The P.I. proposes to develop pharmacological agents which cause the release of endogenously synthesized beta-chemokines within the micro environment in which they need to act. The primary aim is to develop a new class of drugs based upon modified dendrimers which can induce the release of sufficient concentrations of the beta-chemokines, RANTES, MIP-1 alpha and MIP-beta, in vivo to be able to block new cycles of infection by HIV-1. This interdisciplinary proposal combines the expertise of Professor Ruth Duncan in the field of design of biologically active polymers with that of Dr. Sunil Shaunak in developing sulphated polymers for the treatment of AIDS. The P.I. wants to develop synthetic hyper branched macro molecules (dendrimers) which are capable of inducing the release of beta chemokines in vivo without inducing toxicity, thus overcoming the short life of recombinant chemokines administered endogenously.
| Shaunak, Sunil; Thomas, Sharyn; Gianasi, Elisabetta et al. (2004) Polyvalent dendrimer glucosamine conjugates prevent scar tissue formation. Nat Biotechnol 22:977-84 |
