The Role Of NOD Proteins In T Cell Development And Function.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$349,590.00
Summary
The long-term goal of this project is to understand the role of NOD proteins in the T cell branch of the immune system. Distorted T cell responses can lead to over-activation and autoimmunity, or host susceptibility to microbial infection. This project aims to provide a deeper understanding of NOD proteins in chronic inflammatory diseases like Crohn’s disease, where altered NOD signaling may generate intrinsic T cell defects, in addition to altered microbial sensing and host protection by the in ....The long-term goal of this project is to understand the role of NOD proteins in the T cell branch of the immune system. Distorted T cell responses can lead to over-activation and autoimmunity, or host susceptibility to microbial infection. This project aims to provide a deeper understanding of NOD proteins in chronic inflammatory diseases like Crohn’s disease, where altered NOD signaling may generate intrinsic T cell defects, in addition to altered microbial sensing and host protection by the innate immune system.Read moreRead less
Do NK Cells Limit The Long Term Burden Of CMV In Older Australians And Transplant Recipients?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$413,864.00
Summary
Most people are infected with cytomegalovirus at an early age. The virus is not naturally cleared from the body but becomes latent and may be reactivated by stress or inflammation. Repeated immune responses to these reactivations causes more inflammation and wears out the immune system resulting in diseases of aging (eg: cardiovascular disease). Here we investigate which aspects of the immune system can control CMV in healthy people and in renal transplant recipients. We focus on a population of ....Most people are infected with cytomegalovirus at an early age. The virus is not naturally cleared from the body but becomes latent and may be reactivated by stress or inflammation. Repeated immune responses to these reactivations causes more inflammation and wears out the immune system resulting in diseases of aging (eg: cardiovascular disease). Here we investigate which aspects of the immune system can control CMV in healthy people and in renal transplant recipients. We focus on a population of cells called natural killer (NK) cells.Read moreRead less
Applying Quantitative Immunology To The Analysis Of Complex Genetic Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$864,596.00
Summary
The immune response of each individual varies. For some, the response invoked by foreign challenge is weak, leading to a lifetime of difficulty with infection. For others, the response is stronger, yielding excellent immunity, but opening the potential for overactive responses to self-material and autoimmune disease. We have a new theory for how the health of our immune system can be measured and we aim to apply it to understand the genesis of the many different forms of human immune diseases.
Lymphoid Organ Development: Synthetic Organogenesis Of Artificial Spleen And Characterisation Of Tissue-specific Hematopoiesis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$350,232.00
Summary
Spleen is an organ which filters blood circulating around the body and provides immune protection against blood-borne pathogens. Research into spleen development will attempt to synthesise artificial spleen tissue, leading to possible tissue replacement therapies or enhancement of immunity towards infection or cancer. Cellular development in spleen will also be investigated with a view to identifying novel white blood cell subsets that have potential for becoming new targets for immunotherapy.
The Mechanism For Combined Immunodeficiency And Autoimmunity Due To STK4-deficiency And Its Broader Application To Human PIDs
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$648,371.00
Summary
Why do some patients develop autoimmune diseases such as lupus where the immune system makes antibodies that attack its own body? To answer this, we plan to study a disease where a gene responsible for making antibodies is defective. Patients with mutations in the STK4 gene are unable to regulate the selection processes by which only the right cell is chosen to make antibodies. Understanding how STK4 works may help us unlock the mystery of what causes lupus.
Novel Posttranscriptional Pathways The Control Tfh Cell Numbers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$647,539.00
Summary
T follicular helper (Tfh) cells are essential for effective antibody responses against infection. Limiting Tfh cells is crucial for selecting the "fittest" B cells and the success of vaccines. Tfh cell accumulation causes autoimmuity and is associated with inadequate B cell responses in HIV infection. We have recently discovered two novel pathways that control Tfh cells. We speculate they regulate different RNAs that influence Tfh homeostasis and aim to elucidate their mechanism of action.
Germinal Centres, Rogue B Cells And The Genesis Of Immunological Diseases.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$753,300.00
Summary
This study will determine how the immune system is normally prevented from producing autoantibodies that target the body's own cells and how this fails in autoimmune diseases such as lupus. Targeted studies of a newly discovered "rogue" white blood cell will also provide new clues on how autoimmune diseases arise. In addition, modeling of human immunological disease in mice via CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis will provide valuable new insights into their causes and potential treatments.