Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100106
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$350,000.00
Summary
An advanced flow cytometry facility for the Peter Doherty Institute. The establishment of a flow cytometry facility in the new Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity will enhance capacity to investigate immunity to a broad range of very serious diseases. This project will support researchers studying viral and bacterial infection as well as cancer and autoimmunity.
Molecular Epidemiology And High Resolution Surveillance Of Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhimurium In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$583,180.00
Summary
Salmonella typhimurium is a leading cause of the food-borne disease – salmonellosis. It is responsible for considerable morbidity and has an enormous economic cost. Molecular typing is the key to rapidly identify and control outbreaks. This project will employ next generation sequencing technology to develop a new molecular typing scheme. A surveillance system that integrates molecular typing data and epidemiological data will be developed for outbreak investigation and disease prevention.
Optimising Temporal Genomic Surveillance Of Salmonella Infections In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$763,447.00
Summary
Salmonella is a leading cause of the food-borne disease – salmonellosis. It is responsible for considerable morbidity and has an enormous economic cost. Molecular typing is the key to rapidly identify and control outbreaks. This project will optimise the use of whole genome sequencing for outbreak investigation and long term epidemiology. A surveillance system that integrates genome sequence and epidemiological data will be highly significant for outbreak investigation and disease prevention.
Improving The Understanding And Management Of Important Human Bacterial Infections
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$204,196.00
Summary
This project will focus on two important bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus (Golden Staph), and Enterococcus faecium, both causes of serious infections in hospital and community patients in Australia. Using new technologies, including whole genome sequencing, this project will lead to significant advances in understanding how these bacteria evolve, spread and cause disease. This will lead to new strategies for prevention and management of infections caused by these important bacteria.
Bacterial Inhibition Of Cell Signalling And Apoptosis During Gastrintestinal Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$542,011.00
Summary
E. coli are a major cause of severe diarrhoeal disease. In order to establish infection, E. coli inhibits a host response where cells with bacteria stuck to them are ‘killed off’ and excreted as waste. This recent discovery illuminated an unknown role for cell death in the immune response during bacterial gastroenteritis. This project will study this phenomenon further to better understand the host immune response to infection and also other gut diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease.
The Impact Of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilm On Eye Infection And The Development Of Antimicrobial Contact Lenses
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$328,932.00
Summary
Worldwide, 125 million people correct their vision through the use of contact lenses. Contact lens use predisposes the wearer to sight threatening eye infections. Despite advanced material technology and improved hygiene regimens, the rate of contact lens-related infectious disease has remained constant. This research aims to elucidate how bacteria compromise the ocular immune system in order to develop preventative/therapeutic strategies to combat ocular infections.
Molecular Mechanisms Of Persistence Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$398,142.00
Summary
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB. It infects about third of all people in the world and kills several million people each year. People with active TB spread the mycobacteria in aerosols from their breath. When another person inhales an infected aerosol the mycobacteria enter their lungs and establish a new infection. During the course of infection M. tuberculosis is exposed to a variety of harsh environments inside the lungs which normally kill other bacte ....Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB. It infects about third of all people in the world and kills several million people each year. People with active TB spread the mycobacteria in aerosols from their breath. When another person inhales an infected aerosol the mycobacteria enter their lungs and establish a new infection. During the course of infection M. tuberculosis is exposed to a variety of harsh environments inside the lungs which normally kill other bacteria. M. tuberculosis is able to survive and adapt to those harsh environments. M. tuberculosis has an especially thick and tough cell wall which protects it. M. tuberculosis can adapt to the environments it encounters in a patient by changing their cell walls. The wall also protects mycobacteria from chemicals so it is resistant to many common antibiotics. There are some drugs to treat TB however M. tuberculosis is building up resistance to those drugs so we need to find new ones We will determine how mycobacteria synthesize their special cell wall and how they adapt during an infection. If we know how the details of how M. tuberculosis protects itself then we can find potential weakness which could be targets for the development of new drugs to treat TB.Read moreRead less
Acinetobacter Baumannii Virulence From A Regulatory Perspective: The Role Of Two Component Signal Transduction Systems
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$608,731.00
Summary
Acinetobacter baumannii is becoming a significant pathogen in the hospital and more recently in the community. It is very resistant to removal from surfaces and upon entering the host is almost impossible to treat with currently available antibiotics. It causes a wide range of disease states from wound infections and pneumonia to bacteraemia; little is known of this process. This research will increase our understanding of the disease process, providing possible treatment options in the future.
Mycobacterial Control Of The Establishment And Outcome Of Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$311,956.00
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) claims almost two million lives every year. TB subverts host immunity by directing the immune cells to launch an ineffective response to infection. One such trick is to hijack control of a class of molecules called eicosanoids from the host. This project will use a validated zebrafish model of TB infection to pinpoint the mechanisms used by mycobacteria to subvert normal eicosanoid production. Findings from this work may to aid the creation of novel anti-TB therapies.
Role In Disease Of A Novel Epigenetic Regulator Associated With The Hypervirulent Neisseria Meningitidis Clonal Complex 41/44
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$403,249.00
Summary
Neisseria meningitis is a major cause of meningococcal septicaemia and meningitis worldwide. We have identified a phase variable DNA methyltransferase present in disease isolates, some of which have caused meningococcal epidemics. This methyltransferase is involved in the regulation of proteins involved in infection and disease processes. We will investigate whether this regulation increases the ability of the bacteria to adapt to changing host environments and cause disease.