A successful vaccine for RNA viruses like HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) will require cell mediated immunity (CMI) as well as neutralising antibody. The vaccine delivery vehicles which are currently in use to generate CMI are not effective because individuals have pre-existing immunity to the delivery vehicle or generate immunity to the vehicle in a multiple dose regimen. This project is designed to overcome this limitation by using multiple vaccine delivery vehicles which encode common HCV proteins.
It is possible to cure some patients with HCV infection but the current therapy is very costly and produces numerous side effects in treated individuals. We propose to treat patients using a new therapy in which HCV proteins are first expressed in blood cells ex vivo and the cells then manipulated to generate dying cells. These will be injected into the same patient from which they were collected initially and are expected to elicit high levels of HCV immunity with the potential for cure.
Stability Engineering Of Human Antibody Therapeutics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$421,104.00
Summary
Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies are among the fastest growing class of drugs with more than $30 billion sales in 2011. Unfortunately, antibodies often display limited stability and a tendency to aggregate. This greatly hinders their development and results in high failure rates of otherwise promising candidates. We have recently identified mutations that render human antibodies resistant to aggregation. Here we apply this technology to a monoclonal antibody candidate developed by a leading pha ....Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies are among the fastest growing class of drugs with more than $30 billion sales in 2011. Unfortunately, antibodies often display limited stability and a tendency to aggregate. This greatly hinders their development and results in high failure rates of otherwise promising candidates. We have recently identified mutations that render human antibodies resistant to aggregation. Here we apply this technology to a monoclonal antibody candidate developed by a leading pharmaceutical company.Read moreRead less
A successful vaccine prevents infection. For HIV infection all candidate vaccines thus far have failed. From the many HIV-1 infected individuals there are a very small percentage that do not progress to disease. For these infected subjects we hypothesise that their immune responses are much better preserved and hence they will have stronger antibody responses. We have geared up our laboratory to characterise these strong antibodies and use them in making a better HIV-1 vaccine.
Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT): Further Characterization Of Disease Mechanism Will Improve Patient Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$456,484.00
Summary
Thrombus formation occurs as a side effect of heparin treatment in many patients. This condition is called Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT). The clots may be stabilised by secretions from cells called neutrophils. In this project we will study this possibility using a mouse model of HIT and will explore therapeutic approaches to inhibit clot stabilisation.
Monoclonal antibodies, such as the breast cancer therapeutic Herceptin, have revolutionised the treatment of cancer and inflammatory conditions. Will over $30 billion sales in 2011, they have also spawned a growing biotech industry. We have a generated a highly specific monoclonal antibody, which has shown efficacy in models of disease. This project will further advance and develop this monoclonal, allowing us to initiate clinical studies in patients.
New Therapies Requiring Ultra Large Scale Monoclonal Ab Production In Microalgae
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$630,089.00
Summary
Monoclonal antibodies target pathogens and molecules with exquisite specificity, and are essential for therapeutics and diagnostics. They are currently made using high-tech/limited-capacity mammalian cell cultures which limit them to low-dose applications. We aim to enable new, high-dose antibody therapies (e.g. antiviral treatments, passive immunisation) via rapid, low-cost, dramatically larger-scale production of valuable medicinal antibodies in a photosynthetic-driven, green algae system.
SIGN Receptors And The Antiinflammatory Activity Of Sialylated IgG Fcs
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Summary
IgG antibodies are a crucial component of the immune system, and significantly contribute to host protection against cancer and infectious diseases. Additionally, therapeutic IgG antibodies have been developed for treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases. The studies proposed herein will elucidate one important aspect of how IgG antibodies act as anti-inflammatory agents, and may lead to the design of more effective IgG based therapies for the treatment of inflammatory diseases or cancer.