Enabling aerosol delivery of phages to defeat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This project aims to explore the use of bacteriophages towards producing a safe, natural, and highly effective alternative to traditional antibiotics. Respiratory infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria are a major health problem worldwide, and cost Australia over $150 million annually. Some 5,000 Australians die each year from antibiotic resistant infections. The project aims to produce efficac ....Enabling aerosol delivery of phages to defeat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This project aims to explore the use of bacteriophages towards producing a safe, natural, and highly effective alternative to traditional antibiotics. Respiratory infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria are a major health problem worldwide, and cost Australia over $150 million annually. Some 5,000 Australians die each year from antibiotic resistant infections. The project aims to produce efficacious and stable formulations of bacteriophages for easy delivery by inhalation as aerosols with a long shelf-life, making them a commercially viable product. The expected research outcome can lead to an economic and efficient technology to produce phage powders for novel treatment strategies of infections by inhalation.Read moreRead less
The role of electrostatic charge in airway deposition of aerosols. This project aims to unravel the importance of electrostatic charge in controlling deposition of aerosols in the respiratory tract. The expected outcome is a validated mathematical model for accurately predicting deposition behaviour of charged aerosol particles in human airways. Findings may ultimately be used to underpin novel prevention measures to reduce lung deposition of inhaled hazardous airborne particles to significantly ....The role of electrostatic charge in airway deposition of aerosols. This project aims to unravel the importance of electrostatic charge in controlling deposition of aerosols in the respiratory tract. The expected outcome is a validated mathematical model for accurately predicting deposition behaviour of charged aerosol particles in human airways. Findings may ultimately be used to underpin novel prevention measures to reduce lung deposition of inhaled hazardous airborne particles to significantly reduce health risks and costs. They may also be used to enable the development of new inhalation technologies based on electrostatic charge to improve aerosol drug delivery to the lungs of patients with respiratory diseases.Read moreRead less
Plant plasters: Efficient spray micro-coatings for plant delivery. This proposal will study and apply recently-discovered methods of strongly attaching beneficial chemicals to plant leaves, stalks, and fruit. The materials have an unusually good ability to stick to crop plants and deliver herbicide or pesticide active ingredients more efficiently than standard additives, without toxicity. Recent findings have shown significant health risks from commercial herbicide additives and their run-off in ....Plant plasters: Efficient spray micro-coatings for plant delivery. This proposal will study and apply recently-discovered methods of strongly attaching beneficial chemicals to plant leaves, stalks, and fruit. The materials have an unusually good ability to stick to crop plants and deliver herbicide or pesticide active ingredients more efficiently than standard additives, without toxicity. Recent findings have shown significant health risks from commercial herbicide additives and their run-off into vulnerable ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef. This project will explain the unusually effective, but simple, adhesion and delivery performance, incorporate the new additives into commercially-relevant formulations for our industrial partner, and work to deliver the materials at relevant manufacturing scales.Read moreRead less
Sinusoidal voltage protocols for characterisation of ion channel kinetics. This project aims to implement an innovative approach to modelling ion channel behaviour that employs short, information-rich datasets and parameter inference. Using the hERG potassium channel as a test case, the project will show that this approach is more efficient than current methods and outperforms all published models in independent validations. The project aims to extend on initial implementation to probe the therm ....Sinusoidal voltage protocols for characterisation of ion channel kinetics. This project aims to implement an innovative approach to modelling ion channel behaviour that employs short, information-rich datasets and parameter inference. Using the hERG potassium channel as a test case, the project will show that this approach is more efficient than current methods and outperforms all published models in independent validations. The project aims to extend on initial implementation to probe the thermodynamics and pharmacology of ion channel gating. The anticipated outcomes are to grow fundamental knowledge of ion channel biophysics and ability to probe ion channel function in silico. The project will build on an emerging collaboration between international leaders in physiology, pharmacology, mathematics and computer modelling. The methodology and fundamental knowledge generated will significantly advance our understanding of the physiology and biophysics of ion channels, while the application of the method will have direct impact in the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory science.Read moreRead less
An attack from all angles! Multiphase particle systems that target respiratory infection. This project will result in advanced inhaled medicines for lung infection. Micron-particles will be engineered to have sustained drug release when deposited at sites of infection, yet avoid natural clearance and defence mechanisms. To study these systems, a series of characterisation, in vitro cell and in silico tools will be developed.
Engineering of composite particles to enhance performance in respiratory drug delivery. Respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic pulmonary disease affect in excess of 5.8 million Australians and the common method of treatment is via drug inhalation. Although a wide range of drugs are commercially available as dry powder inhalers the efficiency of these systems is poor, with most devices delivering less than 20% to the lung. This project will develop a new method of high-efficiency respi ....Engineering of composite particles to enhance performance in respiratory drug delivery. Respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic pulmonary disease affect in excess of 5.8 million Australians and the common method of treatment is via drug inhalation. Although a wide range of drugs are commercially available as dry powder inhalers the efficiency of these systems is poor, with most devices delivering less than 20% to the lung. This project will develop a new method of high-efficiency respiratory drug delivery based on composite particles. The technology developed from this project will advance Australia’s Research & Innovation and Pharmaceutical industry sector, and improve healthcare outcomes in the government’s key priority area of Promoting and maintaining good health: ‘A healthy start to life’ and ‘Ageing well’Read moreRead less
Unravelling the mechanics of particle deposition at the micro-scale. This project aims to discover the mechanisms responsible for the interactions between aerosol particles and surfaces in a range of air flow conditions. The project expects to transform our understanding of particle deposition through a combination of novel laser-based diagnostic techniques, optical coherence tomography, and state of the art particle formulation methodologies. Expected outcomes of the project include delivery of ....Unravelling the mechanics of particle deposition at the micro-scale. This project aims to discover the mechanisms responsible for the interactions between aerosol particles and surfaces in a range of air flow conditions. The project expects to transform our understanding of particle deposition through a combination of novel laser-based diagnostic techniques, optical coherence tomography, and state of the art particle formulation methodologies. Expected outcomes of the project include delivery of new methods to optimise particle deposition, development of tunable powder formulations, as well as definition of particle-surface interaction mechanisms in flows. The project should provide significant benefits to particle systems for applications ranging from additive manufacturing to aerosol delivery.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE160100047
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$380,000.00
Summary
Distributed facility for fragment based drug discovery. Distributed facility for fragment based drug discovery:
The facility aims to provide researchers with the ability to generate small molecules that modulate therapeutically and biologically important protein targets. Fragment-based drug design (FBDD) provides a rational approach to generate such biologically active compounds. The facility is designed to allow researchers throughout Australia to access the necessary infrastructure to underta ....Distributed facility for fragment based drug discovery. Distributed facility for fragment based drug discovery:
The facility aims to provide researchers with the ability to generate small molecules that modulate therapeutically and biologically important protein targets. Fragment-based drug design (FBDD) provides a rational approach to generate such biologically active compounds. The facility is designed to allow researchers throughout Australia to access the necessary infrastructure to undertake FBDD projects against a range of biologically important targets. The facility aims to enable access to high-throughput nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and surface plasmon resonance, and to generate the capacity for automation in chemical synthesis and sample preparation to expedite the development of novel bioactive molecules. The development of better approaches to hit development may benefit many researchers in Australia employing FBDD.Read moreRead less
Understanding bacteriophage deactivation and stabilisation in formulations. Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that kill pathogenic bacteria without causing harms to the eco-balance. They can provide a safe and highly effective antimicrobial measure for biocontrol when formulated properly. This project aims to develop a mechanistic understanding of the physicochemical factors responsible for stabilising and deactivating phages in a wide range of formulations. It will create new knowledge on ke ....Understanding bacteriophage deactivation and stabilisation in formulations. Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that kill pathogenic bacteria without causing harms to the eco-balance. They can provide a safe and highly effective antimicrobial measure for biocontrol when formulated properly. This project aims to develop a mechanistic understanding of the physicochemical factors responsible for stabilising and deactivating phages in a wide range of formulations. It will create new knowledge on key relationships between phage chemistry, phage-excipient interactions and phage stability. The research outcomes would significantly benefit Australia by enabling commercial development in the high value-adding area of environmentally friendly antimicrobial products.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100203
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$250,000.00
Summary
Accessing the third dimension in scanning electron microscopy for rapid, high resolution tomography of large samples. Understanding the three-dimensional structure of materials is essential for modern research. This facility will allow rapid three-dimensional imaging of materials within a scanning electron microscope, including sustainable polymers, tissues from plants and nanocomposites. This will enable high-quality research in science, engineering and medicine.