Dendritic cells (DCs) are the body’s sentinels, with three specialized subtypes. They monitor for infections and cancer and then activate immune T cells to clear it. Interestingly, they can all arise from a single cell, but the precise steps are unknown. By literally filming this process and analyzing the movie, we hope to draw the ‘family trees’ that lead to their generation. This knowledge will offer crucial clues as to how to boost or reduce their numbers for medical applications.
The Molecular And Cellular Trajectories Of Clonal Dendritic Cell Development
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$826,742.00
Summary
Dendritic cells (DCs) are a blood cell type with a crucial role in our immune system. They are made in the bone marrow from stem and progenitor cells. How each of these cells individually makes DCs is complex and dynamic. We seek to understand this using cutting edge technologies to track each cell’s step-by-step role in this important process. This knowledge may help the use of DCs in the treatment of several diseases including autoimmunity and cancer.
The Transcriptional Control Of The Dendritic Cell Lineages
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$669,872.00
Summary
The immune system can discriminate between invading microorganisms and the body's own tissues. Dendritic cells are specialised to alert the immune system in the case of infection. In this project we aim to understand how dendritic cells are generated and how they function to control the immune response. We will achieve this aim by using state of the art genomic technologies to describe the genetic programme of dendritic cells. We hope that this knowledge will enable us to better harness the immu ....The immune system can discriminate between invading microorganisms and the body's own tissues. Dendritic cells are specialised to alert the immune system in the case of infection. In this project we aim to understand how dendritic cells are generated and how they function to control the immune response. We will achieve this aim by using state of the art genomic technologies to describe the genetic programme of dendritic cells. We hope that this knowledge will enable us to better harness the immune response in situations such as vaccination.Read moreRead less
Mapping The Steps And Deciphering The Mechanisms Crucial In Dendritic Cell Development.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$582,064.00
Summary
Dendritic cells (DCs) are a type of white blood that kick-start immune responses. There are various types of DCs that specialize in, for example, clearing viral, bacterial or fungal infections, and are even used to fight cancer. Understanding how DCs grow, therefore, has many clinical benefits. This project aims to understand these processes and identify new regulators of their growth using cutting edge technologies and strategies.
Transcriptional Regulation Of Specialized Subsets Of Dendritic Cells In Control Of Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$616,912.00
Summary
Immune protection against viruses and bacteria depends on specialized cells called dendritic cells that display components of the invading organisms on their surface. There are multiple different types of dendritic cell and each population plays a specialized role in defending the body against infection. Our work will provide the framework for directly targeting these cells for novel vaccines to re-program the immune system for clinical conditions such as cancer, allergy and autoimmunity.
A New Approach To The Design And Evaluation Of T Cell Vaccines For Cancer And Infectious Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$394,137.00
Summary
Special white blood cells called dendritic cells teach the immune system to fight cancer and are a key component of therapeutic cancer vaccines. We identified a subtype of human dendritic cell that is predicted to be the most effective at mounting anti-cancer immune responses. We developed a novel antibody specific for these dendritic cells that can be used to deliver the vaccine directly to them and will use this to construct and validate a novel vaccine for cancer and viral infections.