Modulation of air-conditioning settings to destroy respiratory viruses. This project aims to prove that manipulating the ambient humidity can rapidly degrade airborne viruses. The relationship between ambient humidity and airborne infection is poorly understood for viral pathogens including influenza and the common cold. The project will prove that indoor environmental conditions can be easily manipulated to kill airborne viruses. The findings will be used to develop indoor air humidity control ....Modulation of air-conditioning settings to destroy respiratory viruses. This project aims to prove that manipulating the ambient humidity can rapidly degrade airborne viruses. The relationship between ambient humidity and airborne infection is poorly understood for viral pathogens including influenza and the common cold. The project will prove that indoor environmental conditions can be easily manipulated to kill airborne viruses. The findings will be used to develop indoor air humidity control guidelines targeting the vulnerabilities of the viruses to minimise airborne infection.Read moreRead less
Aerosol glassy states promote global warming, airborne toxins and pathogens. This project will improve our understanding of the role played by airborne particles in global climate, pollution and the transmission of influenza, corona virus and the common cold. It will do so by revealing the wider importance of "glassy states" of matter recently revealed in atmospheric aerosols. Glassy states are highly unpredictable quasi solids that abruptly form, interrupting the transition of a liquid to a sol ....Aerosol glassy states promote global warming, airborne toxins and pathogens. This project will improve our understanding of the role played by airborne particles in global climate, pollution and the transmission of influenza, corona virus and the common cold. It will do so by revealing the wider importance of "glassy states" of matter recently revealed in atmospheric aerosols. Glassy states are highly unpredictable quasi solids that abruptly form, interrupting the transition of a liquid to a solid. This interruption invalidates equilibrium assumptions of models of droplets as cloud nuclei and infection vectors. We will develop and validate a numerical tool for predicting glassy state formation and its impact in broad classes of aerosol that include particles critical to cloud formation and infection transmission.Read moreRead less
Production and application of novel diagnostic and therapeutic reagents using transgenic mice. The project will be a collaboration between the University of Queensland and PanBio Ltd. We intend to use humanized transgenic mice to produce fully human monoclonal antibodies. Fully human antibodies have great advantages over murine antibodies as diagnostics and therapeutics. These reagents will be used to 1)replace human sera , 2)replace antigens from infectious organisms in a range of diagnostic ....Production and application of novel diagnostic and therapeutic reagents using transgenic mice. The project will be a collaboration between the University of Queensland and PanBio Ltd. We intend to use humanized transgenic mice to produce fully human monoclonal antibodies. Fully human antibodies have great advantages over murine antibodies as diagnostics and therapeutics. These reagents will be used to 1)replace human sera , 2)replace antigens from infectious organisms in a range of diagnostic kits for animal and human infectious disease and 3) as therapeutic leads and 4)to discover vaccine leads. The project will allow production of diagnostic kits where this was previously not feasible or not economically viable (eg. uncommon and/or dangerous animal or human diseases) and will lead to development of novel infectious disease diagnostics and therapeutics.Read moreRead less
Developing a chlamydial vaccine for koalas. Developing a chlamydial vaccine for koalas . This project aims to produce an optimised, safe, field-tested, protective Chlamydia vaccine for koalas. In many regions of Australia, Chlamydia infection severely reduces female koala reproductive rates, threatening the species’ long term survival. This project builds on work developing a prototype vaccine for koala Chlamydia, and intends to produce a vaccine ready for potential registration and use by koala ....Developing a chlamydial vaccine for koalas. Developing a chlamydial vaccine for koalas . This project aims to produce an optimised, safe, field-tested, protective Chlamydia vaccine for koalas. In many regions of Australia, Chlamydia infection severely reduces female koala reproductive rates, threatening the species’ long term survival. This project builds on work developing a prototype vaccine for koala Chlamydia, and intends to produce a vaccine ready for potential registration and use by koala care centres, wildlife hospitals and government departments.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100172
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$330,000.00
Summary
Comprehensive cell imaging facility. This facility will provide Australian biological science researchers with equipment for in-depth analyses of cell function in vitro and in vivo. It will enable innovative research targeted at important questions in fields including cancer, immunology, stem cell biology, infectious disease and tissue regeneration.
Development of a safe and immunogenic anti-chlamydia vaccine for the koala. Many koala populations are under threat of extinction from chlamydial disease.The project will develop a chlamydial vaccine and conduct trials in several wild koala populations for safety and effectiveness.
Bacterial and host drivers of chlamydial blindness in koalas. Chlamydial infection of the eyes is a significant cause of disease and death in koalas, contributing to the ongoing decline of this native species. Little is known about what influences the outcome of these infections, challenging efforts to manage and control koala chlamydial blindness. This project aims to evaluate whether differences in the infecting Chlamydia pecorum strains or the koala immune response, are associated with the ou ....Bacterial and host drivers of chlamydial blindness in koalas. Chlamydial infection of the eyes is a significant cause of disease and death in koalas, contributing to the ongoing decline of this native species. Little is known about what influences the outcome of these infections, challenging efforts to manage and control koala chlamydial blindness. This project aims to evaluate whether differences in the infecting Chlamydia pecorum strains or the koala immune response, are associated with the outcome of chlamydial ocular infection. In addition to helping us to understand and prevent blindness in koalas, this project should significantly expand our knowledge of the koala immune system and generate an array of koala immunological assays, outcomes that may benefit all koala conservation efforts.Read moreRead less
Chemical inhibition: a new approach to investigate the role of a key protease, CtHtrA, from Chlamydia trachomatis. Infertility in women frequently results from infection with Chlamydia trachomatis. This project will develop an inhibitor compound against a important protein from this bacteria. This will establish a new scientific approach to study Chlamydia trachomatis. This project will also contribute to the development of new treatments for infertility.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101389
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,898.00
Summary
Impacts on wildlife populations of infection by multiple, interacting pathogens and the implications for disease management. Simultaneous infection by multiple pathogens is common in nature and interactions among pathogens within a host can profoundly alter the susceptibility of hosts to infection, disease severity and the probability of further transmission. This project aims to understand the consequences of these interactions on both wildlife populations and the communities of pathogens that ....Impacts on wildlife populations of infection by multiple, interacting pathogens and the implications for disease management. Simultaneous infection by multiple pathogens is common in nature and interactions among pathogens within a host can profoundly alter the susceptibility of hosts to infection, disease severity and the probability of further transmission. This project aims to understand the consequences of these interactions on both wildlife populations and the communities of pathogens that infect them. This knowledge will improve our ability to manage disease in wild populations, which is critical for protecting people, livestock and species of conservation concern from emerging disease threats. The application of these findings to koalas will enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of disease management and improve long term population persistence.Read moreRead less
Development of a live vaccine for gut health in poultry. Development of a live vaccine for gut health in poultry. The project aims to develop a live vaccine against necrotic enteritis, a disease of poultry estimated to cost the global poultry industry $5-6 billion USD/annum. It builds on work that has demonstrated the efficacy of an experimental vaccine. The proven antigen, NetB, will be expressed in live delivery vehicles, including the apicomplexan parasite Eimeria and several bacteria strains ....Development of a live vaccine for gut health in poultry. Development of a live vaccine for gut health in poultry. The project aims to develop a live vaccine against necrotic enteritis, a disease of poultry estimated to cost the global poultry industry $5-6 billion USD/annum. It builds on work that has demonstrated the efficacy of an experimental vaccine. The proven antigen, NetB, will be expressed in live delivery vehicles, including the apicomplexan parasite Eimeria and several bacteria strains particularly suited to use in chickens. Comparative analysis of the different vaccine vehicles will allow evaluation of the relative advantages and disadvantage of the different vehicles for delivery of heterologous vaccine antigens, thus informing the choice of appropriate vectors for this and other vaccine applications.Read moreRead less