Investigating the actions of anti-inflammatory pathways in chronic lung disease. There is an urgent need to develop better drugs for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) as patients become resistant to currently used anti-inflammatory drugs with disease progression. This research will uncover fundamental biology into an important class of anti-inflammatory receptor termed ALX/FPR2. This receptor normally coordinates the clearance of infection and injured tissue and subsequently switches ....Investigating the actions of anti-inflammatory pathways in chronic lung disease. There is an urgent need to develop better drugs for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) as patients become resistant to currently used anti-inflammatory drugs with disease progression. This research will uncover fundamental biology into an important class of anti-inflammatory receptor termed ALX/FPR2. This receptor normally coordinates the clearance of infection and injured tissue and subsequently switches off inflammation. Essential knowledge into why this receptor pathway fails to switch off inflammation will be determined. Furthermore, the development of targeting strategies to this receptor represents an innovative approach to blocking damaging and chronic airway inflammation.Read moreRead less
Solving the puzzle of complex disease - genes and their interactions with the environment. Many human diseases are caused by the interplay of genetic predisposition (nature) and the environment (nurture); but their causes remain a mystery, since much past research has focused on these aspects in isolation. This project will aim to better understand these complex diseases using a multi-factorial approach that brings both nature and nurture together.
Molecular and immunological approaches to managing Australia's seafood allergy epidemic. Seafood is an increasingly important cause of food allergy. Novel insight into the functions of why and how proteins from seafood develop to potent allergens will lead to the development of better diagnostics and therapeutics. This will assist patients to better manage their serious food allergy.
An investigation into the basis of the T-cell mediated adaptive immune response. Understanding the adaptive immune response to human pathogens is critically important to develop strategies to combat infection. This project will provide a better understanding of how T cells combat viral infection, and will lead to fundamental advances in our understanding of viral immunity and the development of novel immunotherapeutic strategies.
Impaired innate antiviral immunity predisposes toward virus-associated airway remodelling in childhood asthma. Increased airway smooth muscle (ASM) mass is the major pathological feature of asthma that causes poor lung function. ASM remodelling occurs in early life, is refractory to current treatments and persists into later life. Severe respiratory virus infections in early life are a major risk factor for the development of asthma, yet it remains to be determined whether viruses promote ASM re ....Impaired innate antiviral immunity predisposes toward virus-associated airway remodelling in childhood asthma. Increased airway smooth muscle (ASM) mass is the major pathological feature of asthma that causes poor lung function. ASM remodelling occurs in early life, is refractory to current treatments and persists into later life. Severe respiratory virus infections in early life are a major risk factor for the development of asthma, yet it remains to be determined whether viruses promote ASM remodelling. Previous studies have developed a unique mouse model of childhood asthma and discovered the molecular mechanism by which this tissue tropism develops in response to virus infection. This project will identify new targets for immunomodulation and design new biologics to block ASM remodelling and the deleterious effects of respiratory virus infection in asthmatic subjects. Read moreRead less
Programmed cell death signalling in innate immunity. This proposal aims to address the under-explored potential for programmed cell death to promote innate immune cell signalling, which is a critical and fundamental biological process. It aims to generate new knowledge in the areas of cell death and innate signalling using innovative interdisciplinary approaches and discover new molecules that impact innate inflammatory responses. The expected outcomes of this project are to enhance our basic un ....Programmed cell death signalling in innate immunity. This proposal aims to address the under-explored potential for programmed cell death to promote innate immune cell signalling, which is a critical and fundamental biological process. It aims to generate new knowledge in the areas of cell death and innate signalling using innovative interdisciplinary approaches and discover new molecules that impact innate inflammatory responses. The expected outcomes of this project are to enhance our basic understanding of cell death, and build interdisciplinary collaborations. This work should provide significant benefit to the economy and health of Australians, as it is expected to identify molecules that will be of interest to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.Read moreRead less
Building child health through maternal wellbeing. Chronic diseases partly originate in the health & social circumstances of previous generations, during pregnancy, and in conditions during infancy and childhood. This project will draw from three community studies the researcher established to investigate how aspects of women's health affect their children's health and identify new opportunities for disease prevention.
Metabolite- and lipid-based immunity. This project aims to investigate T-cell immunity to lipids and metabolites. The immune system protects hosts from pathogens, and uses T-cells to recognise infected host cells. However, many facets of T-cell function are not understood. This project will unearth the evolutionary and molecular correlates of lipid- and metabolite-based immunity across diverse species. This will provide basic fundamental insights and conceptual advances into a poorly understood, ....Metabolite- and lipid-based immunity. This project aims to investigate T-cell immunity to lipids and metabolites. The immune system protects hosts from pathogens, and uses T-cells to recognise infected host cells. However, many facets of T-cell function are not understood. This project will unearth the evolutionary and molecular correlates of lipid- and metabolite-based immunity across diverse species. This will provide basic fundamental insights and conceptual advances into a poorly understood, but crucial, component of the immune system.Read moreRead less
Understanding T cell immunity induced by infection. We aim to understand how killer T cells are “programmed” upon activation and acquire their characteristic functions and how these are maintained into immunological memory. This proposal will provide insights important for the design and improvement of vaccine strategies to fight pathogens such as influenza, HIV and even tumors.
Drivers of effective T cell immunity. This project aims to investigate the mechanisms underpinning an effective immune response. In doing so, the project expects to decipher the various determinants of T cell immunity and explore how these determinants are integrated to generate effective immunity. The project will use a multidisciplinary approach to investigate antigen abundance and developmental, structural, and molecular aspects of T cells, expecting to significantly enhance our fundamental u ....Drivers of effective T cell immunity. This project aims to investigate the mechanisms underpinning an effective immune response. In doing so, the project expects to decipher the various determinants of T cell immunity and explore how these determinants are integrated to generate effective immunity. The project will use a multidisciplinary approach to investigate antigen abundance and developmental, structural, and molecular aspects of T cells, expecting to significantly enhance our fundamental understanding of mechanisms underpinning functional T cell responses, build interdisciplinary collaborations, and significantly advance the field of T cell biology.Read moreRead less