Development And Validation Of A Latent Tuberculosis Diagnostic
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$534,865.00
Summary
Globally, tuberculosis is a leading cause of death with 9.6 million new diagnoses in 2014. The diagnosis of latent TB infection is important, but is difficult to make because current assays are suboptimal. We have developed a very simple assay which detects responses to TB antigens by co-expression of two surface markers expressed by CD4+ T cells. We propose to develop this into a highly standardised kit for the diagnosis of TB with our commercial partner Cytognos.
A Novel Vaccine Formaultion To Prevent Birth Defects
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$530,922.00
Summary
Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is one of the TORCH infections (toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex) and is one of major cause of birth defects. Transmission of CMV infection from mother to unborn babies can lead to deafness, blindness, small head syndrome (microcephaly), seizures and mental retardation. There is an urgent need to develop an effective vaccine against CMV. This project is aiming to develop a novel CMV vaccine formulation for clinical testing in ....Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is one of the TORCH infections (toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex) and is one of major cause of birth defects. Transmission of CMV infection from mother to unborn babies can lead to deafness, blindness, small head syndrome (microcephaly), seizures and mental retardation. There is an urgent need to develop an effective vaccine against CMV. This project is aiming to develop a novel CMV vaccine formulation for clinical testing in humans.Read moreRead less
A Novel Strategy To Enhance T Cell-mediated Immunity To Vaccine Antigens
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$234,592.00
Summary
Globally there are about 33 million people living with HIV. The disease has already resulted in 23 million deaths and 2.5 million people are newly infected each year. Similarly, TB kills nearly 2 million people every year and infects about 1% of the worldÍs population every year. A vaccine is the best and also likely the only long-term solution for HIV/TB disease prevention. This research proposal looks at novel strategies to increase the efficacy of vaccines for diseases such as HIV/TB.
Development Of CD96 Antibodies For Cancer Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$820,821.00
Summary
There is an unmet medical need to develop new immunotherapies that are safer and potentially allow the treatment of a broader range of cancers. Inhibiting the immune checkpoint CD96 function represents an opportunity that may parallel and indeed complement the activity and impact of other lymphocyte checkpoint inhibitors in human cancer (eg. CTLA-4 and PD1/PD-L1). While developing a new human therapeutic antibody we will also learn more about an important checkpoint in the immune response.
We will work with Coridon Pty Ltd to optimize the practical administration of a vaccine designed to cure people already infected with cancer-promoting papilloma viruses.
Development Of A First-in-class Therapeutic For Protecting The Ischemic Heart
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$926,673.00
Summary
Heart disease is the leading cause of death globally. Heart attacks are the primary cause of death associated with heart disease. We have discovered a drug, Hi1a, that blocks the injury response of the heart when a heart attack happens. There are no other drugs currently available or in the discovery pipeline that address this problem. This proposal will use models of injury to the heart as well as safety studies to help develop Hi1a as a new drug for people who suffer from heart attacks.
Preclinical Development Of Q2361, A Transforming New Drug For Skin Cancer Prevention In Organ Transplant Recipients
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$724,957.00
Summary
Patients that receive organ transplants need additional medications in order to prevent organ rejection. Unfortunately, these drugs carry an unwanted side-effect - they permit the development of skin cancer. Currently, other than surgery, little can be done to help these patients. Our preliminary data suggest that a new drug may prevent these skin cancers from forming. This project aims to deliver key insights into the influence of this drug and its role in skin cancer prevention.
Development Of Effective Biomarkers For The Diagnosis And Prognosis Of Prostate Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,062,585.00
Summary
Every year ~20,000 Australian men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 3,000 die of this disease. The current PSA test for the diagnosis of prostate cancer is not specific and this can result in incorrect diagnosis, unnecessary biopsies and lead to wrong treatments. We have discovered a novel change in the biology of prostate cancer. We will use this information to develop new tests for prostate cancer, which provide early accurate detection and can predict disease progression.
Novel Prostate Cancer Target For Diagnosis, Imaging, Detection Of Recurrence And Response To Therapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$731,497.00
Summary
This project will generate the critical proof of concept to justify clinical development of a novel biomarker in prostate cancer which would bring significant benefit in terms of differential diagnosis of aggressive disease. The biomarker will be assessed for a functional role in prostate cancer and potential as a therapeutic target and use as a imaging agent in for monitoring disease progression and response to therapy. These investigations will be extended to other common solid tumours.
Manufacture And Testing Of Next Generation Orthopaedic Implants Harnessing Periosteum's Regenerative Power
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$508,314.00
Summary
Tissue defects, e.g. due to trauma or tumor removal, are too large to heal without reconstructive surgery. Complications associated with defect repair may diminish the patient's quality of life and productivity, posing significant medical and psychosocial costs. Here we propose a plan to define technical specifications for next generation, "smart" orthopaedic implants that deliver cells and the signals they need to build new tissue using nature's paradigms.