NHMRC APP 2029349 - Novel plant-derived anti-inflammatory drugs for treating inflammatory bowel disease (Old ID 31202)
Role
Principal Investigator
Description
RATIONALE: Since the incurable inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is one of the emerging health burdens of Australia, there is an urgent need for novel IBD drugs. The plants have been the classical sources of modern drugs and indeed more than 122 current prescription drugs were sourced from plants. While tropical rainforest plants account for a quarter of these pharmaceutical products 1, 80% of these drugs were discovered from plants used in herbal medicines 2. Queensland is rich in unique tropical rainforest plants, some of which are used in Aboriginal bush medicines and has potential for drug development. We hypothesise that the Queensland tropical plants selected for this project contain drug lead molecules in isolatable concentrations that will form the basis for developing effective drugs for treating IBD. To test our hypothesis, we will address three aims given below: Aim 1: Discover novel anti-inflammatory drug lead molecules from Iningai medicinal plants. Aim 2: Ascertain anti-inflammatory properties of molecules isolated from a Wet Tropics plant. Aim 3: Optimise the therapeutic properties of drug lead candidates. SIGNIFICANCE AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES: Our project will: i) yield four novel drug lead molecules with known mechanistic pathways, ii) patents & licencing agreements for four novel drug lead molecules, and ii) empower Iningai Aboriginal community - promoting reconciliation. Most importantly, this project will deliver significant engagement with Indigenous communities including training of Aboriginal researchers and traditional knowledge holders in IBD management, drug discovery and toxicity screening techniques (see Indigenous Research Excellence Criteria). Our project also has the potential to generate new scientific data and top quality journal articles. Since we are one of the few groups of researchers working with discoveries from Aboriginal bush medicine and Wet Tropics plants affected by climate change, our project would make JCU a international leader in this under-developed plant-based drug discovery and lead to enormous future benefits for remote Aboriginal communities. Our techniques employed in this project can be applied to other tropical plants and fauna to discover anti-inflammatory drug leads and develop them into novel therapeutics.
Date
01 Jan 2024 - 31 Dec 2028
Project Type
GRANT
Keywords
Iningai community;Medicinal plants;Biodiscovery;Anti-inflammatory drug leads;Inflammatory bowel disease;Wet Tropics plants
Funding Body
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
Amount
1789652
Project Team
Ted Whittem;Darren Crayn;Gerald Turpin;Kate Miller