Expanding The Repertoire Of Immunomodulatory Drugs: Targeting The Melanocortin System Using Engineered Cyclic Peptides
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, have profound impacts on the lives of many Australians. New drugs are required for these diseases as existing treatments are expensive, become less effective with repeated use or cause adverse side effects. My project will work towards addressing this need by investigating the potential of ultrastable cyclic miniproteins as scaffolds for displaying bioactive peptides that are known to restore immune self-tolerance.
Modulating Protein-Protein Interactions In Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$863,910.00
Summary
Most diseases are driven by protein-protein interactions often with few/no greasy pockets to fit small molecule drugs. Innovative approaches to new drugs are needed for these proteins. This project combines chemistry, biochemistry and pharmacology to create new drug leads, new knowledge on drug action and disease development at gene, protein, cell, animal levels, and aims to trial new drug leads in preclinical and eventually clinical tests in inflammatory and metabolic diseases, pain and cancer.
This research draws together my expertise in medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology and virology to design and develop new compounds that we can use to interrogate and regulate human and viral proteins that cause disease. Protein, cell and animal studies relevant to major 21st century health burdens (such as inflammatory, infectious and metabolic diseases, cancer, pain and viral infections) will provide important new information on mechanisms of disease development and drug action.