Malaria: From Target Identification And Therapeutics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$5,276,440.00
Summary
The team brings together a number of experts in various aspects of malaria, vaccines and drug design to develop new therapeutic approaches to control of one of the world�s major infectious diseases. Recent developments such as the complete sequence of every malaria gene provides an unparalleled opportunity to use a number of powerful new techniques in biology to identify vulnerabilities in the parasite that may be targeted. Members of the team include Professor von Itzstein who was responsible f ....The team brings together a number of experts in various aspects of malaria, vaccines and drug design to develop new therapeutic approaches to control of one of the world�s major infectious diseases. Recent developments such as the complete sequence of every malaria gene provides an unparalleled opportunity to use a number of powerful new techniques in biology to identify vulnerabilities in the parasite that may be targeted. Members of the team include Professor von Itzstein who was responsible for the design of the anti-flu drug Relenza, Professor Ross Coppel who is a pioneer in the application of molecular biology to the study of malaria, and Drs Cooke and Plebanski, exciting and talented young scientists who already have made highly significant and important contributions to our understanding of how malaria parasites function and cause disease. Success in this research program has the capacity to save millions of lives each year by preventing the deadly toll of this important human scourge.Read moreRead less
Immunity And Pathogenesis In Tropical And Infectious Diseases: Implications For Vaccines And
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$15,794,553.00
Summary
Malaria, streptococcal diseases, helminthiases and scabies are diseases of indigenous people on a massive scale, which lack vaccines. We aim to understand the pathogenesis of these diseases and develop vaccines and other treatments to combat them. Team includes senior experts on infectious diseases with long collaborative histories and younger members with impressive credentials. The work proposed also concerns inventive new ways of making such vaccines by novel chemical methods and aspects of d ....Malaria, streptococcal diseases, helminthiases and scabies are diseases of indigenous people on a massive scale, which lack vaccines. We aim to understand the pathogenesis of these diseases and develop vaccines and other treatments to combat them. Team includes senior experts on infectious diseases with long collaborative histories and younger members with impressive credentials. The work proposed also concerns inventive new ways of making such vaccines by novel chemical methods and aspects of delivery.Read moreRead less
The Molecular Basis Of Bacterial Infectious Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$16,230,996.00
Summary
Bacterial infectious diseases are a serious threat to human health, accounting for over 10 million deaths each year. This multidisciplinary collaborative team is investigating the complex interactions between major disease-causing bacteria and their human hosts, in order to determine how they cause disease. These studies will make a major contribution to fundamental knowledge in this field. This information is also essential for the development of cheaper and more effective vaccines, as well as ....Bacterial infectious diseases are a serious threat to human health, accounting for over 10 million deaths each year. This multidisciplinary collaborative team is investigating the complex interactions between major disease-causing bacteria and their human hosts, in order to determine how they cause disease. These studies will make a major contribution to fundamental knowledge in this field. This information is also essential for the development of cheaper and more effective vaccines, as well as novel drugs. These are urgently needed to reduce death and illness due to bacterial infectious diseases in the 21st century. 11Read moreRead less
This program application seeks to draw on the skills of a world leading group of Australian researchers to bring novel HIV vaccine designs to clinical trials, improve vaccine design and create new opportunities for commercialisation. The Chief Investigators, Prof David Cooper, Prof Peter Doherty (Nobel Prize winner), A-Prof Stephen Kent and Prof Ian Ramshaw, have achieved major scientific developments including: innovative collaborative clinical trials, cutting edge research in T cell immunology ....This program application seeks to draw on the skills of a world leading group of Australian researchers to bring novel HIV vaccine designs to clinical trials, improve vaccine design and create new opportunities for commercialisation. The Chief Investigators, Prof David Cooper, Prof Peter Doherty (Nobel Prize winner), A-Prof Stephen Kent and Prof Ian Ramshaw, have achieved major scientific developments including: innovative collaborative clinical trials, cutting edge research in T cell immunology, the establishment of the only PC3-level nonhuman primate facility in the Southern hemisphere, T cell immunogenicity of the DNA-viral vector prime-boost vaccine regimens and ground-breaking research on cytokine co-expressing viral vector vaccines. The Principle Investigators also have a record of substantial achievement in relation to HIV and T cell biology as well as novel vaccination technologies. There is a strong history of successful collaboration among this group leading to the award of major NIH funding.Read moreRead less
The development of vaccines and better treatments for HIV-AIDS and Hepatitis C are urgent global health priorities. This Program will undertake studies to better understand effective immunity against HIV and hepatitis C, allowing the rational design and testing of novel vaccines and treatments. The Program brings together a team of researchers with skills in basic virology and immunology with those providing expertise in translating findings in the laboratory into human clinical trials.
This Program Grant has three investigators, Professor Denis Moss, Dr Rajiv Khanna and Dr Scott Burrows, each of whom has collaborated on two previous Program Grants. The group is well known in the area of herpesvirus immunology and have published numerous scientific papers in leading medical journals. This program grant focuses on two human herpesviruses. The first is called Epstein-Barr virus which causes glandular fever and is associated with arange of human cancers. The second virus is human ....This Program Grant has three investigators, Professor Denis Moss, Dr Rajiv Khanna and Dr Scott Burrows, each of whom has collaborated on two previous Program Grants. The group is well known in the area of herpesvirus immunology and have published numerous scientific papers in leading medical journals. This program grant focuses on two human herpesviruses. The first is called Epstein-Barr virus which causes glandular fever and is associated with arange of human cancers. The second virus is human cytomegalovirus which can cause birth defects and problems in transplant patients. In this program we are investigating how the body�s immune system controls these viruses to exploit this information to develop new treatments.Read moreRead less
Host Parasite Interactions: Disease, Pathogenesis And Control
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$13,738,897.00
Summary
Our program will investigate two major global parasitic diseases: malaria and leishmaniasis. We will explore how the parasites identify and invade the host. This is a critical stage of the infection and we will characterise proteins involved as they are potential targets for drugs and vaccines against the parasites. Many of these recognition and interaction components are excellent candidates for the development of vaccines to interrupt the cycle of infection. We are also unravelling metabolic p ....Our program will investigate two major global parasitic diseases: malaria and leishmaniasis. We will explore how the parasites identify and invade the host. This is a critical stage of the infection and we will characterise proteins involved as they are potential targets for drugs and vaccines against the parasites. Many of these recognition and interaction components are excellent candidates for the development of vaccines to interrupt the cycle of infection. We are also unravelling metabolic pathways unique to the parasites using a mixture of genetic and computational tools complemented with sophisticated instrumentation to chemically identify the parasite�s entire repertoire of metabolic compounds. These pathways, absent from human hosts, are also highly vulnerable and we will feed the key steps into the drug development facet of the program. Our program also looks at how the parasites cause disease and how the host responds to the disease. We will explore the reactions of the immune system to infection and consequences of the body�s (often only partially successful) attempts to fight off the disease.Read moreRead less
Tropical Infectious Diseases - Pathogenisis And Vaccine Research
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$7,311,989.00
Summary
The diseases on which three themes of the work proposed centre, malaria, streptococcal diseases and scabies are infectious diseases largely affecting indigenous people in various parts of the world on a massive scale, for which there are no vaccines. The aim of the work is to develop vaccines or other biological prevention measures against each of these diseases and the problems that need to be solved are similar. The team includes senior experts on thebiology of infectious diseases with long hi ....The diseases on which three themes of the work proposed centre, malaria, streptococcal diseases and scabies are infectious diseases largely affecting indigenous people in various parts of the world on a massive scale, for which there are no vaccines. The aim of the work is to develop vaccines or other biological prevention measures against each of these diseases and the problems that need to be solved are similar. The team includes senior experts on thebiology of infectious diseases with long histories of collaboration as well as younger members with impressive credentials that are new to the collaboration. The fourth theme of the work proposed is concerned with inventive new ways of making such vaccines by novelchemical methods. It has already been the subject of published collaborative work onstreptococcal disease and is equally applicable to the other themes.Read moreRead less