Development of an anti-Chlamydia vaccine for the koala. The koala is one of Australia's main icons and a major drawcard for tourists. However, it suffers from debilitating disease due to the bacterium Chlamydia, which can lead to severe conjunctivitis, eventual blindness in both sexes, and the females develop untreatable cysts and can become infertile. This project will develop a Chlamydia vaccine to be administered to healthy and diseased koalas in zoos, sanctuaries, koala care centres, relocat ....Development of an anti-Chlamydia vaccine for the koala. The koala is one of Australia's main icons and a major drawcard for tourists. However, it suffers from debilitating disease due to the bacterium Chlamydia, which can lead to severe conjunctivitis, eventual blindness in both sexes, and the females develop untreatable cysts and can become infertile. This project will develop a Chlamydia vaccine to be administered to healthy and diseased koalas in zoos, sanctuaries, koala care centres, relocation programs and eventually perhaps even wild populations. The vaccine findings may also be transferable to other animals and may also even assist the development of a human Chlamydia vaccine.Read moreRead less
Development of new interventions and treatment for schistosomiasis morbidity control. Australia has played a lead role in Parasitology research. It is vital to remain at the forefront in combating the human and livestock diseases that parasites cause. Vaccine assessment and the large scale analysis of patient tissues are vital to the biotechnology, agriculture and pharmaceutical industries with outcomes leading to innovative strategies for control. Politically there is value as it is altruistic ....Development of new interventions and treatment for schistosomiasis morbidity control. Australia has played a lead role in Parasitology research. It is vital to remain at the forefront in combating the human and livestock diseases that parasites cause. Vaccine assessment and the large scale analysis of patient tissues are vital to the biotechnology, agriculture and pharmaceutical industries with outcomes leading to innovative strategies for control. Politically there is value as it is altruistic to develop new tools, technologies and treatments for the Asia/Pacific region. Economically, Australia will have first pass at developing the intellectual property arising. As well, the therapies would be developed locally to the benefit of Australia's human therapeutics industry and bio-reagent manufacturers.Read moreRead less
Phasevarions of Haemophilus influenzae: mechanisms and origins of a novel epigenetic system controlling coordinated random switching in expression of multiple genes. Central to the utilisation of biological information is our ability to identify and interpret DNA sequence information from genomes. In bacteria that cause disease, these investigations can identify key aspects of the infectious process or potential components of vaccines or new targets for antibiotics. Our recent work has identifie ....Phasevarions of Haemophilus influenzae: mechanisms and origins of a novel epigenetic system controlling coordinated random switching in expression of multiple genes. Central to the utilisation of biological information is our ability to identify and interpret DNA sequence information from genomes. In bacteria that cause disease, these investigations can identify key aspects of the infectious process or potential components of vaccines or new targets for antibiotics. Our recent work has identified a new genetic system, the 'phasevarion', that mediates random expression of multiple genes. The proposed research aims to advance our understanding of gene expression at the most basic level, revealing how bacteria generate diverse populations to evade environmental and immune stresses, and facilitating improved interpretation and use of DNA sequences for researchers and industry in this field.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0237729
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$735,000.00
Summary
A proteomics facility for Queensland researchers. The successful completion of sequencing of the genomes of many organisms, including man, has thrown emphasis back on the identification of proteins involved in the complex events that sustain cellular life. Our aim is to set up a world-class facility for proteomics research which will allow a large cohort of scientists at several institutions to identify individual proteins in vanishingly small samples of very complex mixtures. This facility wi ....A proteomics facility for Queensland researchers. The successful completion of sequencing of the genomes of many organisms, including man, has thrown emphasis back on the identification of proteins involved in the complex events that sustain cellular life. Our aim is to set up a world-class facility for proteomics research which will allow a large cohort of scientists at several institutions to identify individual proteins in vanishingly small samples of very complex mixtures. This facility will enable investigation of the control of gene expression, the intricate organisation of proteins within cells, and proteins which are potential drug targets. This equipment is an essential resource for Queensland research groups.Read moreRead less
Development of an effective vaccine for chlamydial infection: optimisation of a non-toxic cholera toxin-based adjuvant to generate a protective mucosal response. Chlamydial genital infections are the most common sexually transmitted infection in Australia and the world and impose a major health burden on the community. Chlamydial infections are also associated with cardiovascular disease, Australia's biggest killer and asthma, another condition that has increased significantly in prevalence in t ....Development of an effective vaccine for chlamydial infection: optimisation of a non-toxic cholera toxin-based adjuvant to generate a protective mucosal response. Chlamydial genital infections are the most common sexually transmitted infection in Australia and the world and impose a major health burden on the community. Chlamydial infections are also associated with cardiovascular disease, Australia's biggest killer and asthma, another condition that has increased significantly in prevalence in the past 10 years. This project will evaluate the effectiveness of a new adjuvant as a first step towards the development of a vaccine to target these important infections.Read moreRead less
Novel vaccines and serotyping scheme for Haemophilus parasuis. Glasser's disease, caused by the bacterium Haemophilus parasuis, is a significant problem in Australian and overseas pig industries. Current approaches to the management of Glassers disease utilise antibacterials and also vaccines. However, antibacterials are of limited effectiveness in juvenile pigs (weaners) that are difficult to medicate other than by injection, and current vaccines are only protective against the serotypes incl ....Novel vaccines and serotyping scheme for Haemophilus parasuis. Glasser's disease, caused by the bacterium Haemophilus parasuis, is a significant problem in Australian and overseas pig industries. Current approaches to the management of Glassers disease utilise antibacterials and also vaccines. However, antibacterials are of limited effectiveness in juvenile pigs (weaners) that are difficult to medicate other than by injection, and current vaccines are only protective against the serotypes included in the vaccine. We propose to examine the immune response to natural infection and identify potential vaccine candidates which will then be tested in vaccine trials. The APAI will focus on developing a DNA-based typing scheme for H. parasuis.Read moreRead less
ARC/NHMRC Research Network for Parasitology. The ARC Network for Parasitology will focus and coordinate Australia's world class fundamental, strategic and applied parasitology research. This targeted approach will raise Australia's standing in the field, assist in the community's understanding of parasitology and biosecurity and maintain and improve Australia's capacity for keeping its stock, crops, wildlife and people disease-free. On an international scale, the Network will work with other cou ....ARC/NHMRC Research Network for Parasitology. The ARC Network for Parasitology will focus and coordinate Australia's world class fundamental, strategic and applied parasitology research. This targeted approach will raise Australia's standing in the field, assist in the community's understanding of parasitology and biosecurity and maintain and improve Australia's capacity for keeping its stock, crops, wildlife and people disease-free. On an international scale, the Network will work with other countries to develop new technologies for the detection and eradication of parasites. This emphasis will not only protect Australia's borders but will assist our near neighbours and lead to the development of technologies with an economic benefit to Australia.
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Next generation polymer nanostructures. The project will significantly advance the knowledge base of polymer science and related fields through the preparation of previously unavailable novel and well-defined nanostructures. These structures will be suitable for use in drug and gene delivery and high strength coatings providing Australian products with advanced features and capabilities, significantly improving product performance. A direct application of this project will be to develop the stru ....Next generation polymer nanostructures. The project will significantly advance the knowledge base of polymer science and related fields through the preparation of previously unavailable novel and well-defined nanostructures. These structures will be suitable for use in drug and gene delivery and high strength coatings providing Australian products with advanced features and capabilities, significantly improving product performance. A direct application of this project will be to develop the structures for use within a synthetic GAS vaccine. The knowledge obtained through this application will advance the development of synthetic vaccines by providing an understanding of how these structures function in the body. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0883096
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$600,000.00
Summary
Analytical and Preparative Enantioselective Chromatography. Enantiomers are forms of the same molecule that are non-superimposable mirror images of one another, like a left hand and a right hand. Because they are so similar they are very difficult to separate. However, they have very different biological properties, such as when used as drugs. One enantiomer may be beneficial while the other has no effect or sometimes is even toxic. Therefore it is important to be able to tell how much of ea ....Analytical and Preparative Enantioselective Chromatography. Enantiomers are forms of the same molecule that are non-superimposable mirror images of one another, like a left hand and a right hand. Because they are so similar they are very difficult to separate. However, they have very different biological properties, such as when used as drugs. One enantiomer may be beneficial while the other has no effect or sometimes is even toxic. Therefore it is important to be able to tell how much of each enantiomer is present in a sample and to be able to separate them. This facility will allow us to do both of these things.Read moreRead less
Jet breakup of emulsions for the production of designer microparticulate drug delivery systems. Drug delivery systems are an important and growing part of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology market. The growth is estimated to be at 23% p.a. and is tied to the requirements for more precise and complex delivery profiles by highly potent drugs or vaccines (bioactives). To achieve the required level of control and precision, improved encapsulation technologies are needed to produce particles of a p ....Jet breakup of emulsions for the production of designer microparticulate drug delivery systems. Drug delivery systems are an important and growing part of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology market. The growth is estimated to be at 23% p.a. and is tied to the requirements for more precise and complex delivery profiles by highly potent drugs or vaccines (bioactives). To achieve the required level of control and precision, improved encapsulation technologies are needed to produce particles of a precise size and narrow size distribution. This project aims to develop an innovative technology for the production of superior uniformly sized particulate drug delivery systems for the delivery of the "next generation" bioactives.Read moreRead less