T-follicular Helper Cell Subtypes That Induce Protective Anti-malaria Antibodies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$431,000.00
Summary
Malaria causes significant disease burden globally. Currently there are no malarial vaccines that are suitable for widespread use. The development of effective vaccines is hampered by limited understanding of how the human immune system fights malaria. This project will use human samples collected to investigate how human blood cells activate the immune system to fight malaria. This research will identify avenues to improve the design of malaria vaccines in the future.
HIV is one of the highest public health priorities of our time. Traditional vaccines have been unsuccessful highlighting the need for alternative approaches to HIV vaccine design. We propose to modify a novel technology developed initially for targeted drug delivery, termed “capsules”, for the purpose of inducing an immune response. This is a generic technology with applications for other infectious diseases and cancer and brings together disparate disciplines of nanochemistry and immunology.
Advanced Population-based Methods To Evaluate And Inform Immunisation Policy And Practice
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$425,048.00
Summary
Despite the overall success of immunisation programs, preventable infections continue to occur, with Aboriginal children suffering the most. I will study the health and vaccination records for 1.95 million children (98,000 Aboriginal) in New South Wales and Western Australia to see who is most at risk of vaccine preventable infections and why. The findings will aid development of strategies to target high-risk children and to optimise the benefits obtained from Australia’s immunisation program.
Human Dendritic Cell Subsets And Their Application For Immunotherapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$443,946.00
Summary
Immunotherapy is a promising non-toxic strategy for the treatment of many cancers, viruses and other diseases. It works by teaching the patient's own immune system to recognize and destroy the cancer. Specialized blood cells called dendritic cells are essential to this process but they are poorly understood in humans. I aim to investigate the function these cells and use this information to develop new treatments for cancer and viruses.
Protecting Australia From Future Swine Flu Pandemics-Functional And Structural Studies Of The H1N1 Swine Influenza A Surface Glycoprotein Hemagglutinin
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$401,361.00
Summary
The severity of the present and future pandemic strains of the swine flu will depend on the ability to contain and combat infection via pre-emptive development of appropriate vaccines and drugs. To this end, my study of the surface glycoprotein hemagglutinin, will help predict and prevent future swine influenza pandemics by identifying potentially pandemic strains to be targeted for early vaccine development.
Ensuring Local Capability In Complex Systems Methodology To Inform Infectious Disease Policy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$464,847.00
Summary
Influenza is an example of an infectious disease that remains a global challenge, causing annual outbreaks and disruptive pandemics. My group works with basic scientists and social researchers to understand the way influenza and other infections spread, and how drugs and vaccines protect. I have built local capability in computer simulation modeling that brings this rich body of evidence together, to promote understanding of disease and inform health policy in Australia and internationally.
Understanding Respiratory Infections To Improve Vaccines
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$268,497.00
Summary
Indigenous children have the highest rates of ear disease (OM) and associated hearing loss in the world. Papua New Guinea has the highest child mortality rates in the Western Pacific Region with 23% of deaths from pneumonia. OM and pneumonia vaccines can be improved through broadening their coverage of disease-causing pathogens. This study will identify the pathogens that currently cause OM in Indigenous children and pneumonia in PNG, and will measure the immune responses to these pathogens, in ....Indigenous children have the highest rates of ear disease (OM) and associated hearing loss in the world. Papua New Guinea has the highest child mortality rates in the Western Pacific Region with 23% of deaths from pneumonia. OM and pneumonia vaccines can be improved through broadening their coverage of disease-causing pathogens. This study will identify the pathogens that currently cause OM in Indigenous children and pneumonia in PNG, and will measure the immune responses to these pathogens, in order to develop improved vaccines.Read moreRead less
Dendritic Cells In Innate Immunity And Their Potential Clinical Manipulation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$443,946.00
Summary
Dendritic cells (DC) are rare cells that are crucial in response to infection and surveillance of damaged tissues. We aim to understand the tools that are expressed by DC that allow them to sense pathogens and the functions of different DC types once a pathogen has been detected. The ultimate aim is to be able to understand and harness the functions of different DC so that we may directly target them upon demand to aid in the course of infection or potentially as tumour therapy.
VACCINE SAFETY RESEARCH In Understudied And At Risk Groups: Critical Knowledge To Inform Practice And Policy.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$290,041.00
Summary
Vaccines are typically given to healthy individuals and therefore safety issues loom high on the list of public concerns. Vaccine hesitancy due to safety concerns is an issue of increasing global interest and threatens to lower vaccine uptake. My research aims to understand why some people experience adverse reactions to vaccines, do genetic markers exist?, what are the long term outcomes of a vaccine reaction and how best to communicate vaccine risk/safety to the Australian community.