Dr Larissa Dirr - Research Australia Award nominee 2021

My research project explored the cause of human parainfluenza virus infection and developed potential therapeutics to fight this important childhood disease. Human parainfluenza viruses (hPIVs) cause significant respiratory disease in the young and elderly, the immunocompromised, and the chronically ill. In my research project I investigated the function and structure of the key viral protein called haemagglutin-neuramindase that has three important functions in the virus life cycle. My work describes the mechanism by which the virus is released from infected cells and proofed an important structural feature in the binding pocket of the key protein. We then used as a team these structural insights for the design and development of specific, high potency small molecule inhibitors that block hPIV infection. Importantly, through hard work of the core team and co-inventors Prof Mark von Itzstein, Dr Ibrahim El-Deeb, Dr Patrice Guillon and myself, these potential drugs represent the most potent inhibitors against hPIV to date, now protected by international patents. Currently, we are co-developing the antiparainfluenza virus technology that has now been licenced to Grand Medical Pty Ltd. As project leader of the structural biology stream, I lead a small team to develop the first drug to combat human parainfluenza infections.