Student research project
Supervisor(s): Dr Xiaowei Wang and Professor Karlheinz Peter
Project summary
This research focus on translational research that links the findings from basic science to the practical applications that enhance human health and wellbeing in the clinical settings. Targeted drug delivery allows effective thrombolysis and the potential novel use as a fibrinolytic agent without bleeding complications.
Acute thrombosis causes vessel occlusion and results in ischemic complications such as myocardial infarction and stroke which are a major cause of death and disability. Fibrinolysis is a valuable alternative for the treatment of myocardial infarction when invasive/surgical procedure is not available in a timely fashion. For acute ischemic stroke, fibrinolysis is the only treatment option with a very narrow therapeutic window. However, clinically approved thrombolytics have significant drawbacks, including bleeding complications. Thus their use is highly restricted leaving many patients untreated. The use of small recombinant antibodies for diagnostic molecular imaging and targeted drug delivery is well established in our laboratory.
This project would focus on the development of a novel targeted fibrinolytic drug that is directed against activated platelets. When thrombosis occurs, there will be a thunderstorm of platelet activation and aggregation. Our targeted fibrinolytic drug will locate these activated platelets and accumulate at the site of the clot. This allows a high potency of drugs for efficient and safe thrombolytic treatment. Due to the targeting properties, we can reduce the overall amount of drugs need, thereby there would only be a small concentration of drugs circulating in the blood. This would also enable us to elimate the current bleeding complications associated with the clinically used fibrinolytic drugs.
This novel fibrinolytic agent promises to overcome the current limitations in thrombolytic therapy associated with the risk of bleeding complications. It has the potential to break the fatal link between increased fibrinolytic potency and bleeding complications.
Related methods, skills or technologies
This project is suitable for an Honours or PhD student and will involve the application of advanced ultrasound imaging, cell biology, Western blots, flowcytometry, statistics, bio- and molecular biology including PCR and recombinant antibody design, production, and purification.