I am a Clinical Immunologist, Immunopathologist, clinical researcher and laboratory scientist exploring the interactions between T cell and viral infections. My area of particular interest is the mechanisms by which HIV infection subverts effective T cel
CD4 T-cell Deficiency And Dysfunction In HIV Patients Receiving Effective Antiretroviral Therapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$490,020.00
Summary
Large numbers of people throughout the world will commence antiretroviral treatment for HIV infection over the next 5 years. This treatment partially corrects CD4 T-cell deficiency (the most characteristic immune defect caused by HIV infection) but does not restore the immune system to normal in patients who were very immunodeficient before treatment. This study will determine the cause of residual immune defects in patients receiving antiretroviral drugs with the aim of introducing new therapie ....Large numbers of people throughout the world will commence antiretroviral treatment for HIV infection over the next 5 years. This treatment partially corrects CD4 T-cell deficiency (the most characteristic immune defect caused by HIV infection) but does not restore the immune system to normal in patients who were very immunodeficient before treatment. This study will determine the cause of residual immune defects in patients receiving antiretroviral drugs with the aim of introducing new therapies to correct those defects. Our previous studies have demonstrated that the production of new T-cells in HIV patients receiving antiretroviral durgs is affected by the function of the thymus, but that this does not account for the production of all new T-cells. We will investigate other sites of T-cell production in the body. We have also previously shown that poor recovery of CD4 T-cells in patients successfully treated with antiretroviral drugs is associated with immune activation and that the T-cells do not function adequately, even when CD4 T-cell counts are substantially increased. We will determine whether these abnormalities are the result of a persistent defect in T cell activation by monocytes and-or dendritic cells. The findings of our studies will improve the treatment and life-expectancy of individuals with HIV infection.Read moreRead less
This fellowship is to support Professor Stephen Kent in generating new advances in vaccines to prevent HIV (the cause of AIDS) and Influenza (“The Flu”). HIV causes over 1.5 million deaths per year and no vaccine is currently available. Influenza causes around half a million deaths per year. Although the current Influenza vaccine is partially effective, improvements are needed for it to be able to protect against the many different strains of Influenza that can cause infection.
Using A Novel Assay That Detects Antigen Specific CD4+ And Regulatory T Cells To Further Understand Reconstitution Of Antigen Specific Immune Response Post Anti-retroviral Therapy In Subjects With HIV And In The Diagnosis Of Latent TB
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$102,780.00
Summary
The process by which the immune system recovers after commencement of therapy for HIV is not well understood. We will use a new test to monitor the immune system's ability to recognise and react to different antigens inorder to understand the factors that affect immune recovery in patients on therapy for HIV. We will also evaluate the use of this new test in the diagnosis of latent TB. Improvement in detection will lead to treatment of latent TB thus reduction of cases of active TB.
Interactions Between Adaptable Pathogens, Drugs And The Human Host
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$5,727,327.00
Summary
The Centre for Clinical Immunology and Biomedical Statistics (CCIBS) represents a collaboration between Royal Perth Hospital and Murdoch University that has brought together internationally recognised expertise in clinical immunology, experimental biology and innovation in biostatistics and computing. These resources have been applied to a broad range of research issues within the broad framework of HIV and hepatitis C disease and treatment. CCIBS has become a leading centre of research excellen ....The Centre for Clinical Immunology and Biomedical Statistics (CCIBS) represents a collaboration between Royal Perth Hospital and Murdoch University that has brought together internationally recognised expertise in clinical immunology, experimental biology and innovation in biostatistics and computing. These resources have been applied to a broad range of research issues within the broad framework of HIV and hepatitis C disease and treatment. CCIBS has become a leading centre of research excellence internationally, establishing a reputation for innovative approaches to host-viral interactions that are built on a long tradition of research into the population genetics of both human and viral genomes, combined with a willingness to negotiate complex computation and statistical challenges in order to faithfully reflect dynamic biological processes at a population level. An early recognition that large and integrated repositories of genetic and clinical data are fundamental to the research success in the genomic era has also led to the creation of the single most comprehensive repository of HIV genetic sequencing data in the world. The contributions that CCIBS has made to several distinct areas of research, including understanding viral adaptation to host immune responses, the development of genetic testing to predict drug hypersensitivity reactions, and causes of antiretroviral drug-associated toxicities, have been published in prestigious journals including Science, Nature, Nature Immunology, The Lancet, Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, and The American Journal of Human Genetics, and have also resulted in numerous international collaborations that recognise the unique attributes that CCIBS has been able to bring to the global research effort aimed at understanding fundamental aspects of HIV and hepatitis C biology and treatment.Read moreRead less