Bacterial Proteomics: From Cell Division to Novel Antibiotic Targets. When a cell divides it is essential that each newborn cell gets a complete copy of the DNA. To ensure that this happens, cell division must be tightly controlled. It is not known how this occurs in bacteria. However, if we knew what molecules were involved in this control, we could target them to kill harmful bacteria. This project aims to identify such regulatory molecules as candidate targets for antimicrobial agents, with a ....Bacterial Proteomics: From Cell Division to Novel Antibiotic Targets. When a cell divides it is essential that each newborn cell gets a complete copy of the DNA. To ensure that this happens, cell division must be tightly controlled. It is not known how this occurs in bacteria. However, if we knew what molecules were involved in this control, we could target them to kill harmful bacteria. This project aims to identify such regulatory molecules as candidate targets for antimicrobial agents, with a view to developing powerful, novel antibiotics to protect us from the imminent threat of bioterrorism and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0561013
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$220,000.00
Summary
X-ray diffraction System for Protein Crystallography and Structural Biology. Knowledge of protein structures enables researchers to explain cellular function at a molecular level. In particular, it provides essential information to understand the mechanism of diseases, such as cancer or AIDS, and it ultimately leads to the design of better drugs.
An in-house X-ray protein crystallography facility will allow us to determine the structures of key proteins effectively and competitively, opening up ....X-ray diffraction System for Protein Crystallography and Structural Biology. Knowledge of protein structures enables researchers to explain cellular function at a molecular level. In particular, it provides essential information to understand the mechanism of diseases, such as cancer or AIDS, and it ultimately leads to the design of better drugs.
An in-house X-ray protein crystallography facility will allow us to determine the structures of key proteins effectively and competitively, opening up extensive possibilities for multi-disciplinary ground-breaking research.
The University research portfolio has evolved to embrace the revolution in structural biology with numerous projects and collaborations focusing on proteins involved in bacterial infections, degenerative disorders and biotechnological applications.Read moreRead less
The Fine Tuned Physiology of Microaerophilic Gastric Spirilla. The aim of the project is to understand the molecular basis of fundamental properties of the physiology of enterogastric spiral bacteria of the genera Campylobacter and Helicobacter. The characteristics of these obligate microaerophiles which will be investigated are their aerobic respiratory chains, the special metabolites and enzymes involved in thiol-disulphide redox balance, and their essential requirement for carbon dioxide. Mic ....The Fine Tuned Physiology of Microaerophilic Gastric Spirilla. The aim of the project is to understand the molecular basis of fundamental properties of the physiology of enterogastric spiral bacteria of the genera Campylobacter and Helicobacter. The characteristics of these obligate microaerophiles which will be investigated are their aerobic respiratory chains, the special metabolites and enzymes involved in thiol-disulphide redox balance, and their essential requirement for carbon dioxide. Microaerobes include some bacteria, archea and protozoa. Realisation of the widespread habitats and importance of microaerophiles, has led recently to a vigorous interest in understanding their physiology. Knowledge of the basic properties of microaerophily has potential applications to Environmental Microbiology, Agriculture, Industrial Microbiology, Veterinary Science and Medicine.Read moreRead less
New drugs for malaria that target histone deacetylases. There is no vaccine for malaria and current drugs are failing, contributing to millions of malaria-related deaths each year. The aim of this project is to develop new drugs to address this significant global health issue. This project will focus on drugs that act in novel ways to existing malaria drugs by targeting enzymes that are involved in altering gene expression in the parasite. These kinds of enzymes are recognised drug targets in ot ....New drugs for malaria that target histone deacetylases. There is no vaccine for malaria and current drugs are failing, contributing to millions of malaria-related deaths each year. The aim of this project is to develop new drugs to address this significant global health issue. This project will focus on drugs that act in novel ways to existing malaria drugs by targeting enzymes that are involved in altering gene expression in the parasite. These kinds of enzymes are recognised drug targets in other diseases such as cancer. The outcomes of this project will include advances in malaria drug development that build on Australian drug discovery efforts, seeding further funding opportunities from industry and other sources and contributing research training and capacity building in Australia.Read moreRead less
Investigating the Ability of Honey to Inhibit Bacterial Biofilms Found in Chronic Wounds. Chronic (non-healing) wounds are a serious health problem in Australia. One quarter of our institutionalized aged population have pressure ulcers. The difficulty in treating these wounds is that most contain communities of bacteria, called biofilms, that are not killed by conventional antibiotics. Special honeys from Australia and NZ that are effective in chronic wound treatment can eradicate these biofilms ....Investigating the Ability of Honey to Inhibit Bacterial Biofilms Found in Chronic Wounds. Chronic (non-healing) wounds are a serious health problem in Australia. One quarter of our institutionalized aged population have pressure ulcers. The difficulty in treating these wounds is that most contain communities of bacteria, called biofilms, that are not killed by conventional antibiotics. Special honeys from Australia and NZ that are effective in chronic wound treatment can eradicate these biofilms. This project will identify the components in honey that do this and determine how they do it, to provide a more effective chronic wound treatment. It will decrease the prevalence of these wounds in Australia and the associated personal trauma and health costs.Read moreRead less
Bacterial filamentation as a survival strategy: a goldmine for the discovery of new cell division regulators. The increasing emergence of untreatable bacterial infections is a serious threat to the health of Australians. Medical advances (organ transplants, chemotherapy), increases in diabetes, and an aging population increase the risk of infections caused by bacteria that are now resistant to most available antibiotics. New classes of antibiotics are urgently needed to treat these infections. T ....Bacterial filamentation as a survival strategy: a goldmine for the discovery of new cell division regulators. The increasing emergence of untreatable bacterial infections is a serious threat to the health of Australians. Medical advances (organ transplants, chemotherapy), increases in diabetes, and an aging population increase the risk of infections caused by bacteria that are now resistant to most available antibiotics. New classes of antibiotics are urgently needed to treat these infections. This project uses a novel approach to identify the mechanisms bacterial cells use to control their growth and avoid attack by our immune system. The research will identify potential targets for the development of new, effective antibiotics to kill multi-resistant bacteria, and ensure Australia's position at the forefront of infection control.Read moreRead less
Simulating viral evolution and genetic complexity. This project has direct relevance to understanding the growth of viral infections, and therefore has possible practical applications in disease research and control. Examples of these are emerging diseases in humans such as those caused by HIV-1, SARS coronavirus and Dengue virus, which cause considerable human suffering throughout the world. A major part of current research into these diseases involves attempts to model the evolutionary geneti ....Simulating viral evolution and genetic complexity. This project has direct relevance to understanding the growth of viral infections, and therefore has possible practical applications in disease research and control. Examples of these are emerging diseases in humans such as those caused by HIV-1, SARS coronavirus and Dengue virus, which cause considerable human suffering throughout the world. A major part of current research into these diseases involves attempts to model the evolutionary genetics and dynamics of virus populations in order to understand how to control epidemics, develop vaccines and design drugs. The research program is designed to provide new computational modelling tools for this purpose, which may have wider applications as well.
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