Addressing The Major Challenges In HIV Vaccine And Cure Research
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$16,136,755.00
Summary
HIV remains one of the defining global health challenge of our times. 37 million people are living with HIV with 2 million new infections each year. Despite advances in management of HIV infection with antiretroviral therapy, there is still no cure, no effective vaccine, and several co-infections reduce life expectancy. This program assembles Australia’s leading HIV researchers to use innovative basic and translational science to tackle priority areas in controlling the HIV epidemic.
Genes Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Essential For Latent Tuberculosis Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$590,103.00
Summary
One third of the worlds population is latently infected with M. tuberculosis, the bacteria which causes TB. We have identified key genes in M. tuberculosis that enable the bacterium to shut-down and become latent. This project will investigate these genes, identify their role and yield vital information for a new paradigm of drug and vaccine development. Improved vaccines and drugs which can target and inhibit latency would be of enormous benefit to the global community.
Pro-apoptotic Therapies For The Treatment Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Disease And Latent Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$140,949.00
Summary
Programmed cell death has an important role in our ability to fight organisms. Upon infection, processes result in activation of death-inducing cascades, resulting in death of cell and pathogen. M. tuberculosis, an escalating health problem, has developed mechanisms to prevent this, leading to latency. This study, which uses mouse M.tb models, hypothesises that reversal of these mechanisms, using drugs currently in trial in leukaemia (ABT-737 & BV6), may lead to clearance of infection.
Understanding The Role Of Ongoing Viral Activity In Herpes Simplex Virus Latency
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$980,762.00
Summary
The virus that causes cold sores and genital herpes has a dormant phase from which renewed infection can recur. We recently discovered that this dormant phase is more active than we thought and we now want to learn how the body acts to suppress the virus so that these defence mechanisms might be improved to stop recurrent infections.
The Impact Of HIV Integration Sites On Eliminating HIV Latency
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$778,313.00
Summary
Current antiviral therapy for HIV controls virus production and allows recovery but does not eliminate the silent infection that prevents complete virus elimination and cure. We will examine two ways that HIV can silently infect T cells for differences in the sites at which the HIV DNA inserts into the genome. We will examine the way in which these differences at the genomic level may limit the ability to activate and eliminate persistent infection in memory T cells.
The Role Of Chemokine Signalling In Maintenance Of The Latent HIV Reservoir
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$92,161.00
Summary
HIV cure research aims to eliminate cells with HIV in their DNA. These cells have higher levels of a receptor, CCR6, signalling through which causes migration to and concentration in the gut. This gut migration may help to maintain the HIV reservoir by bringing susceptible cells close to infected cells. We will assess the effect of blocking CCR6 signalling on the ability to infect these cells with HIV in the laboratory and its effect on the reservoir of an analogous virus in macaques.