Burnet Institute

Head

Dr Kate Cherry

Staff

Professor Steve Wesselingh, BMBS, PhD, FRACP
Dr Catherine (Kate) Cherry, MBBS, PhD, FRACP, Grad Dip (Clin Epi)
Mr David Hooker, MSc, BSc

 

 

Research Overview

The Neuropathy and Toxicity Laboratory is examining neuropathy (nerve damage in the feet – a common problem that causes pain and reduced quality of life) in HIV patients, as well as other side effects associated with HIV treatments. Our aim is to understand the cause of these problems so that we can find ways of preventing and treating them. Our work involves a mixture of clinical and laboratory studies, and some of our projects in 2006 have included:
• A screening program to describe the prevalence (42 per cent) and risk factors for neuropathy among patients with HIV attending The Alfred hospital
• Work to develop a novel assay to detect early toxicity from HIV treatments
• A study examining genetic risk factors for drug-associated neuropathy
• An observational study to assess the effects of a new HIV treatment on nerves
• A laboratory study to examine proposed methods of preventing nerve damage from particular HIV medications (using cultured foetal rat nerve cells).

 

Research Objectives

• To understand the pathogenesis of neuropathy and other toxicities that affect many patients living with HIV (allowing improved patient monitoring, and facilitating the development of safer treatments and preventative strategies)
• To document the clinical, treatment, genetic and laboratory predictors of neuropathy and other side effects in the individual (allowing safer prescription)
• To examine proposed methods of preventing/reversing drug toxicity
• Our overall aim is to contribute to safer treatments and improved health for people with HIV

 

Research Highlights

• David Hooker has developed a novel assay for measuring apoptosis (programmed cell death). This will be used to study drug toxicity on archived tissue
• We demonstrated the ongoing importance of HIV-neuropathy in Australia
• With an industry partner (ZymesLLC, USA) we have begun a laboratory project examining a potential means of preventing neuropathy
• Colleagues in Malaysia and Indonesia have joined our genetic studies

Senior Staff Profile

Dr Catherine (Kate) Cherry

 

Projects

• Project One - Sensory Neuropathy in HIV/AIDS
  
  
• Project Two - The role of host genotype in the individual’s risk of antiretroviral toxic neuropathy (ATN)
  
  
• Project Three - Establishing the use and interpretation of an LM-PCR-based phenotypic assay for antiretroviral toxicity
  
  
• Project Four - Study to examine a novel, soluble formulation of Co-Enzyme Q10 for the prevention of nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) neuropathy in an in vitro model
  
  
• Project Five - Monitoring, predicting and preventing nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI)-associated mitochondrial toxicity
  
  
• Project Six - Study to investigate the effects on the peripheral nerves of commencing enfuvirtide
  
  
• Project Seven - The effect of retroviral disease progression on adipose tissue

 

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