Does CD123 Provide A Biological Advantage To Leukaemia Stem Cells?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$647,637.00
Summary
Leukaemia is a devastating form of blood cancer affecting both young and old. We need to understand the diseased stem cell to eradicate this disease. Current therapy is poorly tolerated and the majority of patients ultimately die at relapse. We intend to investigate how we can make the cells more susceptible to therapy by understanding their biology.
Cytokine Signalling And The Regulation Of Normal And Leukaemic Blood Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$948,684.00
Summary
The formation and actions of white blood cells are regulated by protein messengers called cytokines. Cytokines deliver their message by inducing the activation of signalling pathways that orchestrate the cell’s response to infection but when these responses occur too robustly or at inappropriate times they can lead to autoimmune disease, tissue damage and blood cancers. We study the naturally occurring feedback inhibitors of these processes in order to devise new treatments for these diseases.
Understanding The Pharmacology Of G-CSF For Treating Myocardial Infarction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$429,393.00
Summary
Heart attacks remain the most common cause of heart failure. Unlike many other tissues the heart is unable to repair itself. Recently it has been recognised that bone marrow cells promote to a small degree repair. Our research confirms these findings and indicates that these can be affected by substances that increase the circulating bone marrow cell numbers. This project will explore how bone marrow cells improve repair and ways to further improve efficacy.
Exploring And Targeting The Anti-Inflammatory Signalling Mechanisms Of Interleukin 37
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,018,306.00
Summary
Cytokines are messenger proteins that function as master regulators of biological processes; thus they play central roles in many diseases. The rare cytokines that block inflammation do so by dampening the immune system’s potentially destructive force, making them attractive targets for drug development. We showed that interleukin 37 is a powerful anti-inflammatory cytokine, and will now evaluate its mechanisms of action and its efficacy against several severe diseases, including cancer.
Hematopoietic Cytokines For The Repair Of Myocardial Infarction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$334,375.00
Summary
Heart attacks remain one of the most common causes of heart failure. Unlike many other tissues such as the skin or bone marrow, the heart is unable to repair itself following a heart attack. Recently it has been recognised that bone marrow cells can to a small degree repair the heart. How this is done is not known but it may be due to the formation of new blood vessels and perhaps new heart muscle. Unfortunately, the repair by bone marrow cells is not very efficient. One way of improving the eff ....Heart attacks remain one of the most common causes of heart failure. Unlike many other tissues such as the skin or bone marrow, the heart is unable to repair itself following a heart attack. Recently it has been recognised that bone marrow cells can to a small degree repair the heart. How this is done is not known but it may be due to the formation of new blood vessels and perhaps new heart muscle. Unfortunately, the repair by bone marrow cells is not very efficient. One way of improving the efficiency of heart repair by bone marrow cells is to give people bone marrow growth factors that increase the number of bone marrow cells in the blood and thus, increase the number at the site of heart injury. Our preliminary research shows that this is the case although the efficiency of repair is still not enough as a useful therapy. This project will examine how bone marrow growth factors improve heart repair following heart attacks and explore ways of improving the efficiency of repair to permit trials in humans.Read moreRead less
Cytokine-driven Allergic Inflammation: Characterization Of Two Isoform-specific Modes Of IL-3 Receptor Activation And Investigation Of New Receptor-associated Signalling Partners.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$620,716.00
Summary
In asthma, the symptoms are caused by an allergic reaction in the lung orchestrated by immune cells which produce small proteins called cytokines thus stimulating inflammatory cell production. The cytokine IL-3 is critical for the production of basophils which have an important role in the inflammation. The project will investigate the molecular details of how the IL-3 binds to its receptor and stimulates basophil production and reveal new targets for controlling inflammation in asthma.
The Interferon System In Innate Immune Responses To Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$836,818.00
Summary
My research investigates special proteins called cytokines in the body’s first-line defence against infection, inflammation and cancer. I will characterise how cells respond, the signals that mediate effects, using sophisticated genetic and new computational techniques to manage and analyse data. One focus is a new cytokine we discovered that protects against infections of the reproductive tract –a global health and socio-economic problem affecting 1 billion people.
Molecular Cloning And Expression Of Cytokine Genes Related To Induction Of Allograft Transplantation Tolerance In Rats
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$212,371.00
Summary
Cytokines are soluble proteins produced by leucocytes, and in many cases other cell types, which act as chemical communicators between cells, but not as effector molecules in their own right. Most of the cytokines are growth or differentiation factors and they generally act on cells within the haematopoietic system. In this grant application we will focus on the production of cytokines and antibodies to these cytokines, that are likely to be important in organ transplantation tolerance or organ ....Cytokines are soluble proteins produced by leucocytes, and in many cases other cell types, which act as chemical communicators between cells, but not as effector molecules in their own right. Most of the cytokines are growth or differentiation factors and they generally act on cells within the haematopoietic system. In this grant application we will focus on the production of cytokines and antibodies to these cytokines, that are likely to be important in organ transplantation tolerance or organ rejection. We would like to synthesize these cytokines using molecular biological techniques. These biological materials will be used to treat animals and study their biological effect on transplanted graft survival. If the cytokine treatment does prolong graft survival, what is the mechanisms involved in the immune responses will be further studied. Our aim is to develop strategies that couold be applied to help pateints with organ transplants and receive most specific therapies.Read moreRead less