Identification Of Antigen Selection In The Human IgE Response By Analysis Of Somatic Point Mutations
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$256,973.00
Summary
Allergic disease affects over 25% of the Australian community. It is responsible for significant sickness and death, particularly amongst children, and its incidence is on the increase. The reasons for this, and the underlying causes of allergic disease, remain unclear. Allergic disease results from the actions of molecules called IgE antibodies, which are also associated with parasitic infection. Even in these conditions, where IgE concentrations are raised in the blood, the concentrations are ....Allergic disease affects over 25% of the Australian community. It is responsible for significant sickness and death, particularly amongst children, and its incidence is on the increase. The reasons for this, and the underlying causes of allergic disease, remain unclear. Allergic disease results from the actions of molecules called IgE antibodies, which are also associated with parasitic infection. Even in these conditions, where IgE concentrations are raised in the blood, the concentrations are too low to allow their direct study. We have recently applied molecular biological techniques to study the genes that encode IgE antibodies. Our work suggests that the IgE response can sometimes develop in a different way to that of other antibodies (eg IgG). On the other hand, laboratory (in vitro) studies over many years support the possibility that IgE and IgG develop in parallel. In this study, we wish to identify circumstances in which IgG-like IgE antibodies develop. We therefore wish to study patients with different kinds of allergic disease, and patients with other conditions that are associated with IgE production. We therefore wish to study patients who have infections with parasitic worms. We deduce the processes that give rise to IgE antibodies by analysing patterns of mutations that accumulate in antibody genes during an immune response. Over recent years, we have developed new approaches to the analysis of such mutations, and this project also seeks to further develop our mutation analysis. This more powerful analysis will be applied to the study of mutations in the IgE genes seen in different patient groups, and should allow us to quantify the proportion of IgE antibodies that develop in each way. A better understanding of the relative contributions of the two pathways to IgE, in different conditions, will transform our understanding of the IgE response, and open up new avenues for the investigation of the causes and treatment of allergic disease.Read moreRead less
Regulating The Production Of High Affinity Antibody Forming Cells During The Germinal Centre Reaction.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$376,980.00
Summary
In response to infection the body makes antibodies. These antibodies are important in helping clear the infection and keeping us healthy. What's more, the immune system 'remembers' these past infections. This means that when we are re-exposed to an infectious agent like measles virus, no disease develops. This is because the antibodies which cleared the infection initially, are still being made and prevent or neutralize the new infection or toxin. The continued production of these antibodies is ....In response to infection the body makes antibodies. These antibodies are important in helping clear the infection and keeping us healthy. What's more, the immune system 'remembers' these past infections. This means that when we are re-exposed to an infectious agent like measles virus, no disease develops. This is because the antibodies which cleared the infection initially, are still being made and prevent or neutralize the new infection or toxin. The continued production of these antibodies is therefore an important part of staying healthy. When we are vaccinated, we produce antibodies specific for the components of the vaccine. Some of these components are part of the real infectious agent. This means that when we encounter the real virus, we already have antibodies that prevent the virus from doing any damage. Booster immunizations are necessary to make sure we have high enough levels of these neutralizing antibodies. Being able to understand how these important antibodies are made is a central goal of this research project. We hope that by understanding how cells are durected in an immune response to become the kind of cells that secretes neutralizing antibodies, we will be able to make vaccines that work more efficiently, that require fewer booster injections and that give longer lasting protection. We also hope that we can better design vaccines so that those that currently don't work, can be made to do so.Read moreRead less
Characterisation Of Cumulus Cell Molecular Mediators Of Oocyte Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$451,896.00
Summary
Many women are poorly fertile because of poor egg quality due to age, disease and lifestyle. IVF can assist, but requires large doses of hormone, which can lead to significant health risks. IVM is an alternative lab technique to IVF, but has very poor success. We discovered that synthetic proteins copied from recently discovered egg proteins can be added to the egg and substantially increase IVM success. Answering why will further will aid treatment for infertile women