Maternal Carriage Of Prevotella During Pregnancy Influences Offspring Innate Immune Responses And Asthma At Age 7
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$916,798.00
Summary
This project will investigate the relationship between the bacteria a mother carries in her gut during pregnancy and her baby’s risk of developing allergic disease and asthma. We will investigate underlying immune pathways and conduct experiments in mice to determine whether inoculating mothers with a specific type of bacteria known as Prevotella could be used to prevent food allergies and asthma in the offspring.
Molecular Regulation Of Eosinophil Production: A Basis For Intervention In Inflammatory Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$609,281.00
Summary
Eosinophils are rare blood cells that play a key role in the pathology of asthma and other inflammatory diseases. Asthma afflicts hundreds of millions of people worldwide, and excess eosinophils are common in many patients. We aim to define the cells involved in eosinophil development, and we will use cutting-edge technologies to identify new eosinophil regulators that may serve as drug targets or as novel entry points for development of therapeutics for asthma or other inflammatory diseases.
Validation Of PAG1 As A New Risk Gene With Therapeutic Potential For Asthma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$687,436.00
Summary
About 10% of adults and children suffer from asthma in Australia. For >60% of these their asthma symptoms are not well controlled with existing treatments and so novel therapies are needed. We have recently identified PAG1 as a novel risk gene for asthma. In this study, we will conduct mouse and human studies to investigate the possibility inhibition of PAG1 might help prevent or treat asthma exacerbations.
Targeting An Epigenetic Silencing Pathway To Treat Allergic Asthma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Asthma affects around 11% of the Australian population and costs the health care system around $28 billion. Unfortunately there is still no cure and treatments have not changed for decades. This project aims to discover new drugs to treat asthma by re-wiring the cells of the immune system which cause the disease.
Is Lyn Tyrosine Kinase A Predictor Of Severe, Persistent Multi-trait Asthma And Allergy?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$250,250.00
Summary
Asthma is a major health problem in Australia affecting over 10% of the population at any time, and more than 25% of the population at one stage in their lives. Although the public perception is that asthma treatments have improved management of the disease, more than 700 people die from severe asthma each year and hospitalisation from exacerbation (sudden worsening) is one of the most costly components of the health care burden in Australia and most developed countries. Currently there are no m ....Asthma is a major health problem in Australia affecting over 10% of the population at any time, and more than 25% of the population at one stage in their lives. Although the public perception is that asthma treatments have improved management of the disease, more than 700 people die from severe asthma each year and hospitalisation from exacerbation (sudden worsening) is one of the most costly components of the health care burden in Australia and most developed countries. Currently there are no molecular markers that can predict who will get severe asthma and there are no specific treatments to reverse severe exacerbations. This project will use advanced molecular biology methods to examine whether a molecule called Lyn may be important. The Lyn tyrosine kinase is a member of a family of genes that participate in transmitting information across the cell membrane. This enzyme is expressed in blood cells, and is involved in mechanisms pertaining to infection, immunity and allergic responses. To further our understanding of the role of this enzyme in the context of the whole animal, we have generated mice that are unable to make Lyn protein (Lyn-deficient mice). In animal models of asthma we know that if Lyn is not functioning, severe and persistent asthma develops. We have also made preliminary studies that suggest that Lyn does not work properly in people who have been admitted to the emergency ward with life threatenting asthma. In this study we will examine in detail the role that Lyn plays in asthma and allergy, and we intend to identify the pathways that give rise to asthma in Lyn-deficient mice. We will also investigate our hypothesis that Lyn activity may be reduced or disregulated in patients with asthma and allergy. This research should lead to better predictive markers for severe asthma and also to improved and specific treatments.Read moreRead less
Targeting Remodelling In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Chronic Asthma And Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$386,634.00
Summary
Lung diseases (emphysema, asthma & pulmonary fibrosis) are major burdens on Australian community and economy. Airway remodelling/wounding is a key feature of all these diseases. Patients experience severe breathlessness seriously impacting quality of life and frequently leading to death. We will assess the potential of new targets (including IL-33), & therapy in suppressing wounding in experimental models. This may lead to a new treatment to reverse or prevent lung diseases.
Development Of Anti-CXCR7 MAbs For The Treatment Of Fibrosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$399,998.00
Summary
Fibrosis is a serious biological process that occurs in many disease conditions, including cancer, inflammation and infections. We have produced antibodies to CXCR7, and these antibodies completely inhibit fibrosis in a mouse model. We plan to develop these antibodies in to a suitable drug for human clinical trials.
Generation Of Mouse Models To Study The Roles Of Different Bcl-2 Family Members In The Regulation Of Apaptosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$420,872.00
Summary
Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, is required for the removal of infected, damaged or unwanted cells and its disrupted regulation is implicated in cancer, autoimmunity and degenerative disorders. The Bcl-2 family of proteins are key regulators of apoptosis. We propose to generate several mouse models to better understand the relationships between the different members of the Bcl-2 family in an effort to control this pathway for therapeutic purposes.
Uncovering The Basis Of Inflammatory And Immunodeficiency Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$15,718,075.00
Summary
A world-class team from 3 institutions, spanning disciplines of clinical and experimental immunology, therapeutics, signalling and genetics, will identify how immune and inflammatory responses are controlled in both health and disease. The major outcomes of this work will be the generation of new knowledge, concepts and approaches to diagnose, prevent and treat the major human health problems of autoimmune diseases, inflammation, allergy and immunodeficiency.