The Clinical Value Of Serology And Molecular Tests For Diagnosing Invasive Aspergillosis In At-risk Hematology Patients
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,095,500.00
Summary
Aspergillus is a fungus found in soil, on farms and on construction sites. In those whose immune system is impaired it causes severe infection. The people who are particularly at high-risk of Aspergillus infection (called Invasive Aspergillosis) are those with acute leukaemia on chemotherapy or post bone marrow transplantation. Currently 15% of those at high-risk get Invasive Aspergillosis and 58-93% of those infected die. The main reason for this high death rate is that our current diagnostic t ....Aspergillus is a fungus found in soil, on farms and on construction sites. In those whose immune system is impaired it causes severe infection. The people who are particularly at high-risk of Aspergillus infection (called Invasive Aspergillosis) are those with acute leukaemia on chemotherapy or post bone marrow transplantation. Currently 15% of those at high-risk get Invasive Aspergillosis and 58-93% of those infected die. The main reason for this high death rate is that our current diagnostic tests are not good at detecting infection or often only detect the infection at advanced stages when treatment is ineffective. Because of the limitations of current diagnostic tests the current practice is to give empiric antifungal therapy (EAFT) early to treat Invasive Aspergillosis. However studies have demonstrated that this therapy has only resulted in a minor reduction in the mortality rates and it causes significant drug toxicity. It is a suboptimal treatment modality. New tests have been developed to diagnose Invasive Aspergillosis. These tests are for the detection of an Aspergillus protein in blood and for the detection of Aspergillus DNA in the blood. Available data suggests that these new tests are sensitive in the detection of Invasive Aspergillosis. Also other studies suggest that these new tests make an early diagnosis and seem to be able to monitor responses to treatment. However no study has been performed to date which demonstrates that the use of these tests can impact on important patient outcomes. This trial is designed to determine whether the use of the new tests to guide therapy will help improve treatment of Invasive Aspergillosis, reduce drug toxicity and reduce the death rate in the high-risk patients as compared with the current standard method of diagnosis and treatment with EAFT. If the trial is successful then this represents a significant advancement in the treatment and survival of leukaemic and bone marrow transplantation patients.Read moreRead less
Finding Therapeutic Targets For An Opportunistic Human Fungal Pathogen
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$404,068.00
Summary
Penicillium marneffei is a fungus that causes disease in patients with depressed immunity. This project models this infection in zebrafish, which have advantages for modelling infectious disease. It uses fluorescent fungi and fish with fluorescent immune cells to study the way white blood cells fight this infection, and mutant zebrafish and mutant fungi to find new therapeutic targets in the host-pathogen interaction.
I am a physician-scientist whose research involves the role of monocyte-macrophages in HIV pathogenesis and low cost methods for monitoring HIV infection in resource-constrained countries
Processes Underlying Establishment And Maintenance Of The Latent HIV Resevoir And Potential Impact Of Integrase Inhibitors
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,044.00
Summary
Therapy for HIV-infected individuals is currently able to control the growth of the virus, but cannot eradicate the viral infection. This is due to a pool of CD4+ T lymphocytes which contain HIV DNA in a latent state, ready to reactivate as soon as therapy is interrupted. This project aims to better understand how this pool of latently infected CD4+ T lymphocytes is established and maintained, particularly how it is linked to the essential T cell survival signal from interleukin 7.
Understanding The Importance Of Panton-Valentine Leukocidin Production In Australian Isolates Of Staphylococcus Aureus.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$118,796.00
Summary
New strains of the superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have emerged in the community, causing severe, sometimes fatal infections in otherwise healthy people. These strains, called community-acquired MRSA produce a toxin (Panton-Valentine leukocidin). This project will provide important information about how this toxin promotes disease, and how the immune system responds to the toxin, providing the basis for the development of immunotherapies against this new superbug.
Macfarlane Adaptive Changes In HIV-1 Subtype C Envelope Glycoproteins Contributing To Pathogenicity.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$310,787.00
Summary
HIV exists as multiple subtypes. The most commonly studied is type B (B-HIV). B-HIV is common in developed countries, but accounts for only a small fraction of HIV infections worldwide. Type C HIV (C-HIV) in Africa and Asia accounts for the majority of infections worldwide, yet very little is known about how C-HIV causes AIDS. We aim to understand how C-HIV causes AIDS. This is critical for development of drugs and vaccines specifically designed for those who are most urgently need.
Host-pathogen Interactions In Burkholderia Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$490,322.00
Summary
Melioidosis is a fatal tropical disease caused by a bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. We found that when the bacterium infects macrophage-like cells in culture (that normally kills bacteria), the cells turn into a cell like an osteoclast, a cell that normally degrades bone. Since an osteoclast is unable to kill bacteria, we speculate that the bacterium subverts the macrophage differentiation pathway and directs the cells into a state where it is unable to attack the invading bacteria.