Research areas
Pharmacology
Antimicrobial peptides
Anti-microbial resistance constitutes a major threat to health in hospitals and strains of bacteria (e.g. MRSA) are now emerging that are resistant to antibiotics of last resort. Natural anti-microbial peptides play a key role in innate immunity; they enable plants, insects and amphibians to defend themselves against microbes and other pathogens without the help of lymphocytes and (inducible) antibodies. The novel mechanism of action of many anti-microbial peptides makes it very unlikely that bacteria will develop resistance and this has stimulated an interest in the development of these peptides as novel chemotherapeutics.
Work in the Biomedical Research Centre is focussed on the isolation and characterisation of defensin-like peptides with anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-parasitic activities from the haemolymph of scorpions and spiders and studying their mechanism of action.
Studies in this area are led by Professor Peter Strong, Professor Tom Smith and Dr Keith Miller, in collaboration with international colleagues in Mumbai and Singapore.
Ion channel research
Ion channels are membrane proteins with an essential role in physiology and pathophysiology of all cells. There are an increasing number of diseases, termed channelopathies, which are associated with altered or defective functioning of ion channels.
Research into the expression, function and modulation of native and recombinant ion channels is currently being carried out within the BMRC using a multidisciplinary approach. Techniques utilised include protein chemistry, pharmacology, molecular biology, AAS-rubidium efflux, cell dissociation, cell culture and electrophysiology. Research is focused on calcium sensitive potassium channels (K Ca) and ATP sensitive potassium channels (K ATP) and chloride channels
- research into compounds that target K Ca and K ATP channels, informing mechanistic studies of how novel compounds interact with these channels
- the electrophysiological properties of channel splice variants
- identification of novel ion channel neurotoxins and their use as probes of ion channel structure and function
- the role of ion channels in pain
- chloride channels and their expression in malignant glial cells
Studies in this area are led by Dr Neil Mckay, Dr Kim Lawson, Dr Kirsti Newton and Professor Peter Strong, in collaboration with international colleagues in Mumbai and Singapore.
