Functional Characterisation Of The SseK/NleB Family Of Type III Secreted Effectors In Salmonella And E. Coli
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$510,183.00
Summary
Salmonella and E. coli cause enteritis and diarrhoea in a large proportion of the world's population including Australia. Certain strains of Salmonella also cause a more serious disease called typhoid fever. Together, diseases caused by Salmonella and E. coli are a major cause of illness and death. In order to cause disease Salmonella and E. coli use a specialised apparatus that functions like a needle and syringe to inject Salmonella proteins into human cells. These proteins that are injected i ....Salmonella and E. coli cause enteritis and diarrhoea in a large proportion of the world's population including Australia. Certain strains of Salmonella also cause a more serious disease called typhoid fever. Together, diseases caused by Salmonella and E. coli are a major cause of illness and death. In order to cause disease Salmonella and E. coli use a specialised apparatus that functions like a needle and syringe to inject Salmonella proteins into human cells. These proteins that are injected into human cells actively reprogram human cells to benefit the disease causing bacteria. We have recently discovered a new family of injected proteins and we aim to determine how these new proteins reprogram human cells and what this contributes to diarrhoea and typhoid fever. This information may lead to the development of more effective treatments for these important diseases.Read moreRead less
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.
Manipulating Immunity To Mycobacterium Tuberculosis With Novel Vaccines And Immunotherapeutics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$524,770.00
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) is an enormous world health problem with 2 million deaths per year and an estimated one third of the world s population infected with the TB bacterium. People who become infected with the bacterium and cannot clear the infection are at great risk of developing TB later in life. Control of TB is confronted with two major problems. First, the only vaccine available for TB, known as BCG, is not very effective at preventing the disease. We do not know why BCG is not an effective va ....Tuberculosis (TB) is an enormous world health problem with 2 million deaths per year and an estimated one third of the world s population infected with the TB bacterium. People who become infected with the bacterium and cannot clear the infection are at great risk of developing TB later in life. Control of TB is confronted with two major problems. First, the only vaccine available for TB, known as BCG, is not very effective at preventing the disease. We do not know why BCG is not an effective vaccine and the type of immune response required to achieve optimal protection against TB is not fully understood. Second, the drugs currently used to treat TB are expensive, treatment times are long and drug resistance is increasing at an alarming rate. Therefore there is an urgent need to develop new vaccines and therapies against TB. We propose to use animal models of TB infection and sophisticated immunological techniques to compare immune responses generated by TB, BCG and new generation vaccines developed in our laboratory. This will allow us to identify the key features of a vaccine that results in effective, long-lasting protection against TB infection. Novel strategies to increase the immune response in the lung, the main site of TB infection, will also be examined. This will involve pulmonary delivery of molecules that increase the number and effectiveness of lung antigen presenting cells, which are necessary to drive the right type of immune response to eradicate the TB bacterium. Increasing lung immunity will be used to either boost the effect of the BCG vaccine, or as a therapy to kill the bacterium in those already infected. This is an internationally competitive project and our team is at the forefront of this research effort. The development of new vaccines to prevent TB or new strategies to treat established TB infection would be a major medical breakthrough and a represent a significant achievement for Australian health and medical research.Read moreRead less