Investigation of the immunological properties of a novel adjuvant in sheep. The induction of strong immune responses without side effects is a highly desirable goal in vaccine R&D. The recently developed adjuvant DCtag utilises unique properties of dendritic cells to boost both cellular and humoral immune responses without tissue damage. This project will identify the mechanisms of immune induction of DCtag using unique properties of our sheep cannulation model. This will allow further optimisat ....Investigation of the immunological properties of a novel adjuvant in sheep. The induction of strong immune responses without side effects is a highly desirable goal in vaccine R&D. The recently developed adjuvant DCtag utilises unique properties of dendritic cells to boost both cellular and humoral immune responses without tissue damage. This project will identify the mechanisms of immune induction of DCtag using unique properties of our sheep cannulation model. This will allow further optimisation of DCtag adjuvanticity in sheep, which will then be applied to the delivery of a prototype peptide based vaccine against foot and mouth disease virus, a veterinary disease of global importance, hereby increasing Australia's leadership in biotechnology.Read moreRead less
Immunological mechanisms underlying the protective immune responses induced by botulinum oil adjuvanted vaccine. Botulism is recognised as an important bacterial pathogen in commercial beef cattle in Australia and around the world. Development of affective, well-researched vaccine against Clostridium botulinum is a high priority for the cattle industry. A novel oil adjuvanted vaccine (Singvac from Fort Dodge Pty Ltd) has advantage over conventional vaccines as it provides full protection follo ....Immunological mechanisms underlying the protective immune responses induced by botulinum oil adjuvanted vaccine. Botulism is recognised as an important bacterial pathogen in commercial beef cattle in Australia and around the world. Development of affective, well-researched vaccine against Clostridium botulinum is a high priority for the cattle industry. A novel oil adjuvanted vaccine (Singvac from Fort Dodge Pty Ltd) has advantage over conventional vaccines as it provides full protection following a single administration. The aims of this study are to investigate the immunological mechanisms underlying the protective response by this novel vaccine using bovine and murine models. This study will discover new control measures for botulism in Australia.Read moreRead less
Structural and functional investigations into a novel chemokine binding protein encoded by evolutionarily diverse alphaherpesviruses. The outcomes of this project will help control disease caused by alphaherpesviruses, including disease in livestock (horses and poultry) and wildlife (kangaroos and wallabies). This will enhance animal health and welfare and will also benefit the associated industries. Livestock industries are critically important to the Australian economy (equine and poultry indu ....Structural and functional investigations into a novel chemokine binding protein encoded by evolutionarily diverse alphaherpesviruses. The outcomes of this project will help control disease caused by alphaherpesviruses, including disease in livestock (horses and poultry) and wildlife (kangaroos and wallabies). This will enhance animal health and welfare and will also benefit the associated industries. Livestock industries are critically important to the Australian economy (equine and poultry industries annually contribute approximately $7.7 and $2.6 billion respectively to our GDP). Wildlife species are crucial to Australian ecosystems and feature in the Australian tourism industry. This project is expected to strengthen international research collaborations and further enhance Australia's reputation as a world-class leader in research and biotechnology.Read moreRead less