Sanjaya Kuruppu, PhD
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Affiliation(s):
Monash University
Areas of Interest:
enzyme kinetics, peptide therapeutics, amyloid beta degrading enzymes, endothelium, neprilysin
Biography & Research:
Biography: I completed my PhD in Pharmacology in 2006 (Monash University). My research focused on identifying novel toxins from animal venoms and determining their potential as lead compounds for future pharmaceuticals. In 2007, I won a Peter Doherty Training fellowship from the National Health & Medical Research Council of Australia to undertake post-doctoral training. Here I took a change of research direction to study enzymes that play a key role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular and neurogenerative disease. My current research draws my expertise in the fields of venoms and toxins as well as enzyme biochemistry to develop novel therapeutics for neurodegernative disease.
Summary of research interests: My current research focuses on amyloid beta degrading enzymes as targets of therapy for Alzheimer’s disease. I have discovered several peptides from animal venoms which can directly stimulate the activity of amyloid beta degrading enzymes. My research aims to determine if stimulating these enzymes can prevent the formation of amyloid plaque in the brain, as well as the precise mechanism of action of these drug leads.
