Signalling Networks As Targets For Antibody Therapy In Glioma.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$526,683.00
Summary
Antibodies are a major component of the bodies immune system that bind (i.e. stick) to foreign substances such as viruses. Once bound, these antibodies can activate other parts of the immune system, which help destroy the foreign substance. Analogous to the situation above, a number of institutions are testing antibodies that bind to cancer cells, in order to determine if they are able to destroy these cells. It is also possible to generate antibodies that bind to receptors on the surface of can ....Antibodies are a major component of the bodies immune system that bind (i.e. stick) to foreign substances such as viruses. Once bound, these antibodies can activate other parts of the immune system, which help destroy the foreign substance. Analogous to the situation above, a number of institutions are testing antibodies that bind to cancer cells, in order to determine if they are able to destroy these cells. It is also possible to generate antibodies that bind to receptors on the surface of cancer cells and block their function. If you target a receptor critical to the growth or survival of a cancer cell in this way, then swtiching-off this signal may inhibit tumor growth. In this proposal we plan to test a panel antibodies that recognize receptors important to the growth of brain cancer. Two of these antibodies have been generated and the other two will be made as part of this proposal. A key aspect of this proposal will be testing these antibodies in combination to determine how many receptors need to be targeted in order to get complete tumor regressions in animal models. Overall this work will help us identify new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of brain cancer. Finally, we will also analyze the way different receptors interact together in brain cancer cells.Read moreRead less
Restoring & future-proofing the biocultural values of endangered seagrasses. This project aims to develop best-practice methods for the biocultural restoration of the endangered seagrass Posidonia australis. This species is highly productive, supports fisheries and biodiversity, and plays a key role in mitigating climate change. This project will generate valuable new genetic information to guide restoration strategies including climate-adjusted genotypes. Working with Indigenous groups, we aim ....Restoring & future-proofing the biocultural values of endangered seagrasses. This project aims to develop best-practice methods for the biocultural restoration of the endangered seagrass Posidonia australis. This species is highly productive, supports fisheries and biodiversity, and plays a key role in mitigating climate change. This project will generate valuable new genetic information to guide restoration strategies including climate-adjusted genotypes. Working with Indigenous groups, we aim to document and restore cultural values associated with Posidonia. Working with industrial designers, we seek to develop cost-effective techniques to scale-up seagrass restoration. This research should provide significant environmental, economic, social and cultural benefits by improving seagrass restoration.Read moreRead less
Creating coolspots: eco-engineering heat-resistant intertidal communities. This project aims to identify structural characteristics of marine intertidal habitat patches, formed by seaweeds and shellfish, that protect associated species from thermal extremes. This project will generate new knowledge about how thermally sensitive intertidal species can persist in stressful environments. Expected outcomes of this project
include new approaches for building heat-tolerant ecological communities on co ....Creating coolspots: eco-engineering heat-resistant intertidal communities. This project aims to identify structural characteristics of marine intertidal habitat patches, formed by seaweeds and shellfish, that protect associated species from thermal extremes. This project will generate new knowledge about how thermally sensitive intertidal species can persist in stressful environments. Expected outcomes of this project
include new approaches for building heat-tolerant ecological communities on coastal infrastructure, and improved tools for predicting the response of intertidal seaweeds and animals to environmental change. The results of this project will benefit coastal management by identifying conservation and rehabilitation strategies that maximise the
resilience of coastal ecosystems to environmental change.Read moreRead less
Do root microbiomes control seagrass response to environmental stress? The project aims to determine the role root microbes play in controlling seagrass responses to environmental stress. By integrating marine and microbial ecology, environmental genomics and ecosystem function (e.g., biogeochemical cycling), this project is significant as it will create new knowledge of the processes that confer seagrass resilience to global environmental issues. An expected outcome is an increased understandin ....Do root microbiomes control seagrass response to environmental stress? The project aims to determine the role root microbes play in controlling seagrass responses to environmental stress. By integrating marine and microbial ecology, environmental genomics and ecosystem function (e.g., biogeochemical cycling), this project is significant as it will create new knowledge of the processes that confer seagrass resilience to global environmental issues. An expected outcome is an increased understanding of how microbes control seagrass health and an enhanced capacity to develop effective restoration strategies for Australia's valuable seagrass ecosystems. Benefits include improving the extensive environmental, economic, social/cultural services Australian communities derive from seagrass ecosystems.Read moreRead less
A New Model For The Pathogenesis Of Rheumatic Fever: Superantigen Priming Of The Immune Response To Group A Streptococci
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$248,820.00
Summary
Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is now rare in developed countries. However, it remains a major problem in Aboriginal Australians in the NT where the rate of ARF is the highest in the world. This leads to high rates of rheumatic heart disease (up to 3% of individuals in some communities) and a premature mortality of over four times that for developing countries. Immunisation and improved living conditions offer a long-term solution but these remain a distant prospect. In the short and medium term, c ....Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is now rare in developed countries. However, it remains a major problem in Aboriginal Australians in the NT where the rate of ARF is the highest in the world. This leads to high rates of rheumatic heart disease (up to 3% of individuals in some communities) and a premature mortality of over four times that for developing countries. Immunisation and improved living conditions offer a long-term solution but these remain a distant prospect. In the short and medium term, control of this ARF will partly depend on new and better treatment and prevention strategies. To achieve these goals a deeper understanding of the immune mechanisms underlying this disease is urgently needed. It is known that ARF is caused by an abnormal immune response following streptococcal infection. This leads to the production of cells called T cells that attack the body s own tissues rather than the bacteria itself. This autoimmune disease is responsible for the heart damage that underlies ARF. It is believed that this proces only occurs when susceptible individuals are infected with specific rheumatogenic strains of streptococci. However there are a number of deficiencies in this model and it is proposed that there is an additional factor responsible for the abnormal immune response in ARF. This project will explore the possibility that bacterial toxins called superantigens are the critical missing factor , by studying the immune response in ARF. Superantigens are produced by certain streptococci and staphylococci, and are potent in minute quantities causing widespread activation of the immune system. They have been found to play an important role in a number of autoimmune diseases and the type of immune response found in ARF fits well with that expected if superantigens were involved. If superantigens play an important role in causing the abnormal immune response in ARF then a number of new avenues would open for the treatment and prevention of this disease.Read moreRead less
Increasing the quality of goods donated to charities: Two field trials. This project aims to trial three social marketing programs using controlled field experiments in partnership with Queensland Government and the National Association of Charitable Recycling Organisations. Controlled community pilot programs are planned as a means to identify the effective program for implementation nation wide by charitable recycling organisations in Year 3 of the project. The planned research aims to incre ....Increasing the quality of goods donated to charities: Two field trials. This project aims to trial three social marketing programs using controlled field experiments in partnership with Queensland Government and the National Association of Charitable Recycling Organisations. Controlled community pilot programs are planned as a means to identify the effective program for implementation nation wide by charitable recycling organisations in Year 3 of the project. The planned research aims to increase the quality of goods donated to Australian charities. Increases in the quality of goods donated to Australian charities delivers cost savings that can in turn be used to provide essential services to support more Australians who are in need. Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL120100074
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,175,454.00
Summary
Using biological invasions to understand evolutionary processes. The invasion of cane toads through Australia has been devastating for many native species, but created opportunities for others. The rapid evolutionary responses stimulated by toad invasion provide a uniquely powerful model system with which to explore the broader question of how species adapt to novel challenges.
Invasion biology: understanding the mechanisms of naiveté towards alien species. Naiveté in local wildlife is central to why alien species are so damaging, yet it is typically viewed as a simple lack of recognition of novel enemies. This project tests for multiple levels of naiveté in Australia’s mammals to demonstrate its many complex forms. It will use field and lab experiments and formal meta-analysis to unravel the three main forms of naiveté, to reveal their role in predator:prey and compet ....Invasion biology: understanding the mechanisms of naiveté towards alien species. Naiveté in local wildlife is central to why alien species are so damaging, yet it is typically viewed as a simple lack of recognition of novel enemies. This project tests for multiple levels of naiveté in Australia’s mammals to demonstrate its many complex forms. It will use field and lab experiments and formal meta-analysis to unravel the three main forms of naiveté, to reveal their role in predator:prey and competitive interactions, and to understand how native and alien mammals might overcome their initial naiveté to novel enemies. These results will identify to ecologists and land managers the complex nature of naiveté, and how it ultimately defines the nature of interactions between aliens and natives.Read moreRead less