How Deletional And Non-Deletional Tolerance Mechanisms Integrate To Prevent Autoimmune Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$509,944.00
Summary
The body produces millions of immune cells every day to fight infection. Some of these immune cells are defective and dangerous because they can cause autoimmune diseases, like Type I diabetes and multiple sclerosis. To defuse this risk, such immune cells are either caused to die or are inactivated to prevent autoimmunity. We propose to investigate how the processes of immune cell death and inactivation work in health and disease so we may harness these mechanisms to cure autoimmunity.
How BANK1 Pathway Defects In B Cells Cause Human Lupus
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,316,839.00
Summary
Autoimmune diseases affect 1 in 20 Australians and are incurable. To find effective therapies, we need to understand the genes that cause disease in humans. We have sequenced the entire genome of patients with an autoimmune disease and found several patients carrry two mutations in genes important for activation of B cells and shown these mutations cause disease. We plan to understand how these genes prevent autoimmunity, and to identify the best treatment for patients with these mutations.
Pathogenesis Of A New Mouse Model Of Ankylosing Spondylitis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$682,820.00
Summary
Ankylosing spondylitis and Crohn's disease are autoimmune inflammatory diseases which cause long-term pain and deformity of joints, spine and bowel. Using a new mouse model of both diseases, we will study cells and processes involved in the initiation of disease, in order to discover new targets for prevention and treatment. The work will have importance for design of new therapies for human inflammatory spine and bowel diseases.