A Mechanotransduction Apparatus To Coordinate Epithelial Collective Cell Migration.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$994,596.00
Summary
Epithelial cells migrate as physically coherent collective groups, which is necessary for normal development and is disrupted as cancers progress to become invasive and spread. Collective migration requires communication so that the behaviour of individual cells is properly coordinated. In this project we investigate how the transmission of physical force between cells allows them to communicate; and test how its disruption contributes to cancer invasion.
THE ROLE OF THE TETRASPANINS CD37 AND CD82 IN LEUKOCYTE MIGRATION
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$370,902.00
Summary
White blood cells must be able to migrate to fight infection. For instance, immune responses are started by the migration of one type of white blood cells to the lymph node. Also, once activated white blood cells migrate out of the circulation to the site of infection where they can kill bacteria and viruses. This grant studies 2 proteins that control white blood cell migration. These proteins may one day be targets for drugs that either promote immunity or reduce inflammation.
Increasing Haematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilisation By Targeting A Novel Niche Factor
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$707,218.00
Summary
Transplantation of patients’ own blood stem cells is used to treat many blood cancers. It increases the chance of cure. However the damage caused by chemotherapies used to combat the cancer can compromise stem cell collection and transplantation. Without transplant, these patients are less likely to be cured. This project is to test new drugs that enhance the harvest of blood stem cells for transplantation. These will increase the success rates of transplants and cure in these cancer patients.
Specialised immune cells, called cytotoxic T cells, circulate through the body, and kill infected cells to protect us from disease. We discovered that a protein, DOCK8, is important for the regulation of T cell function. Importantly, humans with mutations in the DOCK8 gene suffer from a debilitating, and potentially lethal, immunodeficiency disease. This project will therefore elucidate the role of DOCK8 in immune cells, to better understand the consequences of DOCK8 deficiency for immunity.
Functional And Molecular Characterization Of A Novel Regulator Of Angiogenesis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$474,907.00
Summary
All cells in the body require blood vessels for the provision of nutrients and waste-removal. A deficiency of vessels prevents proper healing whereas an overabundance is a hallmark of diseases such as cancer and macular degeneration. This research will investigate a novel gene that is essential for new vessel growth. The project aims to understand the mechanism of how this gene functions. Ultimately, the research aims to inform therapeutic development for stimulating or inhibiting vessel growth.
The Mechanism For Combined Immunodeficiency And Autoimmunity Due To STK4-deficiency And Its Broader Application To Human PIDs
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$648,371.00
Summary
Why do some patients develop autoimmune diseases such as lupus where the immune system makes antibodies that attack its own body? To answer this, we plan to study a disease where a gene responsible for making antibodies is defective. Patients with mutations in the STK4 gene are unable to regulate the selection processes by which only the right cell is chosen to make antibodies. Understanding how STK4 works may help us unlock the mystery of what causes lupus.
THE ROLE OF TUMOUR-EGRESSING T CELLS IN ANTI-TUMOUR IMMUNE RESPONSES
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$603,333.00
Summary
Immune cells can play both beneficial and detrimental roles in cancer. We have devised a novel method to ‘tag’ immune cells inside tumours and follow their fate. Using this method we discovered that immune cells called T cells can leave primary tumours and migrate to lymph nodes. The aim of this project is to investigate the role of these tumour-egressing cells in tumour immunity and to determine whether their migration and function can be manipulated to improve anti-tumour therapies.
Understanding How Cytomegaloviruses Establish Systemic Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$668,144.00
Summary
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infects most Australians, causes birth defects and harms transplant patients. Vaccines against it have worked poorly. HCMV spreads throughout the body and is never cleared. To control infection we must identify its key checkpoints. Using mouse CMV, we find that host dendritic cells, which normally defend against infections, are taken over and spread virus to new sites. The viral gene responsible is a potential target for intervention. We will define how it works.
Chemokine Receptors And The Control Of Th17-mediated Inflammation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$801,229.00
Summary
Controlling persistent inflammation in autoimmune diseases is a major challenge and current therapeutics have significant side effects. Thus, novel targets must be identified. We have discovered a previously unknown level of control of autoimmune inflammation that may represent a more specific and effective means of controlling ongoing inflammation in these diseases.
The Importance Of Superstars: Cell Numbers And Lineages In Enteric Nervous System Formation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$561,717.00
Summary
All digestive functions are controlled by a nerve system in the gut wall, and it works without us thinking about it. This is a huge system rivalling the spinal cord in number of nerve cells. And it has may different types of nerve cells. It originates from a very few cells early in the embryo, about 200 times fewer than the spinal cord. How do the cells manage to divide enough to make this system, and how do they 'know' how to make the right types of nerve cells in the right places in the gut?