Non-invasive Therapy For Keratoconus – Ultrasound Enhanced Delivery Of Riboflavin To Cornea For Transepithelial Corneal Collagen Crosslinking
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$600,658.00
Summary
Keratoconus is a degenerative eye disease which causes corneal thinning. The disease causes visual distortions & loss of vision, and is commonly treated with Corneal Cross-Linking. This involves scraping off the outer protective layer of the cornea so that treatment can be applied. This is painful for patients and carries many risks. This grant assists in the development of a device that is able to deliver the reagent in a painless, non-invasive, effective and safe way.
Pain is a debilitating condition that affects the life of one in five Australians and has significant socioeconomic impact. Currently available pain killers often do not work, or have intolerable side effects including sedation and addiction. We have discovered a novel compound that avoids these side effects and provides effective analgesia as well as opioid-sparing effects in a number of relevant animal models. The aim of this project is to progress the compound towards clinical development.
Chronic pain from damage to the nervous system is extremely debilitating and notoriously difficult to treat. The current drug of choice, gabapentin, has serious side effects and only works in two-thirds of patients. We have developed a drug, derived from sea snail venom, that exhibits ten times the activity of gabapentin. This proposal seeks to progress our drug to clinical trials and attract a commercial partner for its development into the market.
CSI-Sydney: New Technologies To Treat Chronic Sinus Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$412,213.00
Summary
Chronic sinus infection (CSI) is prevalent and results in severe discomfort and pain for many Australians; yet amazingly, has no specific cure or effective treatment. Our multi-disciplinary research team and an Australian health and medical research company, (AFT Pharmaceuticals) have partnered to develop a novel device that specifically targets the sinuses and a formulation capable for simultaneously removing mucus, dispersing biofilms and killing bacteria in the nasal cavities.
Targeting Cystic Fibrosis Using A Novel Inhalation Therapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$421,545.00
Summary
Currently treatments for cystic fibrosis infection are via oral, intravenous or lengthy inhalation processes. This can lead to significant side effects, consequent poor patient compliance, and limited therapeutic efficacy. We will develop and test a novel high-dose inhalation dry power device containing an antibiotics for the rapid treatment of infection in cystic fibrosis therapy.
Next Generation Hand-held Nebulisers For Aerosol Drug Delivery: Using Microfluidics To Tune Particle Size
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$726,160.00
Summary
Chronic respiratory diseases (Asthma, COPD) affect 14% of Australians with a greater disease burden felt by elderly and young patients. These patients experience more difficulty administering medication through conventional inhalers due to a lack of coordination and dexterity. We present a patented technology which improves the pulmonary delivery of medication through a microfluidic method, within a system designed specifically to improve user experience and patient monitoring.
Low-Cost Portable Inhalation Therapy Platform For Needle-Free DNA-Based Influenza Vaccination
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$524,644.00
Summary
Influenza affects a large proportion of the global population and can result in many deaths in a pandemic. A DNA influenza vaccine overcomes the possibility of severe side effects associated with commonly used vaccines based on weakened viruses and can be rapidly produced and easily transported without refrigeration. DNA vaccines are however unstable and difficult to deliver. We propose to address this with a low-cost and portable handheld device which allows the vaccine to simply be inhaled.
Manufacture And Testing Of Next Generation Orthopaedic Implants Harnessing Periosteum's Regenerative Power
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$508,314.00
Summary
Tissue defects, e.g. due to trauma or tumor removal, are too large to heal without reconstructive surgery. Complications associated with defect repair may diminish the patient's quality of life and productivity, posing significant medical and psychosocial costs. Here we propose a plan to define technical specifications for next generation, "smart" orthopaedic implants that deliver cells and the signals they need to build new tissue using nature's paradigms.
Achieving Targeted Delivery Of Drugs To Uterine Muscle In Women For The Prevention Of Preterm Labour
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$469,008.00
Summary
We have patented liposomes targeted to the uterus, which enable us to deliver drugs specifically to the muscle cells of the uterus, increasing safety. The liposomes can be loaded with drugs that either block or promote contractions, creating a versatile drug delivery system that could treat premature labour or postpartum haemorrhage which are major clinical problems. We seek support to demonstrate their effectiveness in mouse and primate models of preterm labour prior to human studies.
Preclinical Development Of A Therapeutic Anticancer Antibody To C-Met
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$435,530.00
Summary
Many common cancers cannot be effectively treated. A range of these cancers (e.g. gastric and lung cancer) display the molecule c-Met on their cell surface. c-Met promotes tumour growth; therefore, blocking c-Met is a promising strategy for treating these cancers. However, no antibodies or drugs that target c-Met have been licensed. The therapeutics that are being developed to target c-Met all have considerable limitations. Thus, there is an opportunity to develop a 'best-in-class' therapeutic.