This program will investigate the strategies used by pathogenic bacteria to cause human diseases. The research will focus on how bacteria initiate infections, how they invade, cause cell and tissue damage and respond to their human host. It will also examine how the host’s innate immune system interacts with these bacteria. The results will provide new insights into host-pathogen interactions and reveal new targets for the development of novel antibacterial drugs and vaccines.
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
Evolution And Function Of A Novel Lateral Flagellar Locus, Flag-2, In Pathogenic Escherichia Coli
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$465,158.00
Summary
This project will study how the bacteria that cause infant diarrhoea colonize the intestine and induce disease. We have identified a novel genetic region that allows E. coli to survive and persist in the intestine. Similar genes are also present in closely related organisms. This project will help us to undestand how new diseases evolve and emerge and may lead to the development of new vaccines to protect against infant diarrhoea.
A specialised set of T lymphocytes called Mucosal Associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells react against bacteria and yeast, and reside at mucosal sites where the body's immune defences are most easily breached, e.g. respiratory tract and intestinal mucosa. This study investigates the role of MAIT cells in both protection and pathology in bacterial infections. Controlling MAIT cells could help in treating these conditions.
Infectious diseases plague mankind; with infections responsible for approximately 20% of all deaths worldwide. New strategies are urgently needed and we have positioned our research to address questions around how to forestall bacterial pathogens in the initial phases of invasion of human tissues and provide full understanding of the key molecules on the surfaces of bacterial cells. This fundamental knowledge is crucial to new drugs, vaccines and infection-resistant medical devices.
Identifying Key Players In The Spread Of Antimicrobial Resistance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$817,448.00
Summary
Antibiotic drugs are essential to treat bacterial infections. However some bacteria have genes that allow them to resist certain drugs, which can be transferred among bacteria to create 'superbugs' that can resist nearly all the drugs we have. This project investigates the transfer of drug resistance genes between Gram negative bacteria (common agents of food poisoning, hospital infection, UTI, etc) and aims to identify the bacteria and genes most important in the spread of superbugs in Australi ....Antibiotic drugs are essential to treat bacterial infections. However some bacteria have genes that allow them to resist certain drugs, which can be transferred among bacteria to create 'superbugs' that can resist nearly all the drugs we have. This project investigates the transfer of drug resistance genes between Gram negative bacteria (common agents of food poisoning, hospital infection, UTI, etc) and aims to identify the bacteria and genes most important in the spread of superbugs in Australia.Read moreRead less
ROLE OF RIP KINASES & IAPs IN MUCOSAL IMMUNE DEFENCE
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$631,168.00
Summary
Pathogenic bacteria are master manipulators of the inflammatory signalling pathways designed to thwart them. Understanding how they do this will allow us to develop drugs that limit their ability to infect. We have shown that pathogenic bacteria inject a protein called EspL into human cells to promote the destruction of a family of human proteins, called RIP Kinases (RIPK), that co-ordinate the inflammatory response and aim now to discover how EspL causes RIPK degradation and thereby promotes in ....Pathogenic bacteria are master manipulators of the inflammatory signalling pathways designed to thwart them. Understanding how they do this will allow us to develop drugs that limit their ability to infect. We have shown that pathogenic bacteria inject a protein called EspL into human cells to promote the destruction of a family of human proteins, called RIP Kinases (RIPK), that co-ordinate the inflammatory response and aim now to discover how EspL causes RIPK degradation and thereby promotes infection.Read moreRead less
Prevention Of Asthma In Young Children Via Immunostimulation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$679,683.00
Summary
Persistent asthma is a major problem for Australia yet none of the current therapies do more that control the condition. The long-term solution is to prevent asthma from progressing to the persistent form. The major risk factors are: family history, early allergy and recurrent severe lower respiratory infections (sLRI) in the early life. We will conduct a randomized clinical trial to prevent sLRI using a novel bacterial-derived immunostimulant in infants at high risk of developing asthma.
Gastrokine 2 Promotes Gastric Homeostasis And Inhibits Bacterial Pathology
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$621,335.00
Summary
Gastrokine 2 is a small regulatory protein secreted by the stomach lining. Its function is unknown but data from our lab suggests that it may be important in maintaining stomach integrity. This project will investigate how gastrokine 2 maintains stomach function, how this can be compromised when bacterial infection is ongoing, and how we might be able to turn up gastrokine 2 expression to prevent inflammation and precancerous changes in the stomach lining.
The routes of infection with sheep scrapie and agents that cause related prion diseases. We will define the routes by which the infective agents for scrapie, a debilitating disease of sheep, reach the nervous system after being consumed with food. Scrapie is from the same disease group (prion diseases) as mad cow disease. There would be a large economic cost were prion diseases to infect agricultural animals in Australia, through bioterrorism or accident. An outbreak in sheep could ruin the indu ....The routes of infection with sheep scrapie and agents that cause related prion diseases. We will define the routes by which the infective agents for scrapie, a debilitating disease of sheep, reach the nervous system after being consumed with food. Scrapie is from the same disease group (prion diseases) as mad cow disease. There would be a large economic cost were prion diseases to infect agricultural animals in Australia, through bioterrorism or accident. An outbreak in sheep could ruin the industry, as our export markets would be immediately blocked, and thousands of animals would be killed to stop disease spread. The benefit of clearly understanding how the infective agents reach the nervous system is that this may lead to strategies to intervene, and thus limit the spread and seriousness of infection.Read moreRead less