World-leading technology to supercharge the production of future vaccines and novel treatments for chronic pain using spider venom are two research projects at The University of Queensland receiving a $500,000 funding boost from The Lott by Golden Casket.
The donation, funded from Golden Casket unclaimed prizemoney, continues The Lott by Golden Casket’s support of The University of Queensland (UQ) research programs.
The first project being funded this year will continue research into the use of molecular clamp technology to supercharge vaccine production.
The rapid-response molecular clamp technology is a safe and potentially game-changing approach to vaccine development for a variety of viruses.
The technology uses a streamlined process to rapidly produce subunit vaccines comprising a fragment of the virus. When the body recognises the protein, it creates a highly specific immune response that can block virus attachment to receptors and infection.
The molecular clamp technology helps the body recognise the virus fragment and create an effective immune response.
The second project being funded aims to create effective treatments for chronic pain.
Specifically, the donation will be directed to research at the UQ Institute for Molecular Bioscience to advance the development of venom peptides as therapeutics for alleviating pain associated with endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome.
Professor King noted that previous support from The Lott by Golden Casket had massively accelerated translation of their drug candidates for treatment of stroke and heart attack.
“This donation will be a game-changer for our development of safe and effective pain-relieving therapeutics,” Professor King said.
The Lott Partnerships Manager Ally Ramsamy said funding support of the two world-leading Queensland research projects was part of The Lott’s ongoing community support.
“Australia’s official lotteries have a long and incredibly proud history of supporting important health infrastructure and services,” she said.
“During the past two years, The Lott by Golden Casket has donated $1.5 million to innovative research projects at The University of Queensland that have the potential to tackle some of the most pressing health issues we face today.
“We’re delighted to be able to continue our support by providing funding to these two incredible research projects aiming to improve health outcomes.
“We’re in the business of making dreams come true – not just for our winners, but also for these researchers at The University of Queensland, who are dedicated to finding new health technologies and treatments.”
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Last financial year, Australia’s official lotteries contributed more than $1.5 billion via state lottery taxes and donations to help community initiatives, such as hospitals, health research, disaster relief and education.