Understanding Neuroinflammation In Alzheimer's Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,043,216.00
Summary
This project opens a new line of enquiry into the cellular signalling mechanisms involved in the progression of AD and establishes whether targeting the involvement of type-1 IFN signalling influences the evolution of AD. New and novel approaches are clearly required to treat AD. Importantly, we believe that neuroinflammation is common to all causes of dementia and targeting the neuroinflammatory pathways has much wider implications than targeting the primary causative pathway.
Viral Targeting Of STAT Proteins: Roles In Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$536,985.00
Summary
The capacity of viruses to evade the host immune response is critical to the development of disease. We recently showed that interaction of specific viral proteins with host immune proteins called STATs is vital to lethal disease caused by lyssaviruses. In this project, we aim to define in detail the functions of these interactions in viral modification of host biology and evasion of the immune response, and to use this information to develop new vaccines against highly pathogenic human viruses.
Synthetic Approaches For Dissection Of The Signalling Response Heterogeneity And Targeted Therapeutic Use Of Type-1 Interferons
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,974.00
Summary
Type-1 interferons have been used to treat at least 14 diseases, including cancer, hepatitis and multiple sclerosis. Differing success of treatment and serious side effects felt by patients, however, have limited use of these otherwise powerful therapies. I aim to better understand the responses different cells have to interferons to improve their utility in the clinic. Also, I will develop approaches to target interferons to the site of disease, reducing the side effects felt by patients.
Controlling Neuroinflammation In Alzheimer's Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder worldwide, with 269,000 Australians currently diagnosed with AD and is expected to soar to about 981,000 by 2050. AD accounts for greater than 60% of all cases of dementia. This grant investigates the role that neuroinflammation plays in the progression and exacerbation of AD and will identify new therapeutic strategies to combat this insidious disease.
Interleukin 38: Uncoupling Innate Inflammation From Interferons In Lupus
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,048,669.00
Summary
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an incurable autoimmune disease that affects 5 million patients worldwide, mostly young women. Grave multi-organ inflammation and substantial loss of life expectancy render SLE a critical unmet medical need. We found that the immune system protein interleukin 38 disables several signalling pathways essential for SLE progress. We will explore regulation and function of this protein in cells from healthy people and SLE patients and in models of the disease.
Anti-viral Immunity In Asthma: A Detailed Assessment Of TLR7 Function And The Regulation Of Interferon ?/? Synthesis.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$517,156.00
Summary
Many people with asthma are unusually vulnerable to viral infections. This study will carefully examine different components of immune function in people with asthma, including the receptors that respond to viral nucleic acids and the reasons why people with asthma do not produce normal quantities of anti-viral interferons. This research may lead to novel methods for prevention and treatment of virus infections in people with asthma.
Despite recent advances in therapeutic options, chronic viral infections, including infection with hepatitis C virus and hepatitis B virus, continue to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Australia and affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. This R&D program aims to develop a cheaper drug formulation that is easier to deliver and more stable for transport to remote areas.
Discovery Of A Novel Immune Evasion Strategy Employed By Mosquito Borne Viruses To Suppress Antiviral Immune Responses
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$418,642.00
Summary
The transition from mosquitoes, ticks, or other invertebrate vectors to the human hosts represents a crucial step in the successful establishment of arthropod borne viruses (arboviruses). The incidence of arbovirus infections such as dengue virus, West Nile virus, Ross River virus is increasing at an alarming rate in various parts of the world. In addition, the emergence of new viruses resulting in significant mortality in the population is of utmost concern. Vaccines for many of these viruses r ....The transition from mosquitoes, ticks, or other invertebrate vectors to the human hosts represents a crucial step in the successful establishment of arthropod borne viruses (arboviruses). The incidence of arbovirus infections such as dengue virus, West Nile virus, Ross River virus is increasing at an alarming rate in various parts of the world. In addition, the emergence of new viruses resulting in significant mortality in the population is of utmost concern. Vaccines for many of these viruses remain elusive. One factor that contributes to this is the ability of viruses to develop ingenious strategies to avoid or suppress the host defence systems, which enable its successful establishment in the host. Understanding how viruses evade-suppress host defence machinery will certainly enhance and improve our approaches to fight them. For the first time internationally we have discovered a new and novel pathway employed by arboviruses to suppress antiviral immune responses in the host. We have discovered that naturally occurring carbohydrates on viruses derived from mosquito cells, would influence these virus s ability to evade-suppress host antiviral proteins such as interferons. This may be a general effect of arboviruses or may even extend to other viruses , which include a number of deadly pathogens (HIV, Influenza). This research has the potential to significantly expand our understanding of how these viruses establish infection and cause disease. Also this discovery has broader implications for understanding inflammatory processes and their regulation.Read moreRead less