Combating Infectious Diseases By Harnessing Macrophage Functions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$688,152.00
Summary
Infectious diseases present a persistent global health threat. For patients with life-threatening diseases caused by bacterial pathogens, antibiotics provide the last resort. Antibiotic resistance, even for newly developed antibiotics, is widespread within the bacterial community. New strategies are urgently needed to combat most bacterial infections. This proposal will investigate a new strategy to train and boost our immune systems to combat infectious diseases.
NOD1 Sensing Of H. Pylori Peptidoglycan Promotes Cell Survival And Bacterial Persistence
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$792,492.00
Summary
The bacterium H. pylori lives in the stomach of half the world’s population and is a major cause of human disease, including peptic ulcers and stomach cancer. This project will investigate how H. pylori is able to manipulate the host immune system by modifying the composition of its outside layer (the cell wall). In so doing, H. pylori causes changes in cells of the stomach lining that allow the bacterium to persist, but that also may predispose the host to cancer.
Inhibition Of Haemostasis As A Novel Host-directed Therapy For Tuberculosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$528,471.00
Summary
Mycobacterium tuberculosis-induced vasculopathy is an important cause of stroke worldwide, and stroke is a common (~20%) complication of tuberculous meningitis, the most dangerous presentation of tuberculosis. Blood clotting may also speed the growth tuberculosis in the body further worsening the situation. We will use zebrafish find out if clotting can be targeted to slow the growth of mycobacteria and then translate our findings to a mouse model of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Role Of Plasmepsin V And PTEX Complex In Plasmodium Liver Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$848,408.00
Summary
Plasmepsin V and PTEX are essential proteins for malaria parasites to grow inside red blood cells. These proteins control the export of parasite proteins into red cells, causing disease. Before red blood cells are infected, parasites invade liver cells. Plasmepsin V and PTEX are expressed during liver infection but their function is currently unknown. We hypothesise that they allow parasites to export proteins into liver cells in order to survive and, thus, are antimalarial drug targets.
Genes Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Essential For Latent Tuberculosis Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$590,103.00
Summary
One third of the worlds population is latently infected with M. tuberculosis, the bacteria which causes TB. We have identified key genes in M. tuberculosis that enable the bacterium to shut-down and become latent. This project will investigate these genes, identify their role and yield vital information for a new paradigm of drug and vaccine development. Improved vaccines and drugs which can target and inhibit latency would be of enormous benefit to the global community.
Toxoplasma Gondii Infection Of Human Retinal Pigment Epithelium
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$460,668.00
Summary
Ocular toxoplasmosis is a vision-threatening parasitic eye infection that is common in Australia and worldwide. No treatment cures the disease. This work will characterize cellular and molecular events occuring in the eye during an infection, which is an important first step toward the development of more effective treatments for patients with the condition.
Understanding The Role Of O-linked Glycosylation In Burkholderia Cenocepica For Host Survival Using Proteomic Approaches
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$222,004.00
Summary
The bacteria Burkholderia cenocepecia (Bc) is a common infection of Cystic Fibrosis suffers in Australia. ~20% CF patients infected with Bc will die due to lung failure. Due to this high death rate there is an urgent need to understand how Bc survives and causes disease in the host. This grant aims to understand how the attachment of sugars, a process known as glycosylation, affects the ability of Bc to survive in mammalian cells.
Evolutionary Response Of Dengue And Chikungunya Viruses To A Novel Biocontrol Method
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$421,681.00
Summary
Dengue and chikungunya are mosquito-transmitted viruses that present significant public health threats to Australia and the Asia-Pacific. This project will investigate whether dengue and chikungunya can adapt in response to a bacterium that limits replication of the viruses in the mosquito. The research will provide critical data to inform new mosquito control methods aimed at breaking the virus transmission cycle. More broadly, the research will allow us to understand how viruses adapt to strat ....Dengue and chikungunya are mosquito-transmitted viruses that present significant public health threats to Australia and the Asia-Pacific. This project will investigate whether dengue and chikungunya can adapt in response to a bacterium that limits replication of the viruses in the mosquito. The research will provide critical data to inform new mosquito control methods aimed at breaking the virus transmission cycle. More broadly, the research will allow us to understand how viruses adapt to strategies aimed at limiting their replication.Read moreRead less
Host-pathogen Interactions In Clostridial Myonecrosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$897,617.00
Summary
This project will show how the bacteria that cause gas gangrene interact with host cells in an infection. We will examine the expression of genes from both the host and the pathogen in a mouse disease model. The aims are to determine the impact of bacterial genes that are differentially regulated in an infected lesion, how gene expression of both the host and pathogen is modulated throughout the course of an infection and the role of host pathways in controlling the infection process.
The Glyco-interactome Of Pathogenic Neisseria: Understanding Disease And Defining Vaccine Targets
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$431,012.00
Summary
In order to infect humans and cause disease, many bacteria rely on interactions with carbohydrate (sugar) structures on human cells. This project aims to characterise the sugar interactions that enable Neisseria meningitidis (causes meningitis, sepsis) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (causes gonorrhoea, associated with infertility and increased transmission of HIV) to cause disease. This will increase our understanding of host-pathogen interactions and aid development of new vaccines and therapeutics.