Can an anti-HIV gene in blood stem cells protect from immune depletion by HIV? Approximately 15,000 individuals in Australia are currently HIV infected. Gene therapy has the capacity to remove antiretroviral treatment related issues, dramatically decrease treatment costs and simplify treatment of HIV.
In this study we will model a new approach to treat HIV in which the patient's own cells are used as the therapy by incorporating an anti-HIV gene. These cells are then re-introduced into the p ....Can an anti-HIV gene in blood stem cells protect from immune depletion by HIV? Approximately 15,000 individuals in Australia are currently HIV infected. Gene therapy has the capacity to remove antiretroviral treatment related issues, dramatically decrease treatment costs and simplify treatment of HIV.
In this study we will model a new approach to treat HIV in which the patient's own cells are used as the therapy by incorporating an anti-HIV gene. These cells are then re-introduced into the patient.
The strong mathematical focus of this project, and its application to a promising approach against HIV, will place Australia at the forefront of the mathematics of gene research and contribute to the National Priority Area of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and the Priority Goal of Preventative Healthcare.
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An interdisciplinary approach to host-pathogen interactions in infection. This project aims to understand the molecular and cellular interactions between host and parasite, as well as providing a quantitative framework for analysing infection dynamics in other systems. Infection involves a complex interaction between the host and the parasite, which is very dynamic and therefore difficult to study by traditional sampling and analysis approaches. This project has combined mathematical modelling w ....An interdisciplinary approach to host-pathogen interactions in infection. This project aims to understand the molecular and cellular interactions between host and parasite, as well as providing a quantitative framework for analysing infection dynamics in other systems. Infection involves a complex interaction between the host and the parasite, which is very dynamic and therefore difficult to study by traditional sampling and analysis approaches. This project has combined mathematical modelling with a novel experimental protocol to allow the study of kinetics of parasite replication in vivo. Expected outcomes will provide significant benefits, such as new avenues for vaccination and immune intervention.Read moreRead less
Innovative mathematical modelling to determine incorporation of gene therapy in different cell lineages; Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) as a model setting. Gene therapy is a promising therapeutic that is being developed to address genetic diseases and viral infections such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). This project will produce mathematical models of how gene therapy delivered to one type of cell can differentiate into the desired end target and impact disease.
The ins and outs of HIV biology. This project aims to delineate the fundamental mechanisms that regulate the production of HIV and the ability of HIV to cause AIDS in infected patients. It will utilise state-of-the-art technologies to unearth new clues that govern the biology of HIV, with the ultimate goal to develop novel vaccine and treatment strategies against HIV.
Understanding the T cell repertoire in health and disease. Immune recognition of viruses usually involves a large number of different 'killer T cells' that kill cells infected by virus. However, during prolonged infection or in the elderly the number of different killer T cells that recognise the virus is greatly reduced. This reduction in the diversity of the immune response allows the virus to avoid immune recognition, and leads to more severe infection. We aim to understand how diversity is ....Understanding the T cell repertoire in health and disease. Immune recognition of viruses usually involves a large number of different 'killer T cells' that kill cells infected by virus. However, during prolonged infection or in the elderly the number of different killer T cells that recognise the virus is greatly reduced. This reduction in the diversity of the immune response allows the virus to avoid immune recognition, and leads to more severe infection. We aim to understand how diversity is generated in the immune response, and how it becomes narrowed with age or prolonged infection. This information can be used to design vaccines for persistent infections such as HIV, and to improve immune control of infection in the elderly.Read moreRead less
Mathematical and statistical methods for modelling invivo pathogen dynamics. This project aims to develop mathematical models and Bayesian statistical methods that better capture how natural defence responses and drugs help control infection. When viruses (e.g. influenza) or parasites (e.g. malaria) invade the human body, they begin to replicate. To date, only simple mathematical models have been developed to capture these processes, and these models are not well formulated. This project will im ....Mathematical and statistical methods for modelling invivo pathogen dynamics. This project aims to develop mathematical models and Bayesian statistical methods that better capture how natural defence responses and drugs help control infection. When viruses (e.g. influenza) or parasites (e.g. malaria) invade the human body, they begin to replicate. To date, only simple mathematical models have been developed to capture these processes, and these models are not well formulated. This project will improve biomathematics and biostatistical algorithms for pathogen dynamics and is ultimately expected to benefit public health and clinical research aimed at alleviating the effect of infectious diseases on human health.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100785
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$345,491.00
Summary
Mathematical and statistical modelling of antimalarial drug action. This project aims to develop a mathematical model to optimise global antimalarial treatment policy. Malaria-causing parasites are resistant to the most potent antimalarial drug available. If left unaddressed, a catastrophic rise in global malaria incidence and mortality could occur. Changes to global antimalarial treatment policy increasingly rely on mathematical models, but they do not encompass recent breakthroughs in antimala ....Mathematical and statistical modelling of antimalarial drug action. This project aims to develop a mathematical model to optimise global antimalarial treatment policy. Malaria-causing parasites are resistant to the most potent antimalarial drug available. If left unaddressed, a catastrophic rise in global malaria incidence and mortality could occur. Changes to global antimalarial treatment policy increasingly rely on mathematical models, but they do not encompass recent breakthroughs in antimalarial drug action and the immune response. This project’s model is expected to improve antimalarial drug dosing regimens and control the spread of antimalarial drug resistance.Read moreRead less
Multiscale models in immuno-epidemiology. The spread of a pathogen (for example, a virus or bacteria) through a population is a multi-scale phenomena, influenced by factors acting at both the population and within-host scales. At the population scale, transmission is influenced by how infectious an infected host is. Infectiousness in turn depends on the balance between pathogen replication within the host and immune/drug control mechanisms. This project aims to develop new mathematical framework ....Multiscale models in immuno-epidemiology. The spread of a pathogen (for example, a virus or bacteria) through a population is a multi-scale phenomena, influenced by factors acting at both the population and within-host scales. At the population scale, transmission is influenced by how infectious an infected host is. Infectiousness in turn depends on the balance between pathogen replication within the host and immune/drug control mechanisms. This project aims to develop new mathematical frameworks for simultaneously modelling these two scales. This will provide a platform for the rigorous study of complex biological interactions - such as the emergence and combat of drug-resistance - that shape society's ability to control infectious diseases in human, animal and plant systems.Read moreRead less
Advances in data integration modelling for infectious disease response. This project aims to develop powerful mathematical frameworks that integrate data from multiple sources to facilitate informed decisions in response to the threat of present, and future, infectious diseases. The project expects to generate new knowledge in mathematics by advancing the tools for incorporating multiple data sources into models of infectious diseases. The expected outcomes include enhanced capacity to predict s ....Advances in data integration modelling for infectious disease response. This project aims to develop powerful mathematical frameworks that integrate data from multiple sources to facilitate informed decisions in response to the threat of present, and future, infectious diseases. The project expects to generate new knowledge in mathematics by advancing the tools for incorporating multiple data sources into models of infectious diseases. The expected outcomes include enhanced capacity to predict spatiotemporal changes in transmission of infectious diseases. This project should provide significant benefits in the advancement of modelling techniques broadly applicable to infectious disease settings, which will be demonstrated for antimalarial drug resistance – a major threat to malaria elimination.
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Developing mathematical models of infection and transmission to link biology, epidemiology and public health policy. Infectious diseases constitute a significant burden on the health of the population. Understanding how best to control them requires a multi-faceted approach, combining data from biology, medicine and population health with mathematical and computational models of disease transmission. This project will investigate the "flu" and other diseases.