| | We are developing the use of small disulfide-rich proteins as leads in drug design. Such proteins often have potent biological activities and, because of their cross-linking disulfide bonds, usually have well defined three-dimensional structures that can be determined using NMR spectroscopy.
The proteins we study come from animal and plant sources, as well as "designer" proteins we produce in the lab. In particular we have been exploring the bioengineering of circular proteins.
By cyclising proteins and creating embedded knots within the structures using disulfide bonds we are able to significantly enhance the stability of proteins.
Our goal is to overcome current limitations on the use of conventional proteins as drugs, i.e. their poor bioavailability and susceptibility to degradation in vivo.
A company, Kalthera Pty Ltd, has been formed to commercialise research outcomes relating to a particularly stable protein motif that we discovered called the cyclic cystine knot.
We are currently determining relationships between structure and activity in a wide range of cystine knot proteins, including those from plants, cone-snail venoms, snakes, spiders and frogs.
Cystine knot proteins have applications in agriculture as well as in the development of pharmaceuticals, and in collaboration with Dr Marilyn Anderson at La Trobe University we have been examining the insecticidal properties of a range of disulfide rich proteins.
The cyclotide proteins discovered in our laboratory show particular promise as "natural" insecticides against pests in a range of crop plants.
A company, Cyclagen, has been formed to commercialise opportunities arising from this research.
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