The Intracellular Replicative Niche Of Legionella Species And Coxiella Burnetii.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$529,632.00
Summary
This project will study how the bacterium that causes Legionnaire's disease survives and grows inside human cells. We have identified new bacterial proteins that allow Legionella to manipulate the normal host cell processes involved in killing an invading bacterium. Similar proteins are also present in the closely related organism, Coxiella, which causes Q-fever. By determining how these proteins act, this work may result in new treatments for Legionnaire's disease and related infections.
Expression And Function Of Fatty Acid Binding Proteins In Asthmatic Airway Epithelium
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$226,500.00
Summary
Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the lungs that affects over 10% of all Australians. It ranges in severity from mild to life-threatening. Although a number of drugs are currently available for the treatment of asthma, there are many people whose asthma does not respond very well to treatment. We have recently identified a gene called aP2 that is important in the development of asthma. Drugs targeted against this gene may be very useful in the treatment of asthma. In this project, we aim to u ....Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the lungs that affects over 10% of all Australians. It ranges in severity from mild to life-threatening. Although a number of drugs are currently available for the treatment of asthma, there are many people whose asthma does not respond very well to treatment. We have recently identified a gene called aP2 that is important in the development of asthma. Drugs targeted against this gene may be very useful in the treatment of asthma. In this project, we aim to understand how aP2 is turned on during asthma, and how it contributes to disease development. This information will be essential for designing optimal strategies for drug targeting of the aP2 pathway in asthma.Read moreRead less
Evolution And Function Of A Novel Lateral Flagellar Locus, Flag-2, In Pathogenic Escherichia Coli
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$465,158.00
Summary
This project will study how the bacteria that cause infant diarrhoea colonize the intestine and induce disease. We have identified a novel genetic region that allows E. coli to survive and persist in the intestine. Similar genes are also present in closely related organisms. This project will help us to undestand how new diseases evolve and emerge and may lead to the development of new vaccines to protect against infant diarrhoea.
Contribution Of Nuclear Targeting Of The NleE-OspZ Family Of Proteins To Escherichia Coli And Shigella Virulence
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$542,462.00
Summary
This project will study how the bacteria that cause infant diarrhoea colonize the intestine and induce disease. We have identified new bacterial proteins that allow E. coli to manipulate the normal host cell processes involved in killing an invading bacterium. Similar proteins are also present in the closely related organism, Shigella which causes dysentary. We will determine how these proteins act by finding the host cell proteins they bind.
THE INTERFACE BETWEEN INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNITY
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$4,905,420.00
Summary
Allergic disorders including asthma are amongst the most prevalent diseases in Australia afflicting up to 25% of the population and costing the Australian Government in excess of $600 million annually. This program aims to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms controlling airway inflammation, focusing on the cross-talk between scavenger cells at airway surfaces and circulating cells of the immune system. These studies will combine sophisticated mouse models of airway inflammation in t ....Allergic disorders including asthma are amongst the most prevalent diseases in Australia afflicting up to 25% of the population and costing the Australian Government in excess of $600 million annually. This program aims to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms controlling airway inflammation, focusing on the cross-talk between scavenger cells at airway surfaces and circulating cells of the immune system. These studies will combine sophisticated mouse models of airway inflammation in the laboratory with clinical investigation and analysis of human tissue. Understanding these processes will translate into better treatments for patients suffering from life-threatening allergy and asthma.Read moreRead less
Regulatory Roles Of Mast Cells In Cutaneous Dermatitis In Vivo
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$586,965.00
Summary
Allergic conditions that can affect the skin, such as contact dermatitis or eczema are common amongst Australians. Although not life threatening, these common skin conditions can cause considerable physical diability and be expensive to treat. The major focus of our research is to define how dermal mast cells can be modulated to help limit the tissue changes and damage associated with these skin conditions, and ultimately develop improved treatments in the future.
Understanding The Immune Mechanisms Leading To Resolution Of Peanut Allergy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$602,472.00
Summary
Food allergy affects up to 10% of children and rates are rising. The greatest rise has been in peanut allergy which is the commonest cause of life threatening reactions. Currently, there is no cure for food allergy. Management relies on food avoidance which is impossible to achieve. Recent deaths in children from food allergy highlight the need for an effective treatment. This project will examine what happens when you grow out of peanut allergy. New information will lead to possible cures.
Can Skin Infection With Group A Streptococcus Cause Acute Rheumatic Fever?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$459,450.00
Summary
It is traditionally taught that the cause of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is always infection of the throat with the bacterium group A streptococcus (GAS). However, in Aboriginal communities of the Top End of the Northern Territory the incidence of ARF is the highest reported in the world, yet GAS is uncommonly isolated from the throat. There is further information to suggest that GAS skin sores may underlie many cases of ARF. If this were proven, it would completely alter the traditional view of ....It is traditionally taught that the cause of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is always infection of the throat with the bacterium group A streptococcus (GAS). However, in Aboriginal communities of the Top End of the Northern Territory the incidence of ARF is the highest reported in the world, yet GAS is uncommonly isolated from the throat. There is further information to suggest that GAS skin sores may underlie many cases of ARF. If this were proven, it would completely alter the traditional view of the cause of ARF, and have important implications for prevention of ARF around the world. Presently, these approaches focus on diagnosing and treating sore throat, but no country has proven that such a program can be successful in substantially reducing new cases of ARF. If it was known that skin infection could lead to ARF, then countries (including Australia) could emphasise the importance of skin health programs. A further benefit of this knowledge would be to influence GAS vaccine development, which presently is largely focused on the prevention of sore throat. A different possibility has recently been raised - that the cause of ARF may not always be GAS, but instead that the related bacteria GCS and GGS may have the potential to cause this disease. Proof of this hypothesis would even more dramatically alter our understanding of disease causation, prevention, and vaccine development. We propose to determine the cause of ARF in Aboriginal communities by regularly swabbing families of people with a history of ARF, and using genetic fingerprinting of the bacteria from the skin and throat swabs. When cases of ARF occur, we will be able to determine the site and type of infection that precipitated the attack. We will conduct a related study in more communities, in which we will swab family members of people with ARF and of control families (without ARF) to determine the bacteria most commonly isolated from ARF families.Read moreRead less
Regulation Of Skin Inflammation By Mechanosensor YAP
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$612,566.00
Summary
Atopic diseases are a significant public health burden in the developed world. The economic cost of care and reduced quality of life for asthmatics necessitates that greater action and resources be directed toward the treatment and prevention of the atopic march. This project aims to identify molecular regulators of this disease process which may identify novel targets for therapy and early intervention.
Human CD4+ T-cell Epitope-based Therapeutic For Peanut Allergy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$403,121.00
Summary
Peanut allergy affects ~2% of the population and peanuts are the major cause of fatal food-induced anaphylaxis. Peanut allergy usually appears in infancy and persists indefinitely. At present, unlike grass pollen allergy, there is no preventative treatment. Using blood cells from peanut-allergic patients, we will identify the components of major peanut allergens to use in _allergy shots� to develop tolerance on peanut exposure without risking anaphylaxis.