Understanding The Role Of MAIT Cells In Health And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$547,593.00
Summary
A specialised set of T lymphocytes called Mucosal Associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells protect us from bacteria and yeast at mucosal sites where the body's immune defences are most easily breached, e.g. gut, oral cavity, airways & reproductive tract. This study investigates the role of MAIT cells in health and in diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, peptic ulceration, periodontitis and tuberculosis. Controlling MAIT cells could help in treating these conditions.
Acupuncture And Mucosal Immunity In The Upper Respiratory Tract
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$383,082.00
Summary
Many Australians seek complementary and alternate medicine for the treatment of allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis. There is evidence that acupuncture treatment is clinically beneficial for the treatment of allergic rhinitis. This project will produce new information that will provide a scientific basis of how acupuncture influences the immune response and modulates inflammation. Broader application to other inflammatory diseases and therapeutic interventions is possible.
Modulating Inflammation As A Therapy For Harlequin Ichthyosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$718,739.00
Summary
Harlequin Ichthyosis is a severe inherited skin disease caused by mutations in a protein which regulates how skin cells control their levels of lipids. Treatments for this disease are limited and do little to improve patients condition. We believe we have found a new way to treat this condition by altering tissue inflammation. This grant will undertake important experiments aimed at developing new therapies for this currently incurable disease.
Understanding How Bcl-2 Proteins Form The Apoptotic Pores That Kill Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$893,614.00
Summary
Programmed cell death termed apoptosis is a process our bodies use to remove cells that are a threat to our health, e.g. cancer cells. The proteins that regulate cell death are attractive targets for therapeutics that have become resistant to this defence mechanism. This study will reveal how proteins from the Bcl-2 family regulate cell death at the molecular level. Understanding this process will inform the development of drugs aimed at regulating cell death in cancer and other diseases.
What Is The Molecular Mechanism Underlying Cell Death By Necroptosis?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$653,742.00
Summary
Recently, we and others have demonstrated that part of the MLKL protein is able to kill cells. This process is known to cause a number of pathologies, including those arising from stroke. Blocking this type of cell death has thus emerged as an attractive therapeutic strategy. However, precisely how MLKL kills cells remains unclear and controversial. In this project, we will resolve these controversies with the goal of an increased fundamental understanding to aid drug discovery.