Regulation Of Toxoplasma By The NLRP1 Inflammasome
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$623,070.00
Summary
Toxoplasmosa is an endemic pathogen worldwide, approaching 80% of the population in some areas, with a large burden of disease, particularly of immunocompromised and pregnant individuals. Our preliminary data identifies a receptor protein in immune cells that detects Toxoplasma. This can defeat the parasite, but also causes pathology for the host. The outcome of our project will work out what part of Toxoplasma is recognized by this receptor, with significance for the treatment of Toxoplasmosis.
Sterile inflammation as a determinant of adaptive immunity. When we injure ourselves, the site of injury becomes inflamed, which may help healing or cause trouble. This project aims to understand how the normal response to injury is controlled and why the process may sometimes go wrong.
Analysing the protective role of platelets during malaria infection. Platelets protect the host during malarial infection. This project aims to study how platelets kill the malaria parasite by investigating the role of host molecules and their potential as novel antimalarial agents. The role of platelets in the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria syndrome will also be investigated.
SNARE-mediated perforin and cytokine release in natural killer cells. Cytotoxic cells release toxic granules and cytokine messengers to kill pathogen infected and cancerous cells and to mount immune responses. This project will investigate different SNARE molecules that regulate the secretion of perforin from granules and cytokines from other carriers, assisting in the understanding of complex but essential cellular pathways.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101340
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Subversion of innate immune responses by pathogenic Escherichia coli. This project will determine how bacteria that cause diarrhoeal diseases prevent the immune system from signalling efficiently. It will provide important information not only about how the bacteria establish disease, but also provide insight into the host response in the early stages of infection.
Regulation Of Immune And Inflammatory Responses By Short Chain Fatty Acids And GPR43
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$549,092.00
Summary
Innate immune mechanisms provide essential signals that determine the outcome of immune responses. The identity of these innate mechanisms may provide opportunities for manipulating immune responses, or controlling inflammatory responses. This proposal centers around a new and little-studied receptor, GPR43, which binds products of bacterial metabolism. This molecular pathway may explain how diet affect immune responses.
Deciphering novel cross-talk between innate cytokine receptors. Understanding the basic functions of interferons, how they signal to cells, is central to understanding fundamental immunity. Interferons are crucial molecules of the immune system that are important for normal cell development and they protect the body from viral infection and cancer but can be deleterious in different autoimmune diseases and trauma settings. Preliminary Data shows there is a pathway of interferon signalling that h ....Deciphering novel cross-talk between innate cytokine receptors. Understanding the basic functions of interferons, how they signal to cells, is central to understanding fundamental immunity. Interferons are crucial molecules of the immune system that are important for normal cell development and they protect the body from viral infection and cancer but can be deleterious in different autoimmune diseases and trauma settings. Preliminary Data shows there is a pathway of interferon signalling that has previously been overlooked. This project aims to understand how this pathway works and how it contributes to the normal workings of cells. This fundamental science has future consequences for the design of vaccines and for the design of therapeutics to treat diseases that show defective interferon signalling.Read moreRead less
The Host Response To Highly Pathogenic Influenza Virus
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$237,981.00
Summary
Highly pathogenic influenza infections are a global health concern and cause global panic. There is no effective therapy available; for example and the death rate for H5N1 infection is ~60%. Here we propose to further understand host lung response to highly pathogenic influenza with a view to develop new therapies for this urgent issue.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE140100070
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$650,000.00
Summary
An advanced in vivo imaging facility. An advanced in vivo imaging facility: This project will establish an advanced In Vivo Imaging Facility (IVIF) for examining host-microbe interactions and associated immunological processes within the context of the numerous infectious disease models within the University of Melbourne and associated collaborators. The Zeiss LSM 7MP 2-photon imaging system will provide enhanced capacity to directly visualise cellular and molecular events in real time, with gre ....An advanced in vivo imaging facility. An advanced in vivo imaging facility: This project will establish an advanced In Vivo Imaging Facility (IVIF) for examining host-microbe interactions and associated immunological processes within the context of the numerous infectious disease models within the University of Melbourne and associated collaborators. The Zeiss LSM 7MP 2-photon imaging system will provide enhanced capacity to directly visualise cellular and molecular events in real time, with greater sensitivity and in a broader range of tissues and organs. This will provide the opportunity for novel insights into numerous immunological and host-microbe interactions.Read moreRead less
Mechanisms connecting diet, metabolism, gut microbiota and immunity. This project will identify the role of short chain fatty acids and the G-protein coupled receptor (GPR43) in regulating immune responses. This could explain how diet affects immune responses and also how certain bacteria in the gut provide benefits for immune defence.