Construction And Immunogenic Evaluation Of Recombinant HBsAg-S Virus-like Particles Containing B And T Cell Epitopes Of
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$170,000.00
Summary
Helicobacter pylori is a significant human pathogen impacting on the health and well being of not only thousands of Australians, but also millions of people world-wide. However, the task of developing a vaccine against H. pylori remains important. Vaccination is the most effective mechanism to prevent disease associated with this infection, particularly gastric cancer, one of the most common causes of cancer death world-wide. However, current attempts to develop an effective vaccine for humans h ....Helicobacter pylori is a significant human pathogen impacting on the health and well being of not only thousands of Australians, but also millions of people world-wide. However, the task of developing a vaccine against H. pylori remains important. Vaccination is the most effective mechanism to prevent disease associated with this infection, particularly gastric cancer, one of the most common causes of cancer death world-wide. However, current attempts to develop an effective vaccine for humans has been limited by the non-availability of an effective and safe adjuvant. The aim is to construct a recombinant Virus-Like Particle which can be used as a safe and effective vaccine against Helicobacter pylori infections. We specifically aim to: · determine the most efficacious singular or combinatorial route-s of delivery of Virus-Like Particles (VLPs) which will induce the desired Th2 and B cell responses in mice · define the Th2 and B cell epitopes of H.pylori Kat A carboxyl terminus that can be used to construct chimeric HBsAg-S-Kat A VLPs · determine if the induction of desired immunological responses in mice are protective against wild type challengeRead moreRead less
Acid Resistance Mechanisms Of Helicobacter Pylori And Their Impact On Gastric Colonisation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$287,036.00
Summary
The gastric bacterium, Helicobacter pylori, infects more than half the population of the globe. H. pylori may cause either no symptomatic disease, induce peptic ulcers or be responsible for one of the major killing cancers, gastric cancer. Millions die or suffer from this infection each year. Yet we are remarkably ignorant of why the infection causes these different patterns of disease. This project aims to provide evidence to show that the very mechanism the bacterium has acquired to help it re ....The gastric bacterium, Helicobacter pylori, infects more than half the population of the globe. H. pylori may cause either no symptomatic disease, induce peptic ulcers or be responsible for one of the major killing cancers, gastric cancer. Millions die or suffer from this infection each year. Yet we are remarkably ignorant of why the infection causes these different patterns of disease. This project aims to provide evidence to show that the very mechanism the bacterium has acquired to help it resist stomach acid and so live in the stomach, is responsible for these differences. I.e. The organism lives in different parts of the stomach due to differences in local acid at that site. If the acid in a particular part of the stomach is too high, the acid resistance mechanism cannot cope. If the acid is too low, the organism also cannot grow well. Because the bacterium has evolved to only thrive in a relatively narrow range of acid, it will behave very differently in these different parts of the stomach. This results in different diseases. Various populations in different countries of the world have different levels of acid production and this also explains why in some countries duodenal ulcers predominate and in others gastric ulcer- gastric cancer is the norm. Showing why H. pylori lives where it lives will provide fundamental information relevant to understanding some of the world s major diseases and will also provides insights relevant to the design of new therapeutic approaches.Read moreRead less