Mechanisms Of Gene Regulation - Structure, Function And Design
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$697,209.00
Summary
The human genome contains at least 20000 genes. The activity of these genes must be tightly controlled throughout an individual’s life and problems with the regulation of genes lie at the heart of many common and serious diseases, including most forms of cancer. My program of research is focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying gene regulation and on the design of new reagents that could be used to manipulate the activity of genes that behave aberrantly in disease states.
I am a biochemist focussed on understanding how the structures of proteins determine their functions. I intend to apply this understanding to medically relevant questions by working collaboratively and using a range of complementary structural, computational and cell biology techniques. In particular, I will focus on proteins involved in infection and immunity, to understand how they work, and contribute to the development of drugs and vaccines.
Sphingosine Kinase As A Target For Anti-cancer Therapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$590,785.00
Summary
Sphingosine kinase is a protein involved in the development and progression of numerous types of solid tumors and leukaemias. We have recently made a major break-through by identifing how the cancer-inducing activity of sphingosine kinase is controlled. In this study we will target these control mechanisms to develop potential new anti-cancer therapies.
My research is aimed at understanding how the structure and dynamics of proteins dictates their function. I use X-ray crystallography to determine the shapes of proteins. Proteins are not static, however - they move in complicated ways, and often their motion is critical to their function (molecular motors, for example). It is very difficult to 'watch' this movement in the lab, so I use computer simulation to try to understand how proteins move.
I am a structural biologist with a background in pharmacy. My research focuses on dissecting the molecular mechanisms of disease-causing proteins to underpin the development of new and improved therapeutics
Structural Biology And Therapeutic Targeting Of Proteins Involved In Infection And Immunity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$753,300.00
Summary
Structural biology plays an essential role in uncovering how proteins function at the molecular level, and further facilitates strategies to develop therapeutics targeting the diseases these proteins are involved in. In the proposed work, I will focus on bacterial virulence factors, to develop new antibiotics and vaccination strategies, and proteins involved in innate immunity pathways, to develop therapeutics against a number of associated disorders including chronic inflammatory diseases.
The Ghost In The Machine: Understanding How Haemostasis Is Regulated By Allosteric Disulphide Bonds
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$898,008.00
Summary
Genes encode proteins, which are the machinery of life. All life forms make proteins that contain bonds between pairs of cysteine amino acids called disulphide bonds. Prof Hogg has discovered a type of disulphide bond, the allosteric disulphide, which controls how proteins work by breaking or forming in a precise way. His research aim is to define how haemostasis is controlled by allosteric disulphides. Haemostasis gone wrong leads to heart attack and stroke.
Studies On The Biochemistry And Molecular Biology Of Amyloidosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$664,584.00
Summary
Amyloidoses are a group of diseases in which protein is abnormally deposited in various organs of the body. The prototypic amyloidosis is Alzheimer's disease (AD), a dementia causing-illness in which a protein known as Abeta is deposited in the brain. The central aim of my research is to understand the molecular etiology of AD and other amyloidoses, with a view to identifying new targets for drug development.