Parkinson s disease (PD) is a progressively disabling movement disorder afflicting over 25,000 Australians. It is caused by the degeneration of specific nerve cells in the brain that produce certain chemcials and patients suffer from an inability to move fluently (or ultimately at all). At present we do not know what triggers this neurodegeneration. Current symptomatic treatments give sufferers some relief for a period of time by boosting the amount of these depleted chemicals in the brain. Howe ....Parkinson s disease (PD) is a progressively disabling movement disorder afflicting over 25,000 Australians. It is caused by the degeneration of specific nerve cells in the brain that produce certain chemcials and patients suffer from an inability to move fluently (or ultimately at all). At present we do not know what triggers this neurodegeneration. Current symptomatic treatments give sufferers some relief for a period of time by boosting the amount of these depleted chemicals in the brain. However, the underlying cellular degeneration continues unabated until such treatments are no longer effective. It is necessary to determine the reason for the cell loss in the brain in order to develop successful long-term treatments for this disabling disorder. There have been a number of animal models for PD developed. Comparing the type of tissue damage associated with the cell loss in these models shows that signs of brain inflammation occur prior to the loss of nerve cells. This feature consistently occurs regardless of the method used to produce the disease model. However, inflammation has been poorly studied in PD. Part of the present proposal is to analyse the brain tissue from patients with PD in order to document whether inflammation is also a consistent feature in the regions affected by the disease. Other central nervous system disorders in which inflammation is thought to play a pivotal role often have some genetic predisposition to the disorder and there is evidence of an immune response in their blood. We also wish to examine these aspects in patients with PD. Overall, our study will provide the necessary evidence for or against a primary role for inflammation in the disease process causing the ongoing degeneration in PD. If significant indications for a primary role for inflammation are found, treatments specifically targeting inflammation (already available) can be trialled to slow or stop the neurodegeneration.Read moreRead less
Scabies is a global disease and a major health problem in many developing countries, related primarily to poverty and overcrowding. In remote Aboriginal communities in northern Australia prevalences of up to 50% in children have been described, despite the availability of effective chemotherapy. Scabies is caused by a tiny mite burrowing under the skin and symptoms include intensely itching lesions that can be very distressing, and often become secondarily infected with Group A Streptococcus. Th ....Scabies is a global disease and a major health problem in many developing countries, related primarily to poverty and overcrowding. In remote Aboriginal communities in northern Australia prevalences of up to 50% in children have been described, despite the availability of effective chemotherapy. Scabies is caused by a tiny mite burrowing under the skin and symptoms include intensely itching lesions that can be very distressing, and often become secondarily infected with Group A Streptococcus. These skin sores can result in serious complications, including blood poisoning and kidney damage. Control of scabies is hindered by difficulties with diagnosis, the cost of treatment, evidence for emerging resistance, and lack of effective vaccines. The symptoms of scabies infestations can mimic many other skin diseases such as dermatitis, eczema, impetigo, and allergic reactions, and traditional tests to diagnose scabies are often less than 50% accurate. Control measures in endemic regions include community-based scabies intervention programs and although successful at reducing levels of scabies in the short term, have proved difficult to sustain due to low levels of scabies persisting within communities. Recent developments leading to expression and purification of scabies mite recombinant antigens have identified a number of molecules with diagnostic potential and this study aims to investigate the accuracy of these recombinant proteins to identify scabies specific antibodies in people with active scabies. An effective simple, cheap, rapid, sensitive and specific diagnostic test for scabies will aid in the early identification of disease and thus treatment. Furthermore it will enable the selective treatment of affected children and their families, reducing the requirement for mass treatment and associated costs, decrease the potential for escalating mite resistance, and provide another means of controlling scabies in highly affected areas.Read moreRead less
Regulation Of Arthritis And Skin Inflammation By Annexin-1
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$612,885.00
Summary
Annexin-1, an antiinflammatory substance, mediates many of the actions of steroids. Our studies will reveal whether annexin-1 will reduce inflammatory and immune responses, and secondly, determine the substances regulated by annexin-1 in immune responses. If annexin-1 is found to mediate the immune regulatory effect of steroids, its capacity to be involved in the beneficial effect of steroids may have an important impact in treatment of arthritis and other inflammatory diseases.
Protecting Hyposplenic Children And Adults: Identifying Optimal Immunisation Regimens
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$472,044.00
Summary
Children and adults without normal spleen function are at massively increased risk of overwhelming infection with the pneumococcus bacteria, with 200 times the risk of death from sepsis compared with the normal community. Poor spleen function can be due to an absent spleen (eg after surgery following a car accident) or an underlying medical condition (eg thalassaemia or cancer therapy). Thousands of Australians are affected by this condition and need extra protection from daily antibiotics and a ....Children and adults without normal spleen function are at massively increased risk of overwhelming infection with the pneumococcus bacteria, with 200 times the risk of death from sepsis compared with the normal community. Poor spleen function can be due to an absent spleen (eg after surgery following a car accident) or an underlying medical condition (eg thalassaemia or cancer therapy). Thousands of Australians are affected by this condition and need extra protection from daily antibiotics and additional immunsiations against pneumococcus. A new vaccine against pneumococcus was introduced for Australian infants routinely in 2005 and has prevented many from developing pneumococcal meningitis, sepsis and pneumonia. We wish to see whether this new vaccine, when used with the older existing pneumococcal vaccine, will better protect older children and adults with poor spleen function from the devastating effects of pneumococcus. We will compare different ways of using these vaccines to try to identify the most protective vaccination plan for this vulnerable group of Australians.Read moreRead less
UNDERSTANDING HEPATITIS C VIRUS-SPECIFIC T CELL TOLERANCE
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$429,710.00
Summary
Most individuals who are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) develop a persistent infection that is lifelong and are at risk of developing serious liver disease, including liver cancer. The evidence suggests that an inadequate immune response is responsible for the inability of the patient to resolve the infection, but it is not clear which stage of the immunological cascade might be targeted. In this project, we will test the hypothesis that HCV antigen induce supressor T cells This will have ....Most individuals who are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) develop a persistent infection that is lifelong and are at risk of developing serious liver disease, including liver cancer. The evidence suggests that an inadequate immune response is responsible for the inability of the patient to resolve the infection, but it is not clear which stage of the immunological cascade might be targeted. In this project, we will test the hypothesis that HCV antigen induce supressor T cells This will have the effect of inhibiting the immune response and result in the outcome that we currently recognise as persistent HCV infection.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Subcapsular Sinus Macrophages In Lymph Node Metastases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$451,010.00
Summary
This project tackles the problem of lymph node metastases using complementary studies in mouse models and human patients with melanoma. It takes the novel approach of examining the local geographical factors in the lymph node and focusses on a rare cell called the subcapsular sinus macrophage that may be a critical determinant of the clinical outcome. This will result in innovative strategies for primary prevention of not only melanoma but other cancer cell metastases.