Mechanisms Of Regulation Of Ribosome Biogenesis And Function In Health And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$631,010.00
Summary
The PI3K/AKT signalling pathway drives many cancers and until recently was thought to do so by preventing cancer cell death. We have shown this pathway also regulates the synthesis of ribosomes, the cellular “factories” that make protein and by interfering with PI3K/AKT regulated ribosome synthesis, can kill cancer cells. We aim to establish the mechanisms underlying this regulation of ribosome synthesis and to test the hypothesis that ribosome biogenesis is a novel target for cancer treatment.
The overall goal of the program is to develop novel approaches to slow the progress or prevent neurodegeneration in patients with rare human genetic disorders. The second program is designed to develop novel therapeutics from snake venom proteins. These include proteins with anti-bleeding activity and those with application in wound healing. The third program involves the development of novel biomarkers for the early detection and prognosis in prostate cancer.