Unravelling The Tetraspanin Web In The Schistosome Tegument.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$309,537.00
Summary
Infection with the human blood fluke, Schistosoma mansoni, is a major human ailment affecting almost 200 million people world wide and causing approximately 200 000 deaths per year. Current control efforts rely on anthelminthic drugs but, to sustain their effects, they must be applied for an indefinite period of time due to reinfection. This project will extend recent efforts to develop a vaccine for this organism and decrease the public health burden and mortality associated with infection.
Population Genomics Of Plasmodium Vivax In Papua New Guinea
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$597,238.00
Summary
Plasmodium vivax malaria is a serious global public health problem that has not received the attention it deserves, despite having serious clinical implications and presenting a major problem for regional malaria control programmes. In a study of people living in a malarious area of PNG, we aim to investigate the diversity of natural parasite populations, to better understand the possible effects of malaria control interventions on transmission and human immunity.
Antibodies To The Invasion Ligand EBA175 And Protection From Plasmodium Falciparum Malaria
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$407,792.00
Summary
Malaria causes disease and death by invading into human red blood cells and it achieves this by using specific parasite proteins. One of these, erythrocyte binding antigen 175 (EBA175), is especially important and parasites have evolved different versions of the protein. This project seeks to understand the importance of these different EBA175 variants in evading antibody responses. This has important implications in understanding natural immunity but also for future vaccine development.
New Interventions To End Neglected Tropical Diseases In Asia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$926,980.00
Summary
My research goal is to eliminate parasitic worm infestations globally. These parasites cause substantial illness and affect the world's poorest people. Programs that drug treat infected individuals operate but these are neither effective nor sustainable. Our research has shown that additional measures, such as vaccination and health education, are needed and we aim to develop and field test a combination of interventions that will lead to their sustainable control and eventual elimination.
Haemoglobin Degrading Proteases As Targets Of Anti-hookworm Vaccines
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$522,773.00
Summary
Blood-feeding worms ingest red blood cells and disrupt them in the intestine, releasing haemogobin (Hb). We have recently shown that canine hookworms employ a battery of distinct proteolytic enzymes, termed haemoglobinases, which digest Hb. The families of proteases used and the order in which they act are strikingly similar to the defined catalytic pathway used by the malaria parasite to digest Hb in its food vacuole. Recent work from our laboratory has shown that these proteases are effective ....Blood-feeding worms ingest red blood cells and disrupt them in the intestine, releasing haemogobin (Hb). We have recently shown that canine hookworms employ a battery of distinct proteolytic enzymes, termed haemoglobinases, which digest Hb. The families of proteases used and the order in which they act are strikingly similar to the defined catalytic pathway used by the malaria parasite to digest Hb in its food vacuole. Recent work from our laboratory has shown that these proteases are effective as vaccines against canine hookworm disease by interfering with the worm's ability to feed on blood and obtain suitable nutrition. This in turn affects the ability of female worms to lay eggs, thereby potentially disrupting transmission of the parasites. We now propose to identify the genes encoding haemoglobinases from the human hookworm, Necator americanus, determine the ordered pathway of Hb degradation and explore in vitro correlates of the effectiveness of a haemoglobinase vaccine in animal models of hookworm infection and pathogenesis.Read moreRead less
OptiMalVax: Optimizing A Deployable High Efficacy Malaria Vaccine
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$494,618.00
Summary
In this proposal, a consortium comprising many of the leading malariologists, vaccine researchers and product developers in Europe, USA, Australia and Africa will collaborate in an exciting programme of antigen discovery science linked to rapid clinical development of new vaccine candidates against malaria.
Impact Of The Three Gorges Dam On Transmission And Future Control Of Human Schistosomiasis In China
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,420,135.00
Summary
A million Chinese have schistosomiasis or snail fever. When the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River is fully operational, considerable environmental-ecological changes will result, increasing spread of this parasitic disease. In a unique study we will assess the impact of the Dam on schistosomiasis, and test and model a series of options for its control. The findings will be important for China and other areas where schistosomiasis occurs and where similar dams are planned or are under way.
Schistosomiasis is a major public health problem in the Philippines with approximately 6.7 million people at risk of infection. Mass human chemotherapy has formed the cornerstone of control for decades but has failed to control the disease. Transmission reduction is a key step towards elimination and integrated interventions should target both definitive and intermediate host transmission pathways. We propose to trial integrated control strategies for the disease and expect the outcomes to have ....Schistosomiasis is a major public health problem in the Philippines with approximately 6.7 million people at risk of infection. Mass human chemotherapy has formed the cornerstone of control for decades but has failed to control the disease. Transmission reduction is a key step towards elimination and integrated interventions should target both definitive and intermediate host transmission pathways. We propose to trial integrated control strategies for the disease and expect the outcomes to have broader implications for Southeast Asia.Read moreRead less
Export Of Effector Proteins By P. Falciparum To The Infected Erythrocyte.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$196,582.00
Summary
Infection by the malaria parasite has lethal consequences for humans. In order to survive the parasite exports hundreds of proteins to commandeer the erythrocyte. A translocon that mediates such export has been identified and important questions remain unanswered. In this research, I aim to determine the function of one of the major translocon components for export of proteins to the erythrocyte (EXP2) and through this process determine if it is a viable target for anti-malarial drug development ....Infection by the malaria parasite has lethal consequences for humans. In order to survive the parasite exports hundreds of proteins to commandeer the erythrocyte. A translocon that mediates such export has been identified and important questions remain unanswered. In this research, I aim to determine the function of one of the major translocon components for export of proteins to the erythrocyte (EXP2) and through this process determine if it is a viable target for anti-malarial drug development.Read moreRead less
The biosynthesis of structural proteins in parasites. The socio-economic impact of parasitic diseases, in Australia and throughout the world, is enormous- they kill 2-3 million people per year and cost livestock industries billions of dollars per annum. Some are serious food and waterborne threats, such as the coccidia, because they are transmitted from person-to-person via the faecal-oral route, or via ingestion of contaminated water or food, or through the ingestion of cysts in raw or underco ....The biosynthesis of structural proteins in parasites. The socio-economic impact of parasitic diseases, in Australia and throughout the world, is enormous- they kill 2-3 million people per year and cost livestock industries billions of dollars per annum. Some are serious food and waterborne threats, such as the coccidia, because they are transmitted from person-to-person via the faecal-oral route, or via ingestion of contaminated water or food, or through the ingestion of cysts in raw or undercooked meat. They cause diarrhoea, which in some cases, can be life-threatening. We will understand how the coccidia protect themselves as they move from host to host and, through that understanding, develop new ways to control them and eliminate the suffering caused by parasitic diseases.Read moreRead less