Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL140100027
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,898,150.00
Summary
Under the hood: single-molecule studies of multi-protein machines. Under the hood: single-molecule studies of multi-protein machines. Living cells are filled with complex protein machines that are responsible for the molecular processes supporting life. This project is aimed towards the development of physical tools that enable the study of these protein complexes at the level of single molecules. This project aims to study the protein machinery responsible for DNA replication, the process of du ....Under the hood: single-molecule studies of multi-protein machines. Under the hood: single-molecule studies of multi-protein machines. Living cells are filled with complex protein machines that are responsible for the molecular processes supporting life. This project is aimed towards the development of physical tools that enable the study of these protein complexes at the level of single molecules. This project aims to study the protein machinery responsible for DNA replication, the process of duplicating genomic information before cell division. By making real-time single-molecule movies of the replication process, this project aims to unravel the molecular mechanisms of this important process and provide the knowledge required to understand disease mechanisms and catalyse drug development.Read moreRead less
Navigating tipping points in complex dynamical systems. This project aims to use applied mathematics to investigate the onset of tipping points in dynamical systems. Working with clinicians and practicing engineers, the project aims to contribute to the development of new treatment regimes for dynamical diseases and develop improved management strategies for resource focussed engineering industries. This should provide significant benefit to many areas, including the personalised treatment of di ....Navigating tipping points in complex dynamical systems. This project aims to use applied mathematics to investigate the onset of tipping points in dynamical systems. Working with clinicians and practicing engineers, the project aims to contribute to the development of new treatment regimes for dynamical diseases and develop improved management strategies for resource focussed engineering industries. This should provide significant benefit to many areas, including the personalised treatment of disease.Read moreRead less
Multifunctional and Multimodal Theranostics: Manipulating Material Properties for Advanced Diagnostics. The utilisation of polymers in nanomedicine requires a bottom-up approach, where the fundamental chemistry is well-established and understood before it enables an application. This project develops branched polymers as new nanomaterials for theranostics; imaging modalities that “switch-on” when miRNA is released will quantify how much nanomaterial gets to a specific site, while a built-in sens ....Multifunctional and Multimodal Theranostics: Manipulating Material Properties for Advanced Diagnostics. The utilisation of polymers in nanomedicine requires a bottom-up approach, where the fundamental chemistry is well-established and understood before it enables an application. This project develops branched polymers as new nanomaterials for theranostics; imaging modalities that “switch-on” when miRNA is released will quantify how much nanomaterial gets to a specific site, while a built-in sensor based on physical changes in the nanomaterial will measure the onset and progression of necrosis. The aim is to develop a fundamental understanding of how polymer architecture and functionality can be utilised to drive device performance, providing a platform to probe new technology and methodologies for development of next generation theranostics.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101547
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Novel smart materials: development of positively thermo-responsive polymers for biomedical applications. The project will develop novel materials, which drastically change their structure and shape on a microscopic level in response to subtle temperature changes. In modern pharmaceuticals, this smart behaviour can be exploited to cause tailored microscopic containers to open inside the body and release medicine exactly where and when it is needed.
Caged lanthanides for use in photo-dynamic therapy and near infra-red imaging. The early detection and effective treatment of cancer are two critical factors which determine survivability. This project will provide improved drugs for photo-dynamic therapy and develop emissive probes for near infra-red imaging to allow better discrimination between healthy and diseased tissue and improve subsequent treatment.
Targeting the delivery of cytotoxic agents to tumour cells using novel minicells as drug delivery vehicles and engineered, bispecific antibodies. Cancer persists as a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. A major problem is the non-specific action of drugs used for treatment. The minicell is a drug delivery vehicle, capable of packaging a variety of drugs. The project will develop tumour-specific antibodies that will target minicells to tumours, improving cancer survival rates.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101550
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Understanding multidrug resistance: identifying the molecular basis of substrate and inhibitor transport by P-glycoprotein. Chemotherapy resistance causes 90 per cent of cancer deaths and is commonly triggered by the increased activity of P-glycoprotein, which controls the cellular clearance of drugs. This project will determine how P-glycoprotein recognises and transports drugs, essential knowledge for the design of anticancer agents that can stop chemotherapy resistance.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100668
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$422,574.00
Summary
Cysteamine dioxygenases: novel oxygen sensors implicated in hypoxia? This project aims to characterise and manipulate a novel oxygen sensing system, the cysteamine dioxygenases, to help understand how mammalian cells respond to low oxygen concentrations, a condition known as hypoxia. A number of the world’s most destructive diseases can impair oxygen delivery, altering biochemical landscapes. By understanding how cells respond to fluctuations in oxygen, the project expects to develop effective m ....Cysteamine dioxygenases: novel oxygen sensors implicated in hypoxia? This project aims to characterise and manipulate a novel oxygen sensing system, the cysteamine dioxygenases, to help understand how mammalian cells respond to low oxygen concentrations, a condition known as hypoxia. A number of the world’s most destructive diseases can impair oxygen delivery, altering biochemical landscapes. By understanding how cells respond to fluctuations in oxygen, the project expects to develop effective methods to treat these detrimental conditions. Characterisation of the cysteamine dioxygenases could establish a novel mechanism by which cells monitor changes in oxygen, assisting in understanding hypoxia and disease. The project will also enable new cysteine initiating substrates to be identified, allowing the full impact of this regulatory process to be appreciated in mammals.Read moreRead less
Understanding endocrine tumorigenesis - opportunities for new diagnostics and therapies. This project will generate new knowledge significant for improving cancer diagnosis and designing new therapies for cancer patients as we embrace the personalised medicine era. Specific focus is on endocrine tumours. This research has as its aim improved survival for people diagnosed with cancer.
A platform for the efficient optimisation of drug delivery using cross-linked micelles and thioclick-chemistry toward better anti-cancer treatment. The delivery of albendazole - an anti-cancer drug - will be improved by encapsulating the drug into nanoparticles. State of the art polymer chemistry will be employed to generate a versatile drug delivery system. The resulting nanoparticles will be able to better control drug delivery and to enhance cellular uptake of the drug.