Exploitation of a Novel Drug Target for Controlling Animal Trypanosomiasis. Trypanosomiasis greatly reduces livestock productivity in countries where it is endemic and is a threat to livestock and native wildlife in countries such as Australia where it is exotic but there is a risk of entry. New trypanocidal drugs with different modes of action are urgently needed to overcome growing resistance. This project aims to characterise trypanosome tubulin and, with this information, produce new tubulin ....Exploitation of a Novel Drug Target for Controlling Animal Trypanosomiasis. Trypanosomiasis greatly reduces livestock productivity in countries where it is endemic and is a threat to livestock and native wildlife in countries such as Australia where it is exotic but there is a risk of entry. New trypanocidal drugs with different modes of action are urgently needed to overcome growing resistance. This project aims to characterise trypanosome tubulin and, with this information, produce new tubulin-binding compounds for assessment in vitro and in vivo. Upon completion of the project it is expected that drug binding sites on trypanosome tubulin will be characterised and at least one candidate for clinical trials identified.Read moreRead less
Artificial intelligence to explore and combat eukaryotic pathogens. The revolution in artificial intelligence (AI) provides unprecedented opportunities for integrative analyses of complex multi-omics data sets and for creating radically new strategies to control some of the world’s most serious animal diseases. In a strong partnership with international experts, we will use AI-based methods to make major conceptual advances in our understanding of eukaryotic pathogens and host-pathogen interacti ....Artificial intelligence to explore and combat eukaryotic pathogens. The revolution in artificial intelligence (AI) provides unprecedented opportunities for integrative analyses of complex multi-omics data sets and for creating radically new strategies to control some of the world’s most serious animal diseases. In a strong partnership with international experts, we will use AI-based methods to make major conceptual advances in our understanding of eukaryotic pathogens and host-pathogen interactions, discover the "choke-points" in biological pathways, and develop novel treatments, vaccines and diagnostics. This leap forward will substantially enhance the global profile of pathogen research in Australia, build major capacity in a priority area, and enable access to international research funding and networks.Read moreRead less
Toward novel approaches for the control of parasitic nematodes via genomics/phenomics. The control of economically important parasitic worms of livestock relies heavily on the use of chemical compounds (anthelmintics). Their excessive and uncontrolled use has led to serious anthelmintic resistance problems in parasites, so that many treatments are no longer effective, and also to residue problems in meat, milk and the environment. We will use 'cutting edge' technologies to provide unique insight ....Toward novel approaches for the control of parasitic nematodes via genomics/phenomics. The control of economically important parasitic worms of livestock relies heavily on the use of chemical compounds (anthelmintics). Their excessive and uncontrolled use has led to serious anthelmintic resistance problems in parasites, so that many treatments are no longer effective, and also to residue problems in meat, milk and the environment. We will use 'cutting edge' technologies to provide unique insights into the molecular processes of parasite growth and reproduction, to develop safe and sustainable intervention strategies for parasites. The project will provide a unique technology platform and a skills base in parasite genomics and will generate significant intellectual property.Read moreRead less
Chemo-prevention of tropical canine parasitoses and vector-borne diseases. This project will determine the prevalence and diversity of established, emerging and novel canine vector-borne agents and endoparasites in a tropical setting by using conventional and next generation molecular diagnostic tools. It will fill an important gap by providing independently-verified evidence on how well canine anti-parasitic products marketed in Australia and Asia by Bayer Animal Health, perform in high-infecti ....Chemo-prevention of tropical canine parasitoses and vector-borne diseases. This project will determine the prevalence and diversity of established, emerging and novel canine vector-borne agents and endoparasites in a tropical setting by using conventional and next generation molecular diagnostic tools. It will fill an important gap by providing independently-verified evidence on how well canine anti-parasitic products marketed in Australia and Asia by Bayer Animal Health, perform in high-infection pressure settings, as a chemo-preventative for these disease agents. Tropical regions spanning northern Australia and Southern Asia are highly conducive to a plethora of canine vector-borne and parasitic pathogens that cause significant morbidity and mortality in dogs. Many of these agents also pose a risk to public health. The outcomes will be directly translated to best-practice guidelines for the advancement of companion animal (and indirectly human) health and welfare.Read moreRead less
Targeted mining for new drugs against parasitic nematodes of animals - a synergy of integrated, frontier technologies and a committed partnership with industry. This project will: develop a quality scientific and technological program in national priority areas, leading to a strong basic research, new concepts and the enhanced international collaborative links; strengthen links between basic and applied research, and academia and industry; develop excellence via pan-Australian collaborations, re ....Targeted mining for new drugs against parasitic nematodes of animals - a synergy of integrated, frontier technologies and a committed partnership with industry. This project will: develop a quality scientific and technological program in national priority areas, leading to a strong basic research, new concepts and the enhanced international collaborative links; strengthen links between basic and applied research, and academia and industry; develop excellence via pan-Australian collaborations, resulting in a more efficient use of resources in a national and international context; enhance the skills-base in biology, biotechnology and bioinformatics; increase global visibility with increased investment in Australian science; improved animal welfare and production via better control of infectious diseases; commercial products with benefits to agricultural producers in regional and rural communities.Read moreRead less
Next-generation genomic resources to tackle parasitic diseases of animals. The revolution in genomics provides unprecedented opportunities to tackle destructive parasitic diseases affecting billions of animals worldwide. Through a synergy of leading-edge technologies and a strong partnership with BGI International, this project aims to deliver major conceptual advances in the understanding of parasitism; an unparalleled skills-base in genomics and bioinformatics; innovative new molecular technol ....Next-generation genomic resources to tackle parasitic diseases of animals. The revolution in genomics provides unprecedented opportunities to tackle destructive parasitic diseases affecting billions of animals worldwide. Through a synergy of leading-edge technologies and a strong partnership with BGI International, this project aims to deliver major conceptual advances in the understanding of parasitism; an unparalleled skills-base in genomics and bioinformatics; innovative new molecular technologies; and new treatments and diagnostic tests as biotechnological outcomes. This leap forward in Australia will substantially enhance the global profile of parasitology research, training and employment opportunities for early career scientists, and improve access to international research funding and networks. Read moreRead less
Application of DNA vaccination to the control of gastrointestinal nematodes in livestock. Gastrointestinal nematode parasites inflict great losses in sheep and cattle and reliance on anthelmintic drugs for their control is problematic. Vaccination would provide a better alternative but has been difficult to achieve. This proposal aims to apply novel DNA vaccination strategies to the development of parasite vaccines through optimisation of DNA delivery, development of new vaccination vectors and ....Application of DNA vaccination to the control of gastrointestinal nematodes in livestock. Gastrointestinal nematode parasites inflict great losses in sheep and cattle and reliance on anthelmintic drugs for their control is problematic. Vaccination would provide a better alternative but has been difficult to achieve. This proposal aims to apply novel DNA vaccination strategies to the development of parasite vaccines through optimisation of DNA delivery, development of new vaccination vectors and modulation of immune responses by co-delivery of cytokine genes. The results of these studies will not only add a new approach to vaccine development against gastrointestinal parasites but will also contribute to our knowledge of DNA vaccination in large animals.Read moreRead less
A novel drug class for the effective treatment of Giardia infections. Companion animals play a pivotal role in the lifestyle of the average Australian family. The 9 million cats and dogs, residing in >65% of our households, have provided significant health and well-being benefits to owners, especially during COVID. Ensuring pet health is a primary obligation of pet ownership. Giardia infections (Giardia duodenalis, with 94% of infections in dogs identified as Assemblage A) is the most prevalent ....A novel drug class for the effective treatment of Giardia infections. Companion animals play a pivotal role in the lifestyle of the average Australian family. The 9 million cats and dogs, residing in >65% of our households, have provided significant health and well-being benefits to owners, especially during COVID. Ensuring pet health is a primary obligation of pet ownership. Giardia infections (Giardia duodenalis, with 94% of infections in dogs identified as Assemblage A) is the most prevalent enteric parasite identified globally in dogs. Infection rates can be as high as 75% in puppies. Current treatments are failing due to poor efficacy, resistance and poor adherence to treatment schedules. We have identified a novel, extremely rapid acting series of compounds capable of single shot eradication of Giardia.Read moreRead less
Optimisation of a novel hybrid vaccine for liver fluke disease in cattle. Optimisation of a novel hybrid vaccine for liver fluke disease in cattle. This project aims to optimise the formulation of novel fluke vaccine antigens by constructing combination hybrid recombinant antigens and using a protein adjuvant to improve immunogenicity, and test new antigens expressed in young flukes as vaccines and evaluate their ability to synergise with hybrid vaccines. Fasciola (fluke) infections cause seriou ....Optimisation of a novel hybrid vaccine for liver fluke disease in cattle. Optimisation of a novel hybrid vaccine for liver fluke disease in cattle. This project aims to optimise the formulation of novel fluke vaccine antigens by constructing combination hybrid recombinant antigens and using a protein adjuvant to improve immunogenicity, and test new antigens expressed in young flukes as vaccines and evaluate their ability to synergise with hybrid vaccines. Fasciola (fluke) infections cause serious economic losses to livestock production and fluke drug resistance threatens control, so new therapies such as a vaccine are needed. These vaccines should be evaluated in cattle trials. The major outcome plan is validation of hybrid antigens for commercial vaccine development for fluke control in cattle, leading to more sustainable beef and milk production in Australia.Read moreRead less
Catchment sources of microorganisms - developing an integrated strategy for the sustained prevention of waterborne disease outbreaks in humans in Melbourne. This project will develop a quality scientific and technological program in national priority areas, leading to strong basic research and development of new concepts. It will enhance collaborative links between academia and industry as well as between basic and applied research. Development of pan-Australian collaboration will result in a mo ....Catchment sources of microorganisms - developing an integrated strategy for the sustained prevention of waterborne disease outbreaks in humans in Melbourne. This project will develop a quality scientific and technological program in national priority areas, leading to strong basic research and development of new concepts. It will enhance collaborative links between academia and industry as well as between basic and applied research. Development of pan-Australian collaboration will result in a more efficient use of resources in national and international contexts; enhance the skills-base in biology, biotechnology and bioinformatics; and increase global visibility potentially increasing investment in Australian science. It will result in improved surveillance and prevention of waterborne diseases; providing tangible outcomes with benefits to the water industry in regional and rural communities.Read moreRead less