A vaccine to prevent AIDS is urgently needed. The European Union recently awarded over 20 million euros to a European consortium, called EAVI2020, to advance multiple HIV vaccines into human testing. Five Australian HIV vaccine experts are named investigators on this award to provide advanced laboratory analyses and intellectual input into the 5 year program if this NHMRC-EU Collaborative Research Grant is successful.
Utilising Human Primary Immunodeficiencies To Study Lymphocyte Differentiation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$429,346.00
Summary
Human immunodeficiencies are diseases arising from naturally occurring mutations. In this instance, the specific genes mutated in the immunodeficiencies we study have been identified. However, it is unclear how defects in these genes make an individual manifest as an immune deficient state, rendering them vulnerable to disease. By studying immune cells from these individuals we hope to uncover the normal function of these genes and subsequently provide for new therapies for these conditions.
Characterization Of MAIT Cell Function And Frequency At The Rectal Mucosa And Gastrointestinal Tract During HIV/SIV Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
This project focuses on determining how HIV infection alters the function of rare, unconventional immune cell populations in the gastrointestinal tract. These cells are not well described in humans or primate models of HIV infection, but we will determine whether these cells are depleted by HIV infection and whether there are interventions that can boost the function of these cells in order better fight HIV infection.
A Novel Strategy To Enhance T Cell-mediated Immunity To Vaccine Antigens
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$234,592.00
Summary
Globally there are about 33 million people living with HIV. The disease has already resulted in 23 million deaths and 2.5 million people are newly infected each year. Similarly, TB kills nearly 2 million people every year and infects about 1% of the worldÍs population every year. A vaccine is the best and also likely the only long-term solution for HIV/TB disease prevention. This research proposal looks at novel strategies to increase the efficacy of vaccines for diseases such as HIV/TB.
Enhancing Host Defence Mechanisms In Severe Bacterial Infections
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$830,447.00
Summary
New options to treat bacterial infections are needed because of the rapid increase in antibiotic resistance. One very attractive strategy is to boost the body’s own defence mechanisms against bacteria. This project defines novel molecular mechanisms that can be manipulated to better control a bacterial infection. Novel drugs targeting these molecular pathways are already being developed, albeit for cancer. This project will help assess if these drugs may be useful to treat infections.
This fellowship is to support Professor Stephen Kent in generating new advances in vaccines to prevent HIV (the cause of AIDS) and Influenza (“The Flu”). HIV causes over 1.5 million deaths per year and no vaccine is currently available. Influenza causes around half a million deaths per year. Although the current Influenza vaccine is partially effective, improvements are needed for it to be able to protect against the many different strains of Influenza that can cause infection.
This study will examine cellular immunity to the avian H5 influenza in people who have been previously infected with the currently circulating strains of H1 and H3 influenza, or in those who have been recently vaccinated with current influenza vaccines. This will give us an idea if there is any cross reactive immunity that may assist in developing immunity to pandemic strains of avian influenza, or may provide help in making antibody responses sooner to avian influenza vaccines once they are dev ....This study will examine cellular immunity to the avian H5 influenza in people who have been previously infected with the currently circulating strains of H1 and H3 influenza, or in those who have been recently vaccinated with current influenza vaccines. This will give us an idea if there is any cross reactive immunity that may assist in developing immunity to pandemic strains of avian influenza, or may provide help in making antibody responses sooner to avian influenza vaccines once they are developed. We will also establish assays to determine how immunogenic some new avian influenza vaccines are in mice.Read moreRead less
The development of cures, vaccines and better treatments for HIV/AIDS is an urgent global health priority. This team of seven groups in Sydney and Melbourne will study how HIV can lie dormant in some parts of the body, evading eradication by HIV therapy, as well as how the immune system responds to the virus. This will allow for design of novel vaccines and treatments. The researchers have skills in basic virology and immunology, and translating laboratory findings into human clinical trials.
A T-cell Based Approach To Identifying Islet Antigens In Human Type 1 Diabetes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$404,400.00
Summary
Autoimmune diseases arise when the immune system, which protects us from infections and cancer, attacks healthy tissues. Nobody knows why the immune system mistakes healthy for unhealthy tissue. The immune system's T cells are prime suspects because they play a central role in controlling the immune response. Hence, the aim of this work is to understand what human T cells see in healthy tissues that may lead them to cause autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes.
Combating The Reemergence Of Tuberculosis With New Vaccine Strategies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$431,000.00
Summary
Tuberculosis is a major global public health problem with significant morbidity and mortality. This project aims to generate new, highly efficacious vaccination regimens against tuberculosis, especially pulmonary tuberculosis, which is the most difficult manifestation of the disease to control. The outcomes of this project have the potential to save millions of lives worldwide and to decrease socioeconomic burden of tuberculosis, particularly in the context of HIV co-infection.