Blocking Human Cytomegalovirus: Targeting Host Organelle Remodelling And The Viral Assembly Complex
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$553,477.00
Summary
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a human pathogen that infects over 60% of adults, is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in immuno-compromised people, and a major cause of birth defects. Fundamental knowledge gaps remain in understanding host-pathogen relationships during infection. This project will systematically define molecular events giving rise to release of virus from an infected cell, and thereby reveal novel targets to block therapeutically.
Systems Approaches To Understanding The Assembly Of Mitochondrial Machines
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$600,005.00
Summary
Mitochondria produce the energy for our bodies. Defects in this process cause mitochondrial disease, which affects at least 1/5000 people. Diagnosis is often inconclusive as we do not understand the function of many proteins important in mitochondrial energy production. State of the art CRISPR gene-editing tools will be coupled with advanced proteomics techniques to model different types of mitochondrial disease and identify the functions of new candidate disease genes.
Izumo1 And Its Role In Male Infertility And Male Contraception
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$317,371.00
Summary
The project will study the role of the essential sperm-egg fusion protein Izumo1. Without some infertile men, this protein fails to move to the correct location in spermatozoa.