The Australia Fellowship will enable Prof Good to pursue the development of vaccines for two major pathogens – malaria and group A streptococcus (GAS). Both research programs are entering exciting phases as we move into Phase I clinical trials. At the same time, the Fellowship will enable us to explore the development of the next generation vaccine candidates for these diseases. Malaria is responsible for approximately 1 million deaths per year, mainly of children under 5 years of age, while dis ....The Australia Fellowship will enable Prof Good to pursue the development of vaccines for two major pathogens – malaria and group A streptococcus (GAS). Both research programs are entering exciting phases as we move into Phase I clinical trials. At the same time, the Fellowship will enable us to explore the development of the next generation vaccine candidates for these diseases. Malaria is responsible for approximately 1 million deaths per year, mainly of children under 5 years of age, while diseases caused by group A streptococcus (such as rheumatic heart disease [RHD] and RHD-related stroke) are responsible for at least 500,000 deaths per year. Australia’s Indigenous population suffer the highest documented rate of RHD in the world. We have strong international support and collaboration for these vaccine research programs and have approached the US FDA for a license to conduct the trial for a GAS vaccine and will soon approach them for a licence to undertake the malaria vaccine trial.Read moreRead less
The primary aim of my research has been to understand how biological ion channels work. All electrical activities in the nervous system, including communication between cells and influences of hormones and drugs on cell function, are regulated by the opening and closing of ion channels. Thus, understanding how these ion channels operate will ultimately help us find the causes of, and possibly cures for, many neurological, muscular and cardiac disorders.
I study basic mechanisms of the interaction of pathogens and particles with the immune system, to gain insight into mechanisms of adjuvanticity, immune evasion and generally immuno-modulation. With this specific insight I further pursue the development of