Regulation Of Pulmonary Immune Responses To Subunit Vaccines Against Tuberculosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$509,202.00
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) remains an enormous health problem world-wide. Improving the effectiveness of anti-TB vaccines is essential for its control. The first approach to improving subunit TB vaccines will be to manipulate the cellular immune response to the vaccine by increasing the positive cytokine signals, or reducing inhibitory effects on the immune response. The second approach is to develop new subunit vaccines to deliver to the lung in order to increase the potency of the protective response.
Chronic Bacterial Infection And The Generation Of T Cell Memory: Implication For Vaccination Against Tuberculosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$547,970.00
Summary
Two million people die from tuberculosis (TB) each year. The immune system is unable to eradicate the TB bacterium, and the type of immune response needed to protect against the disease is poorly understood. We will use animal models of TB infection and sophisticated immunological techniques to decipher how the TB bacterium interacts with the immune sytem and causes disease. We will also develop new TB vaccines that aim to boost the immune response in the lung, the main site of TB infection.
Probiotic Prawn Oral Immunotherapy (ProPIT) For Treatment Of Prawn Allergy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,865,369.00
Summary
A ‘curative’ food allergy treatment is needed to prevent deaths and improve care. We recently showed that probiotic peanut oral immunotherapy (PPOIT) was highly effective for treating peanut allergy. 82% of PPOIT treated children gained tolerance compared to 4% of the placebo group. We will now test the combined probiotic-food OIT approach for treating prawn allergy. If successful, we will have identified the first treatment for prawn allergy and a platform treatment for other food allergies.
Maternal Diet Rich In Eggs And Peanuts To Reduce Food Allergies: A Randomised Controlled Trial.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,719,516.00
Summary
Food allergies now affect more than 1 in every 10 children. Recently, babies have been found to be at risk of developing a food allergy even before they start eating solid foods. We have discovered that baby immune responses can be improved by mothers eating more eggs during the first weeks of breastfeeding. Thus we are undertaking this research trial to determine whether mothers regularly eating more eggs and peanuts during pregnancy and breastfeeding will reduce food allergies in their babies.
Dietary Modulation Of Maternal Gut Flora With Oligosaccharides In Pregnancy As A Novel Allergy Prevention Strategy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,681,512.00
Summary
Declining intake of dietary fibre is a major factor implicated in the changing profile of healthy gut bacteria, and the associated increase in many inflammatory diseases including childhood allergy. This clinical trial aims to confirm findings in animal studies that increased dietary fibre in pregnancy can prevent allergy in the offspring, by favourably influencing metabolism and immune function during pregnancy.
Attenuated And Recombinant Mycobacterial Strains As Novel Vaccines To Control Tuberculosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$370,500.00
Summary
Tuberculosis is a major worldwide health problem. Around one third of the world s population is infected with the bacterium that causes tuberculosis, which results in 2 million deaths per year. Furthermore, people infected with the AIDS virus are at a much greater risk of catching tuberculosis. The only vaccine available for tuberculosis, known as BCG, is not very effective at preventing the disease. Therefore there is an urgent need to develop new vaccines to help combat tuberculosis. This proj ....Tuberculosis is a major worldwide health problem. Around one third of the world s population is infected with the bacterium that causes tuberculosis, which results in 2 million deaths per year. Furthermore, people infected with the AIDS virus are at a much greater risk of catching tuberculosis. The only vaccine available for tuberculosis, known as BCG, is not very effective at preventing the disease. Therefore there is an urgent need to develop new vaccines to help combat tuberculosis. This project aims to develop and test novel vaccines to prevent tuberculosis. We will produce forms of the existing BCG vaccine that have been altered to boost the components of the immune system needed to provide optimal protection against tuberculosis. Other potential vaccines that we will test are very similar to the bacterium that causes tuberculosis but have been altered such that they do not cause disease. Using animal models of tuberculosis and sophisticated immunological techniques we wish to determine if these live vaccines can stimulate the right type of immune response needed to fight tuberculosis and prevent infection. This is an internationally competitive project and our team is at the forefront of this research effort. A new, effective tuberculosis vaccine would be a major medical breakthrough and a represent a significant achievement for Australian health and medical research.Read moreRead less
Molecular Approaches To Developing Subunit Vaccines With Improved Efficacy Against Tuberculosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$480,750.00
Summary
Tuberculosis remains a major worldwide health problem, resulting in approximately 3 million deaths per year. Furthermore, people infected with the AIDS virus are at a much greater risk of catching tuberculosis. The only vaccine available for tuberculosis, known as BCG, is not very effective at preventing the disease. Therefore there is an urgent need to develop new vaccines to help combat tuberculosis. The bacterium that causes tuberculosis is made up of may proteins, some of which are known to ....Tuberculosis remains a major worldwide health problem, resulting in approximately 3 million deaths per year. Furthermore, people infected with the AIDS virus are at a much greater risk of catching tuberculosis. The only vaccine available for tuberculosis, known as BCG, is not very effective at preventing the disease. Therefore there is an urgent need to develop new vaccines to help combat tuberculosis. The bacterium that causes tuberculosis is made up of may proteins, some of which are known to induce immune responses in animals and humans. We will produce vaccines that are made from 13 of these important proteins. Using a laboratory animal model that closely mimics human tuberculosis infection, together with sophisticated immunological techniques, we will determine if these vaccines stimulate the right immune response to fight tuberculosis and prevent infection. In addition, we will exploit molecules known to boost immune responses to optimise these vaccines. Further we will study the recently sequenced genome of the tuberculosis bacterium to identify new proteins that may be included in these novel anti-tuberculosis vaccines. This is an internationally competitive project and our team is at the forefront of this research effort. A new, effective tuberculosis vaccine would be a major medical breakthrough and a represent a significant achievement for Australian health and medical research.Read moreRead less
Phase I/IIa Trials Of A Novel T-cell Epitope-based Peptide Therapy For Peanut Allergy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,440,000.00
Summary
Peanut allergy affects ~2% of the population and is the major cause of food triggered deaths from anaphylaxis. Typically peanut allergy is lifelong. Currently there is no specific treatment. Our vast experience in immunology for house dust mite and grass immunotherapy allowed us to identify critical components of peanut proteins needed as a safe vaccine to build tolerance to peanut foods. Now we will progress this novel and revolutionary vaccine through early phase clinical trials.
Allergic disease affects more than one in five Australian children. What foods a mother eats during pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as when to introduce solid foods to babies, is thought to be critical in reducing the increasing burden of allergies in our Australian community. I hope to use this fellowship to discover what dietary factors put children at risk of developing a food allergy, and ways we can reduce that risk.