Hepatitis C affects between 1-3% of Australians. Currently, there is no effective vaccine and only 30% will spontaneously clear infection, while the remained develop a chronic disease with a small risk of progression to liver cirrhosis and liver cancer over time. This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a two different treatment regimens among individuals with recent Hepatitis C infection; and define the risk factors and natural history of Hepatitis C superinfection during treatmen ....Hepatitis C affects between 1-3% of Australians. Currently, there is no effective vaccine and only 30% will spontaneously clear infection, while the remained develop a chronic disease with a small risk of progression to liver cirrhosis and liver cancer over time. This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a two different treatment regimens among individuals with recent Hepatitis C infection; and define the risk factors and natural history of Hepatitis C superinfection during treatment.Read moreRead less
Dysregulation Of Cytokine Networks: A Key Determinant Of The Pathogenesis Of Cerebral Malaria.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$480,989.00
Summary
Malaria is a parasitic disease that kills some 2 million people each year. It affects the Australian region, e.g. PNG and SE Asia. One of the most serious complications is cerebral malaria (CM). It affects the brain and is often fatal. This project will show whether the early meeting of the malaria parasite with the host's immune system determines if the infection will be a mild, resolving one or a severe, possibly lethal one causing CM. This is highly relevant to vaccine development strategies.
Finding Therapeutic Targets For An Opportunistic Human Fungal Pathogen
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$404,068.00
Summary
Penicillium marneffei is a fungus that causes disease in patients with depressed immunity. This project models this infection in zebrafish, which have advantages for modelling infectious disease. It uses fluorescent fungi and fish with fluorescent immune cells to study the way white blood cells fight this infection, and mutant zebrafish and mutant fungi to find new therapeutic targets in the host-pathogen interaction.
Genetic Modulation Of The Host Response To Pulmonary TB
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$540,273.00
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) is an enormous global health problem. The World Health Organisation estimates that TB, which is caused by infection with the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, infects 2 billion individuals, leading to 2 million deaths and 8 million new cases of disease per year. Most TB disease is not manifest at the time of infection, but is a reactivation of latent disease in people who do not completely eradicate the primary infection. In a latent infection an effective chronic host respo ....Tuberculosis (TB) is an enormous global health problem. The World Health Organisation estimates that TB, which is caused by infection with the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, infects 2 billion individuals, leading to 2 million deaths and 8 million new cases of disease per year. Most TB disease is not manifest at the time of infection, but is a reactivation of latent disease in people who do not completely eradicate the primary infection. In a latent infection an effective chronic host response contains dormant TB organisms inside activated macrophages. Cells are recruited to wall off infected macrophages and specific T cells continually induce the activate state with minimal tissue damage (immunopathology). Although currently available antibiotics can kill TB organisms, the treatment is prolonged, expensive, difficult to administer in poorly resourced regions and not effective against multi-drug resistant organisms. New therapies to treat both active disease and prevent reactivation in individuals who are latently infected are urgently required. This proposal will address this problem using a novel approach, namely gene manipulation to augment host immunity to TB and limit concurrent immunopathology. We will construct vectors to increase expression of the key immune molecules, the T lymphocyte activating cytokines IL-12 and IL-23, and the macrophage effector molecules LRG-47 and Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase (IDO). These molecules are known to be involved in TB killing. We will determine if increasing their expression increases the killing capacity of TB-infected macrophages and we will examine how these molecules interact to aid clearance of the TB bacilli. This internationally competitive grant will further our detailed understanding of the complex immune response to TB organisms and lead to the development of novel therapies to treat TB infection and prevent reactivation of latent disease.Read moreRead less