Dengue virus is the most important mosquito-borne viral disease, with 2/3 of the world's population at risk. There is currently no treatment available for dengue. Our proposal aims to progress a safe and effective new treatment (4-HPR) against Dengue towards the clinic, generating all the required pharmacokinetic and pre-clinical animal data necessary to progress to a future clinical trial in humans. We will also investigate the use of 4-HPR as a dengue preventative.
Host Cell Signalling During HTLV-1 Infection: Novel Insights And Interventions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$62,335.00
Summary
Human T-leukemia virus 1 (HTLV-1) establishes a life-long infection and causes cancer and immune dysfunction. This study aims to find a cure for HTLV-1 by inducing the specific death of infected cells using novel therapeutic drugs that target host cell death pathways. Dead infected cells are then naturally cleared from the system along with the viral infection. The impact of HTLV-1 infection on tuberculosis severity will also be examined.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Matrix Protein-Host Protein Interactions As Targets For Therapeutics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$686,885.00
Summary
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes more deaths in winter than influenza, being the major cause of viral pneumonia in infants worldwide, and a potent lower respiratory pathogen in the elderly and immunosuppressed adults. The present proposal will apply a range of techniques to search for new inhibitors of viral infection which target host-virus interactions, as the first step towards new generation anti-viral agents to treat RSV infection.
EEF1A1 Is Critical For HIV-1 Reverse Transcription And Replication
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$521,429.00
Summary
The project will investigate interaction between the AIDS virus, HIV-1, and the human cell it grows in specifically focusing on a human protein called eEF1A. Our research shows eEF1A is required for HIV-1 growth by regulating a step in the virus life cycle called reverse transcription. The goal of this project is investigate how interaction with eEF1A helps HIV-1 reverse transcription and to find drugs that block HIV-1 interaction with eEF1A.
Targeting Novel Sites On Reverse Transcriptase For HIV Treatment And Prevention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$978,994.00
Summary
HIV/AIDS remains a major global threat with 37 million individuals living with HIV in 2014. Antiretroviral drugs have transformed HIV from a death sentence into a chronic disease. Public health organisations recommend dramatic scale up of drugs for HIV treatment and prevention. However, a major threat is that drug options will be exhausted due to drug resistance and toxicity. The major aim of this study is to undertake fundamental studies to advance the development of a new HIV drug class.
Hepatitis C virus is a major medical problem in Australia and many other parts of the world. The viruses causes a persistent infection in most infected individuals that results in serious liver disease and liver cancer in a proportion of patients. Treatment is only possible for a small percentage of patients and many patients are infected with viruses which are resistant to the best contemporary treatment regimens. The aim of this project is to develop systems which will result in the assembly o ....Hepatitis C virus is a major medical problem in Australia and many other parts of the world. The viruses causes a persistent infection in most infected individuals that results in serious liver disease and liver cancer in a proportion of patients. Treatment is only possible for a small percentage of patients and many patients are infected with viruses which are resistant to the best contemporary treatment regimens. The aim of this project is to develop systems which will result in the assembly of virus particles which can be used to examine the efficacy of potential antiviral agents, either in the test tube or by infecting an animal model. In particular, we will examine the contribution of a small viral protein, p7, on virus assembly and secretion from the infected cell. Recent data suggests that p7 can function to help release virus from the infected cell and a number of inhibitors of p7 function have been described. We will then use the systems which we develop to determine if these inhibitors can inhibit virus replication in the test tube and in animal models.Read moreRead less
Clearing Chronic Infectious Diseases – Enhancing Host Immune Effector Function
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$92,314.00
Summary
Chronic infections produced by pathogens such as HIV, overwhelm our immune system leading to an exhausted state where cells responsible for the clearance of invading microorganisms are unable to respond effectively. We have recently identified a highly promising therapeutic target that enhances immune effector function. We seek to understand the underlying mechanism, and to explore the therapeutic potential of this approach for the treatment of a broad range of pathogens, including those respons ....Chronic infections produced by pathogens such as HIV, overwhelm our immune system leading to an exhausted state where cells responsible for the clearance of invading microorganisms are unable to respond effectively. We have recently identified a highly promising therapeutic target that enhances immune effector function. We seek to understand the underlying mechanism, and to explore the therapeutic potential of this approach for the treatment of a broad range of pathogens, including those responsible for chronic disease.Read moreRead less
Antiviral compounds to inhibit the replicase of hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis C virus is a major public health problem. There are currently 200,000 infected individuals in Australia and 16,000 new infections every year. There is no specific treatment and current therapy treats a small percentage of patients only, which consists of interferon-alpha and ribavirin. This results in side effects and only a 50% cure rate. This study's outcomes are expected to lead to greater access to treatment and imp ....Antiviral compounds to inhibit the replicase of hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis C virus is a major public health problem. There are currently 200,000 infected individuals in Australia and 16,000 new infections every year. There is no specific treatment and current therapy treats a small percentage of patients only, which consists of interferon-alpha and ribavirin. This results in side effects and only a 50% cure rate. This study's outcomes are expected to lead to greater access to treatment and improved therapy resulting in higher cure rates and in a dramatic reduction in the cost of treating patients. A novel therapy will provide considerable benefits for the national biotechnology industry.Read moreRead less
Towards A New Class Of Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor For HIV Prevention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$688,833.00
Summary
There remains an urgent need for new HIV prevention strategies. New HIV drugs that block the virus by distinct ways are needed to prevent transmission of drug resistant HIV. This study seeks to identify very small molecules called “fragments” that bind to previously undiscovered pockets on the HIV reverse transcriptase to stop its function, and that can be used as building blocks to design more potent HIV drugs to be used solely for HIV prevention.
HIV/AIDS remains a major global threat with ?37 million individuals living with HIV in 2014. Antiretroviral drugs have transformed HIV from a death sentence into a chronic disease. Public health organisations recommend dramatic scale up of drugs for HIV treatment and prevention. However, a major threat is that drug options will be exhausted in the long-term due to drug resistance and toxicity. The major aim of this study is to advance the development of an entirely new drug class for HIV.