Understanding immune mechanisms induced by pulmonary vaccination. This project aims to better understand the mechanisms of immune induction of a novel lung vaccination strategy. The ability to deliver vaccines that induce potent lung and body wide immune responses in a safe and efficient manner has wide implications for both human and animal health. Ultimately, the vaccine will be delivered to the lung as stable dry powders in an attempt to negate the need for a transport cold chain and therefor ....Understanding immune mechanisms induced by pulmonary vaccination. This project aims to better understand the mechanisms of immune induction of a novel lung vaccination strategy. The ability to deliver vaccines that induce potent lung and body wide immune responses in a safe and efficient manner has wide implications for both human and animal health. Ultimately, the vaccine will be delivered to the lung as stable dry powders in an attempt to negate the need for a transport cold chain and therefore facilitate the distribution of the vaccines to remote areas. The project will not only benefit the Australian biotechnology industry but also the community at large and in particular those in remote areas without access to modern medical facilities.Read moreRead less
Reducing antibiotic usage in pig herds: controlling Lawsonia intracellularis by vaccination, housing and hygiene. Pigs are major consumers of antibiotics in Australia. Many of these antibiotics are fed to pigs to prevent proliferative enteritis (PE). There are increasing public concerns regarding the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the potential impact on human health. The adoption of an effective commercial vaccine to prevent PE will reduce the volume of antibiotics ....Reducing antibiotic usage in pig herds: controlling Lawsonia intracellularis by vaccination, housing and hygiene. Pigs are major consumers of antibiotics in Australia. Many of these antibiotics are fed to pigs to prevent proliferative enteritis (PE). There are increasing public concerns regarding the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the potential impact on human health. The adoption of an effective commercial vaccine to prevent PE will reduce the volume of antibiotics used in the pig industry and hence reduce the risk of antibiotic-resistant bacteria developing.Read moreRead less
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
Enhanced multivalent vaccine responses using a novel vaccine vector system. Enhanced multivalent vaccine responses using a novel vaccine vector system. This project aims to develop a multicomponent vaccine system to deliver equal effectiveness against several disease targets in a single administration. New and innovative vaccine design strategies incorporating economical commercial production processes are urgently needed for new and existing human and animal health applications. A vaccine capab ....Enhanced multivalent vaccine responses using a novel vaccine vector system. Enhanced multivalent vaccine responses using a novel vaccine vector system. This project aims to develop a multicomponent vaccine system to deliver equal effectiveness against several disease targets in a single administration. New and innovative vaccine design strategies incorporating economical commercial production processes are urgently needed for new and existing human and animal health applications. A vaccine capable of targeting multiple diseases by a single injection is an obvious way to expedite future vaccine development and deployment. However, the recipient’s immune system can repress equivalent responses to these multicomponent vaccines. This project’s research is expected to address these problems, and underpin the future commercial development of this vaccine platform.Read moreRead less
Oral Delivery - A Viable Strategy for Fertility Control Vaccination of Kangaroos ? Local overabundance of kangaroos poses significant, environmental, economic, social and animal welfare problems in Australia. The only management tool available for free ranging populations is shooting. Fertility control is a highly desirable alternative but current 'hands on' methods are not cost-effective options for wild populations. Immunologically-mediated contraception has the potential to be such a manag ....Oral Delivery - A Viable Strategy for Fertility Control Vaccination of Kangaroos ? Local overabundance of kangaroos poses significant, environmental, economic, social and animal welfare problems in Australia. The only management tool available for free ranging populations is shooting. Fertility control is a highly desirable alternative but current 'hands on' methods are not cost-effective options for wild populations. Immunologically-mediated contraception has the potential to be such a management tool if the vaccine can be delivered effectively. The investigators and their colleagues have achieved contraception by vaccine injection in kangaroos. This project aims to establish proof-of-concept for arguably the only viable vaccine delivery option for free ranging macropods: Oral delivery via an edible pellet or lick.Read moreRead less
Characterisation and Stability of ISCOM Vaccines. ISCOMS® are particles comprising saponin, cholesterol and phospholipids which when mixed with proteins form potent vaccines. When proteins are associated with ISCOMs® a variety of different sized particles with various surface chemistries can be formed. This project aims to understand the physico-chemical mechanisms governing ISCOM® formation. This understanding will allow development of methods for controlling the size, characteristics and long- ....Characterisation and Stability of ISCOM Vaccines. ISCOMS® are particles comprising saponin, cholesterol and phospholipids which when mixed with proteins form potent vaccines. When proteins are associated with ISCOMs® a variety of different sized particles with various surface chemistries can be formed. This project aims to understand the physico-chemical mechanisms governing ISCOM® formation. This understanding will allow development of methods for controlling the size, characteristics and long-term stability of these particles. In addition the size and surface chemistry of the particles will be correlated with their effectiveness as vaccines. Both these outcomes will support the ongoing commercial development of ISCOM®-based vaccines at CSL.Read moreRead less
Investigation of the immunological properties of a novel adjuvant in sheep. The induction of strong immune responses without side effects is a highly desirable goal in vaccine R&D. The recently developed adjuvant DCtag utilises unique properties of dendritic cells to boost both cellular and humoral immune responses without tissue damage. This project will identify the mechanisms of immune induction of DCtag using unique properties of our sheep cannulation model. This will allow further optimisat ....Investigation of the immunological properties of a novel adjuvant in sheep. The induction of strong immune responses without side effects is a highly desirable goal in vaccine R&D. The recently developed adjuvant DCtag utilises unique properties of dendritic cells to boost both cellular and humoral immune responses without tissue damage. This project will identify the mechanisms of immune induction of DCtag using unique properties of our sheep cannulation model. This will allow further optimisation of DCtag adjuvanticity in sheep, which will then be applied to the delivery of a prototype peptide based vaccine against foot and mouth disease virus, a veterinary disease of global importance, hereby increasing Australia's leadership in biotechnology.Read moreRead less
Development of novel vaccine delivery systems for induction of mucosal immunity in a large animal model. The induction of mucosal immune responses is a highly desirable goal in vaccine research and development, as it prevents entry of the large number of mucosal pathogens. This proposal aims to develop new mucosal vaccine delivery systems by combining intra-nasal, intra-lung and transcutaneous vaccine delivery with ISCOM-based adjuvants. The nature of the immune response will be analysed in real ....Development of novel vaccine delivery systems for induction of mucosal immunity in a large animal model. The induction of mucosal immune responses is a highly desirable goal in vaccine research and development, as it prevents entry of the large number of mucosal pathogens. This proposal aims to develop new mucosal vaccine delivery systems by combining intra-nasal, intra-lung and transcutaneous vaccine delivery with ISCOM-based adjuvants. The nature of the immune response will be analysed in real time using a sheep cannulation model. Subsequently, the efficacy of mucosal vaccination strategies will be tested in a chlamydia infection model.Read moreRead less
Characterisation and development of adjuvants for new generation veterinary and human vaccines. Vaccination is the most successful and cost-effective means of combating infectious diseases in both veterinary and human medicine. This project will increase our understanding of how vaccines work and will help the development of new vaccines against infections in both animals and man. The results of these studies will also increase the competitiveness of Australian scientists in the field of vaccine ....Characterisation and development of adjuvants for new generation veterinary and human vaccines. Vaccination is the most successful and cost-effective means of combating infectious diseases in both veterinary and human medicine. This project will increase our understanding of how vaccines work and will help the development of new vaccines against infections in both animals and man. The results of these studies will also increase the competitiveness of Australian scientists in the field of vaccine research and development.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