.
Metabolomics Applied To Emerging Infectious Diseases: Advancing Biomarker Discovery And Characterising Host-pathogen Interaction In Melioidosis And Seps
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$420,158.00
Summary
Melioidosis is an emerging disease in Australia and South-East Asia due to its association with diabetes and changing climate. The current clinical methods often fail to save the life of melioidosis patients who develop sepsis. This study will search for melioidosis metabolite biomarkers that help in rapid diagnosis and in selecting adequate treatment which is essential to reduce the mortality. Future, similar studies on other sepsis infections could improve clinical sepsis management world wide ....Melioidosis is an emerging disease in Australia and South-East Asia due to its association with diabetes and changing climate. The current clinical methods often fail to save the life of melioidosis patients who develop sepsis. This study will search for melioidosis metabolite biomarkers that help in rapid diagnosis and in selecting adequate treatment which is essential to reduce the mortality. Future, similar studies on other sepsis infections could improve clinical sepsis management world wide.Read moreRead less
An Integrated Virtual Cell Approach Towards Elucidating The Systems Pharmacology Of Antibiotics Against Pseudomonas Aeruginosa
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$823,718.00
Summary
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a top-priority dangerous ‘superbug’ causing life-threatening infections worldwide. This innovative study will employ a multi-disciplinary approach to model bacterial responses to antibiotic treatments by taking into account all essential components in a cell. This project is of high significance and will shift the paradigm of traditional antimicrobial pharmacology. Importantly, this proposal targets an urgent and critical global health issue: antibiotic resistance.
Metabolomic Analysis Of Plasmodum Falciparum And Mode Of Action Of Antimalarial Compounds
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$917,196.00
Summary
There is an urgent need to develop new drugs to treat malaria, one of the most important diseases to afflict humanity. We have developed new analytical approaches for measuring parasite metabolism while they live inside host cells. These approaches will be used to identify metabolic pathways that are essential for parasite infectivity and to understand the mode of action of new classes of antimalarial compounds
Discovery Of Active Metabolic Pathways Suitable For Drug Targeting In Trypanosoma Brucei
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$485,517.00
Summary
Sleeping Sickness is a parasitic disease affecting many of the world’s poorest countries, and is fatal if left untreated. The aim of this project is to identify new metabolic pathways in the parasite that causes Sleeping Sickness, and to investigate how drugs interfere with parasite metabolism. This will provide the basis for new drug discovery efforts and facilitate the development of new medicines for Sleeping Sickness.
Regulation From The Outside: Control Of Transport And Assembly Of Major Cell Wall Components In Mycobacteria
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$652,019.00
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) kills nearly two million people each year while the causative bacterial species, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, infects one-third of the entire human population. An alarmingly high rate of TB exists in Australia's indigenous population. This proposal aims to identify and characterise essential processes that regulate synthesis of the outer coat of the bacterium, which are potential targets for new drugs for the treatment of this devastating disease.
Biomarkers To Define The Treatment End-point For Pulmonary Exacerbations In Cystic Fibrosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,031,371.00
Summary
Sensitive and reliable tests are required to monitor lung disease severity in cystic fibrosis. A number of potential methods have emerged in recent years. We will investigate how these tests track an acute episode of lung disease and determine whether, following a typical course of treatment, there is evidence of residual damage that contributes to overall progression of lung disease.
New Treatments For Malaria Targeting Both The Sexual And Asexual Stages Of The Causative Parasite, Plasmodium Falciparum
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$731,155.00
Summary
We have discovered a potent antimalarial compound class. In this research plan we will improve their metabolic stability such that we can progress them as potential oral cures for malaria. We will also elucidate their mechanism of action and this will aid therapeutic development.
Discovery Of Single Agents To Treat Chagas Disease And Human African Trypanosomiasis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$527,189.00
Summary
In this project we aim to discover new drugs to treat Chagas disease and human African trypanosomiasis. These debilitating parasitic diseases are neglected by pharmaceutical companies and afflict millions of impoverished people worldwide. We aim to be able to treat both diseases with a single agent
One third of the world's population is infected with the protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, which can cause life-threatening infections. This proposal will utilize new analytical technologies to understand how these parasites are able to survive in a wide variety of different host cells, how they manage to persist within brain and muscle tissue for the life of the patient and how infection may be linked to mental health disorders, such as schizopohrenia.