Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180101075
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,058.00
Summary
Novel immune cell subsets in the centre nervous system and supporting tissues. This project aims to identify and characterise novel resident immune cell subsets within the brain and retina, and their close supporting tissues. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of neuroimmunology and ocular immunology by using molecular and cellular techniques to examine the diversity of immune cells within the brain and retina. It is expected that the project will advance our understandin ....Novel immune cell subsets in the centre nervous system and supporting tissues. This project aims to identify and characterise novel resident immune cell subsets within the brain and retina, and their close supporting tissues. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of neuroimmunology and ocular immunology by using molecular and cellular techniques to examine the diversity of immune cells within the brain and retina. It is expected that the project will advance our understanding of the biological mechanisms that protect the central nervous system from harmful inflammation and thus improve our knowledge of the immunobiology of the brain and eye.Read moreRead less
How enhancers regulate T cell differentiation and function. This project aims to identify the molecular mechanisms that regulate the activity of transcriptional enhancers needed for effective immune cell differentiation. Adaptive immune cell activation starts a programme of differentiation that acquires and maintains lineage-specific effector function. Using a multidisciplinary approach including cellular and chromatin biology, advanced bioinformatics, targeted genome editing and nanotechnology, ....How enhancers regulate T cell differentiation and function. This project aims to identify the molecular mechanisms that regulate the activity of transcriptional enhancers needed for effective immune cell differentiation. Adaptive immune cell activation starts a programme of differentiation that acquires and maintains lineage-specific effector function. Using a multidisciplinary approach including cellular and chromatin biology, advanced bioinformatics, targeted genome editing and nanotechnology, this project expects to provide insights into non-coding regulatory element reprogramming and control of immune cell function and memory with implications for understanding general cellular differentiation.Read moreRead less
New guardians of the mucosa: Molecular characterisation of M cell biology. We aim to completely define the cellular and molecular biology of gut and lung M cells for the first time. We will elucidate how they develop, are regulated and function at a molecular level, and how M cells maintain normal gut and lung tissues and induce immune responses to protect against microbial challenges. In the future, the new insights will be essential pre-requisites for the development of mucosal-based intervent ....New guardians of the mucosa: Molecular characterisation of M cell biology. We aim to completely define the cellular and molecular biology of gut and lung M cells for the first time. We will elucidate how they develop, are regulated and function at a molecular level, and how M cells maintain normal gut and lung tissues and induce immune responses to protect against microbial challenges. In the future, the new insights will be essential pre-requisites for the development of mucosal-based interventions and vaccines that protect the gut and lung from infectious and inflammatory issues. The harnessing of effective immune responses to control such challenges, are of enormous fundamental and long-standing biological interest, and are amongst the most important areas of current scientific research.Read moreRead less
A molecular investigation into the naïve T cell repertoire. This project aims to interrogate the relationship between T cell receptor (TCR) recognition modes and T cell recruitment and activation. CD8+ T cells are important for adaptive immunity. Their recognition, via TCR, of peptides bound to MHC class I antigen-presenting molecules (pMHCI), initiates a signalling cascade which activates T cells effector functions. All structural information on TCR recognition of pMHCI is based on TCRs prevale ....A molecular investigation into the naïve T cell repertoire. This project aims to interrogate the relationship between T cell receptor (TCR) recognition modes and T cell recruitment and activation. CD8+ T cells are important for adaptive immunity. Their recognition, via TCR, of peptides bound to MHC class I antigen-presenting molecules (pMHCI), initiates a signalling cascade which activates T cells effector functions. All structural information on TCR recognition of pMHCI is based on TCRs prevalent in immune responses, and all recognise pMHCI using a conserved orientation. This project aims to use this observation to study the relationship between TCR recognition modes and T cell recruitment and activation.Read moreRead less
Investigating the molecular basis of T-cell receptor cross-reactivity. This project will explore the basis of unexpected immune reactions whereby the immune system mistakes one molecular structure for another, a phenomenon known as cross-reactivity. This project will examine how often this is due to molecular mimicry, potentially explaining why immune T cells sometimes react inappropriately to different agents.