Unraveling The Link Between HLA B27 And Autoimmunity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$746,102.00
Summary
Ankylosing spondylitis and related diseases cause significant morbidity in up to 0.25% of the population. Current treatments have limited efficacy and often debilitating side effects. More targeted peptide antigen based therapies will have fewer side effects and would be of major clinical importance to this group of diseases. This project seeks to identify peptide antigens that could be used in targeted immunotherapy. We also seek to understand how some of the idiosyncratic properties of HLA B27
RELapses PrevENTion In Chronic Autoimmune Disease: Common Mechanisms And Co-morbidities (RELENT)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$499,837.00
Summary
Treatment of people with chronic autoimmune and inflammatory diseases is not optimal, as we do not know how intensively to treat people, and current treatments often have significant side effects. The RELENT program aims, using multiple approaches, to gain a deeper and more useful knowledge of why these diseases are occuring, what might indicate that disease requires more treatment, and which treatments will be most targeted and have the fewest side effects.
Dynamics And Mechanisms Of Immune Complex-mediated Skin Inflammation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$526,467.00
Summary
Type III hypersensitivity underlies a number of common autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and lupus erythematosus. These diseases are caused by the deposition of immune complexes (IC) and the accumulation of neutrophils within small blood vessels. We will use real time imaging to dissect in space and time the recruitment of neutrophils and IC deposition during type III hypersensitivity reactions in order to better understand the pathogenesis of these conditions.
Cellular Pathogenesis Of Key Proteins Involved In Neurodegenerative Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$312,730.00
Summary
Prion proteins are involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). The aim of this research proposal is to investigate factors which can change the prion protein from a normal, benign, form into an abnormal shape which can cause disease. The outcomes of this work will provide further insight into the role of prion proteins in these diseases and also for other neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.
In Vivo Investigation Of Human PR3 Transgenic Mice: A Novel Animal Model To Understand The Role Of PR3 In Chronic Inflammation And Autoimmune Vasculitis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$378,615.00
Summary
Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a form of vasculitis and is associated with antibodies directed against proteinase 3 (PR3). PR3 is expressed in neutrophils, monocytes and macrophages and has a number of well-characterized pro-inflammatory functions. The aim of this project is to understand the role of PR3 in inflammation and autoimmune vasculitis in vivo. This will be achieved using a transgenic mouse model expressing human PR3.
Real-time imaging of the initiation of adaptive immunity in vivo. Understanding the first few hours of an immune response is fundamental to understanding how the human immune system functions. The immune system mounts our responses to infectious diseases, but can also cause autoimmune disease, allergy, and organ graft rejection. We will study how naive antigen-specific T cells first contact antigen in lymph nodes using 2-photon intravital microscopy. The research has the potential to change the ....Real-time imaging of the initiation of adaptive immunity in vivo. Understanding the first few hours of an immune response is fundamental to understanding how the human immune system functions. The immune system mounts our responses to infectious diseases, but can also cause autoimmune disease, allergy, and organ graft rejection. We will study how naive antigen-specific T cells first contact antigen in lymph nodes using 2-photon intravital microscopy. The research has the potential to change the way we think about the clonal selection of lymphocytes, the fundamental theory underlying our understanding of the immune system.Read moreRead less
Exploring The Contribution Of Interferon-lambda To Autoimmune Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$833,235.00
Summary
We have found that a novel protein, normally made in response to viral infections, is found in the blood of Lupus patients. This project will determine the cells that make this protein, what in Lupus blood makes these cells produce it and whether it plays a role in the severity of Lupus disease.