Autophagy: A New Pathway For Presenting Antigen In Dendritic Cells.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$444,973.00
Summary
Microbes are chopped up and digested before being displayed to the immune system. Here we will investigate a new pathway termed _autophagy� that helps cells to digest material for immune display.
Enhanced Translation Of Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Protein, EBNA1, As A Target For T Cell-based Immunotherapy.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$276,598.00
Summary
Epstein-Barr virus, (EBV) is a human herpesvirus associated with a range of human cancers. EBNA1, an important EBV antigen, was thought to be immunologically silent however, recent studies from our laboratory show that EBNA1 is recognized by our body's defence system and these observations raise the possibility that EBNA1 may be an exploitable, immuno-therapy target for treating EBV-associated cancers.
Characterisation Of The Biochemical And Cell Biological Mechanisms Of Cross-presentation In Dendritic Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$303,828.00
Summary
The immune system possesses several mechanisms to fight viruses and cancer. One of these mechanisms consists of recruiting anti-virus or anti-cancer killer cells. These killer cells are recruited by specialized cells known as Dendritic Cells (DC). The DC are distributed all over the body, and can detect the presence of viruses or cancer cells. When they do, they take up chunks of the virus or cancer cells, break them into small pieces called antigens, and display these antigens on their surface, ....The immune system possesses several mechanisms to fight viruses and cancer. One of these mechanisms consists of recruiting anti-virus or anti-cancer killer cells. These killer cells are recruited by specialized cells known as Dendritic Cells (DC). The DC are distributed all over the body, and can detect the presence of viruses or cancer cells. When they do, they take up chunks of the virus or cancer cells, break them into small pieces called antigens, and display these antigens on their surface, where they can be seen by the killer cells. This initiates an immune response whereby the killer cells seek and destroy the viruses and cancer cells. We are trying to harness the ability of DC to initiate immune responses in order to design more efficient vaccines to fight viruses and cancer. Our goal is to deliver vaccines that will directly target the DC and induce the formation of protective killer cells. These strategies require us to overcome two problems. The first is that we possess different types of DC, which play distinct functions, but we do not know which type is the most effective at recruiting killer cells, or why. The second problem is that we need to understand which vaccine design is the most effective at promoting presentation of the antigens that will be used to induce killer cells. The goal of this research project is to learn how we should deliver antigens to which DC type to generate the best possible vaccine.Read moreRead less
The Mechanisms Of Establishing, Maintaining Immunological Memory And Immunodominance Hierarchy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$234,750.00
Summary
The hallmark of the adaptive immune response is the development of specific immunological memory following the first confrontation with a microorganism. Memory T cells are capable of responding rapidly upon subsequent exposure to the same microbes thus providing protective immunity. This proposal aims to investigate how cytotoxic T cells establish memory following their primary encounter with microorganisms. The proposal will dissect the relationship between memory T cell formation and the amoun ....The hallmark of the adaptive immune response is the development of specific immunological memory following the first confrontation with a microorganism. Memory T cells are capable of responding rapidly upon subsequent exposure to the same microbes thus providing protective immunity. This proposal aims to investigate how cytotoxic T cells establish memory following their primary encounter with microorganisms. The proposal will dissect the relationship between memory T cell formation and the amount-length of antigen exposure; and the influence on memory induction from various immune modulators (cytokines) at the time of antigen encounter. Using a range of sophisticated detection methods, very early memory T cells will be identified in the primary response and tracked through their differentiation into long-term memory pool. Experiments will determine how T cells against particular determinants are selected from the primary immune response, retained in the memory pool and recalled in the subsequent challenges. The properties of antigen processing of various determinants will be correlated with the immunodominance hierarchy in the primary and memory response. Taken together the proposed project is central to understanding how memory T cells are created and what rules govern their stability. The project is highly relevant to vaccine design against tumours and pathogensRead moreRead less