Determinants Of Sustained Virological Response After Discontinuation Of Long-term Nucleoside Analogue Therapy In Chronic Hepatitis B Patients
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$976,778.00
Summary
Guidelines currently recommend lifelong treatment for patients with chronic hepatitis B, with associated cost and risks of drug resistance and side effects. It has recently been suggested that up to 50% of patients may safely and successfully stop drug after long-term treatment. Our project will identify which patients can safely stop treatment, by performing detailed studies of the human immune system and the hepatitis B virus. This will be an important advance for patient care.
This proposal investigates processes that regulate the cell cytoskeleton to control shape and the dynamics membranes, with a view to developing a generic antiviral therapy. As viruses rely upon the cell cytoskeleton to initiate an infection, we posit that enzymes that control the cytoskeleton can be targeted to block infection.
Targeting Novel Sites On Reverse Transcriptase For HIV Treatment And Prevention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$978,994.00
Summary
HIV/AIDS remains a major global threat with 37 million individuals living with HIV in 2014. Antiretroviral drugs have transformed HIV from a death sentence into a chronic disease. Public health organisations recommend dramatic scale up of drugs for HIV treatment and prevention. However, a major threat is that drug options will be exhausted due to drug resistance and toxicity. The major aim of this study is to undertake fundamental studies to advance the development of a new HIV drug class.
Long Term Persistence Of HIV In The Liver And The Clinical Impact On HIV-HBV Co-infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,393,245.00
Summary
This grant will address a major question in HIV cure research - the role of the liver as an HIV reservoir and the impact of HIV persistence in HIV-infected patients on suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART) on liver disease, in the setting of HIV-HBV co-infection. We will trial a novel intervention to reduce HIV infection of the liver that could potentially reduce chronic liver disease in this setting.
Towards A New Class Of Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor For HIV Prevention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$688,833.00
Summary
There remains an urgent need for new HIV prevention strategies. New HIV drugs that block the virus by distinct ways are needed to prevent transmission of drug resistant HIV. This study seeks to identify very small molecules called “fragments” that bind to previously undiscovered pockets on the HIV reverse transcriptase to stop its function, and that can be used as building blocks to design more potent HIV drugs to be used solely for HIV prevention.
HIV/AIDS remains a major global threat with ?37 million individuals living with HIV in 2014. Antiretroviral drugs have transformed HIV from a death sentence into a chronic disease. Public health organisations recommend dramatic scale up of drugs for HIV treatment and prevention. However, a major threat is that drug options will be exhausted in the long-term due to drug resistance and toxicity. The major aim of this study is to advance the development of an entirely new drug class for HIV.
Elucidating The Mechanism Of Action Of Dendrimer Nanoparticles Against HIV
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$559,354.00
Summary
Dendrimers are nanoparticles with highly branched structures and they are being developed as topical microbicides to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV. This study will determine how dendrimers block HIV entry into host cells so that we can design more effective inhibitors and microbicides.
Characterisation Of Eurl, A Novel Gene Implicated In The Etiology Of Abnormal Brain Development And Intellectual Disability
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$597,541.00
Summary
Intellectual disability affects around one per cent of Australians, and can arise from genetic abnormalities during fetal life, such as through abnormal regulation of gene expression. We have identified a novel gene, known as eurl, which controls brain assembly as well as the ability of neurons to form functional connections within the brain. We will investigate how this novel gene controls brain development, and characterise eurl as a potential therapeutic target for learning and memory.
Investigating A Theoretical Model Of Cognitive Control In Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Informing Our Approach To Cognitive Training.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
ADHD is the most common childhood developmental disorder, characterised by inattentive and/or hyperactive behaviours. Cognitive control has been highlighted as a potential mediator of ADHD symptoms. This program will i) delineate the relationship between cognitive control and ADHD symptoms, ii) develop a cognitive training intervention to target the underlying mechanisms identified as mediators of ADHD symptoms and iii) evaluate the program in a gold-standard clinical trial.
Regulation Of Neural Progenitor Cell Self-renewal By The RNA-binding Protein ZFP36L1 During Development And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$345,401.00
Summary
The timely differentiation of neural stem cells is critical during development, and the unrestrained proliferation of neural stem cells in the adult can lead to deadly brain cancers such as glioma. At present our understanding of the key molecules that regulate neural stem cell behaviour during these processes remains limited. In this proposal we will investigate the molecular determinants underpinning neural stem cell biology, both within the developing brain, and within glioma.