Development Of Contemporary Surveillance And Control Methodologies For Dengue And Other Mosquito-borne Viral Diseases.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$512,290.00
Summary
This research proposal will address the need for better surveillance and control methodologies for mosquito-borne viral diseases and their vectors, including dengue and its global mosquito vector, Ae. aegypti, and a range of other important arboviral diseases throughout Australia. Research will focus in three areas: surveillance and control of Ross River and Barmah Forest viruses; development of contemporary risk management frameworks for dengue; and innovative investigations of insect age to pr ....This research proposal will address the need for better surveillance and control methodologies for mosquito-borne viral diseases and their vectors, including dengue and its global mosquito vector, Ae. aegypti, and a range of other important arboviral diseases throughout Australia. Research will focus in three areas: surveillance and control of Ross River and Barmah Forest viruses; development of contemporary risk management frameworks for dengue; and innovative investigations of insect age to provide evidence based monitoring and novel approaches to arbovirus disease prevention.Read moreRead less
Monocytes On Patrol – Key Mediators Of Renal Injury In Glomerulonephritis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$772,888.00
Summary
The glomerulus is the filtering component of the kidney. In many diseases, it can be the target of an inappropriate inflammatory response. As part of this response, white blood cells accumulate in the glomerulus where they cause damage. In this project, we make use of special microscopes to examine the glomerulus during an inflammatory response, with the aim of understanding the actions of white blood cells present in glomeruli and how they cause inflammation and damage the glomerulus.
Optimising disease surveillance to support decision-making. COVID-19 has demonstrated the critical role of epidemic data and analytics in guiding government response to pandemic threats, reducing disease and saving lives. The demand for epidemic analytics for response to threats of national significance will only grow. The goals of this project are to 1) determine the combination(s) of surveillance methods that provide the most useful data for epidemic analysis and 2) translate these findings in ....Optimising disease surveillance to support decision-making. COVID-19 has demonstrated the critical role of epidemic data and analytics in guiding government response to pandemic threats, reducing disease and saving lives. The demand for epidemic analytics for response to threats of national significance will only grow. The goals of this project are to 1) determine the combination(s) of surveillance methods that provide the most useful data for epidemic analysis and 2) translate these findings into the blueprint for a next-generation infectious disease surveillance system for Australia. We will use a simulation-evaluation approach, coupling methods from infectious disease modelling with those from information theory optimal design. Outcomes will enable more tailored and effective pandemic response.Read moreRead less
Understanding And Preventing Gastroenteritis And Foodborne Disease In Elderly Australians
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$69,684.00
Summary
Foodborne and gastrointestinal diseases amongst older people are an emerging concern for the Australian public and an overstretched health care system. In this study, I will undertake research to understand the pattern of disease among elderly people using data from national surveys of gastroenteritis and surveillance of infectious diseases. This study will provide evidence for strategies to control foodborne disease and gastroenteritis in elderly people and aged care homes.
Towards HIV And Hepatitis C Elimination: Real-world Trials And Innovations In Disease Surveillance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$640,210.00
Summary
Over the next five years I will undertake a program of research centred on developing and implementing strategies to help eliminate hepatitis C and HIV as major public health problems. In particular, I will use innovative monitoring systems and field trials to explore ways to diagnose and treat HIV and hepatitis C in vulnerable populations in a more timely way and study the influence this has on reducing the onward transmission of these infections to others.
Emerging Infectious Neurological Diseases In Australia; From Enhanced Recognition To Improved Response
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$189,384.00
Summary
Infectious neurological diseases(IND) such as encephalitis are severe and frequently cause long term disability. New IND like Zika pose a real threat. During his PhD, Dr Britton identified outbreaks of encephalitis in children and described serious consequences. Here, Dr Britton proposes to extend his work across all ages, include other types of IND and explore novel methods to detect outbreaks. He will work with experts at leading national research centres in surveillance and infectious disease
The Role Of Self Reactive T Cells In The Normal TCR Repertoire
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$363,601.00
Summary
The immune system is highly regulated and sophisticated in order to distinguish foreign invaders from our own body. Once control is lost in this system, mistakes can happen, and autoimmunity, attack of ones self may result. Surprisingly potentially dangerous ‘fighter’ T cells can be readily found in healthy individuals whom are free from autoimmunity. The aim of this project is to understand how we can survive with these potentially harmful T cells around and what may activate them.
Can Skin Infection With Group A Streptococcus Cause Acute Rheumatic Fever?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$459,450.00
Summary
It is traditionally taught that the cause of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is always infection of the throat with the bacterium group A streptococcus (GAS). However, in Aboriginal communities of the Top End of the Northern Territory the incidence of ARF is the highest reported in the world, yet GAS is uncommonly isolated from the throat. There is further information to suggest that GAS skin sores may underlie many cases of ARF. If this were proven, it would completely alter the traditional view of ....It is traditionally taught that the cause of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is always infection of the throat with the bacterium group A streptococcus (GAS). However, in Aboriginal communities of the Top End of the Northern Territory the incidence of ARF is the highest reported in the world, yet GAS is uncommonly isolated from the throat. There is further information to suggest that GAS skin sores may underlie many cases of ARF. If this were proven, it would completely alter the traditional view of the cause of ARF, and have important implications for prevention of ARF around the world. Presently, these approaches focus on diagnosing and treating sore throat, but no country has proven that such a program can be successful in substantially reducing new cases of ARF. If it was known that skin infection could lead to ARF, then countries (including Australia) could emphasise the importance of skin health programs. A further benefit of this knowledge would be to influence GAS vaccine development, which presently is largely focused on the prevention of sore throat. A different possibility has recently been raised - that the cause of ARF may not always be GAS, but instead that the related bacteria GCS and GGS may have the potential to cause this disease. Proof of this hypothesis would even more dramatically alter our understanding of disease causation, prevention, and vaccine development. We propose to determine the cause of ARF in Aboriginal communities by regularly swabbing families of people with a history of ARF, and using genetic fingerprinting of the bacteria from the skin and throat swabs. When cases of ARF occur, we will be able to determine the site and type of infection that precipitated the attack. We will conduct a related study in more communities, in which we will swab family members of people with ARF and of control families (without ARF) to determine the bacteria most commonly isolated from ARF families.Read moreRead less