Structural Biology Of Cytokine Receptor Signalling
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,988,996.00
Summary
This Program will be focused on a group of protein hormones and their receptors, implicated in blood cell cancers and inflammatory diseases and for which current treatments are inadequate. We will determine the mechanism of receptor activation and in particular will seek to link different forms of receptor assembly to different functions. This information will help us develop new drugs with more specificity for certain hormone functions and thus less side-effects.
The foot soldiers of the immune system, the white blood cells, constantly march through the body seeking out invaders, but kept in check by the barrier of endothelial cells that lines the inside of blood vessels. When infection occurs, molecular messages are transmitted amongst the white cells and between white cells and edothelium, to activate the immune cells to pass out of the blood vessels and mount a defence. Unfortunatley, the activation system sometimes goes awry, resulting in inflammator ....The foot soldiers of the immune system, the white blood cells, constantly march through the body seeking out invaders, but kept in check by the barrier of endothelial cells that lines the inside of blood vessels. When infection occurs, molecular messages are transmitted amongst the white cells and between white cells and edothelium, to activate the immune cells to pass out of the blood vessels and mount a defence. Unfortunatley, the activation system sometimes goes awry, resulting in inflammatory or allergic disease, such as arthritis or asthma. This team of researchers from the Hanson Institute in Adelaide, combining expertise in molecular and cell biology, protein chemestry, structual biology and animal models, has been working together for over 10 years, investigating the molecular mechanisms involved in controlling the formation and activities of blood vessels and white blood cells. This program seeks to further that understanding, and to develop drugs that have the potential of ameliorating the inflammatory condition.Read moreRead less
Molecular And Cellular Studies Of The Adaptive Immune Response In Health And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$16,509,154.00
Summary
Immune responses protect us against pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. However inappropriate immune responses can result in autoimmune conditions such as systemic lupus erythmatosus, multiple sclerosis, type I diabetes, asthma as well as immunodeficiencies. The aim of our proposal is to gain a thorough understanding of how all the cells of the immune system function and interact with each other, and what goes wrong when inflammatory diseases develop. We plan to do this using state-of-of-the ....Immune responses protect us against pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. However inappropriate immune responses can result in autoimmune conditions such as systemic lupus erythmatosus, multiple sclerosis, type I diabetes, asthma as well as immunodeficiencies. The aim of our proposal is to gain a thorough understanding of how all the cells of the immune system function and interact with each other, and what goes wrong when inflammatory diseases develop. We plan to do this using state-of-of-the-art technologies, including genetically modified mice, gene microarrays, monoclonal antibodies, and flow cytometry. We have brought together Australia's leading immunologists with complimentary expertise and research interests in specific areas of immunology including cytokines, cell migration, inflammatory diseases, autoimmunity and cell-cell interactions. One aspect of the application is to understand the genetic and molecular basis of immunological diseases. However we also wish to move on from an understanding to treatment of immunological diseases through the development of novel therapeutics. We will form collaborations with biotech and pharmaceutical companies (including our own spin off companies) to advance important new therapeutics for autoimmune and allergic diseases. These conditions represent a significant health burden to Australia.Read moreRead less
This established team of investigators will research into the molecular control of white blood cell formation and function, using a multidisciplinary, team approach to fundamental biological questions with a focus on potential clinical and commercial outcomes. The team will also attempt to identify new validated targets for therapeutic intervention by using both forward and reverse genetic approaches in mice coupled with complete phenotypic analyses of the blood cell system.
Molecular Regulation Of Blood Cell Production And Function
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$18,333,174.00
Summary
The blood-forming system is an intricately controlled balance of cell proliferation, maturation and functional activity that is essential for oxygen transport throughout the body, blood clotting, and effective immune responses. Defining the genes and molecules that orchestrate blood cell production and function is crucial, not only for understanding the role of blood in health, but for establishing the bases of blood cell disorders such as autoimmunity and leukaemia, and for devising new clinica ....The blood-forming system is an intricately controlled balance of cell proliferation, maturation and functional activity that is essential for oxygen transport throughout the body, blood clotting, and effective immune responses. Defining the genes and molecules that orchestrate blood cell production and function is crucial, not only for understanding the role of blood in health, but for establishing the bases of blood cell disorders such as autoimmunity and leukaemia, and for devising new clinical strategies for fighting these lethal diseases. This program is conducted by a large, established team of investigators that have made world-class contributions to understanding blood cell formation and function for more than 30 years. Their work established the modern era of molecular haematology via discovery and analysis of blood cell hormones (colony-stimulating factors or CSFs), their receptors and intracellular mediators, which resulted in development of treatments for millions of cancer patients. The program is a multidisciplinary, team approach to fundamental biological questions with a focus on potential clinical and commercial outcomes involving collaborations with clinical medicine and the pharmaceutical industry. Research will focus on meshing novel genetic approaches in mice with translation studies in humans to identify new validated targets for therapeutic intervention in blood cell diseases, as well as building on the team s expertise in cytokine action with emphasis on the actions of the suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS) molecules, a key family of proteins that controls cytokine actions.Read moreRead less