Understanding Immune Regulation During Parasitic Diseases.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$631,010.00
Summary
Chronic infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and leishmaniasis are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. They are all characterised by severe immune dysfunction. We will study a parasitic infection to identify important immune cell populations and molecules that promote chronic infectious disease. This knowledge will enable the development of better treatments and vaccines for range of infectious diseases that affect people in many parts of the world.
Professor Godfrey is an immunologist with a long standing history as a pioneer in the study of a specialised type of white blood cell, known as NKT cells. NKT cells are activated in response to lipid-based molecules that are thought to alert the immune system, via NKT cell activation, to the presence of infectious agents or other abnormalities. A better understanding of how NKT cells function will provide new approaches to battling a broad range of diseases where these cells are implicated, incl ....Professor Godfrey is an immunologist with a long standing history as a pioneer in the study of a specialised type of white blood cell, known as NKT cells. NKT cells are activated in response to lipid-based molecules that are thought to alert the immune system, via NKT cell activation, to the presence of infectious agents or other abnormalities. A better understanding of how NKT cells function will provide new approaches to battling a broad range of diseases where these cells are implicated, including cancer, autoimmunity, allergy and infection.Read moreRead less
Targeting Mechanisms That Promote Cancer Cell Survival: Genetic And Chemical Approaches To Unravel The Molecular Mechanisms That Drive Tumour Formation, Develop Novel Molecular And Chemical Probes, And Discover New Therapeutics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$751,854.00
Summary
One in three of us are likely to die from cancers. Groundbreaking research, including those made by Prof Huang, has revealed some of the reasons why cancers arise. An attractive way to transform the poor outcomes for cancer patients is to develop better medicines based on findings made by the basic researchers. Prof Huang leads a team at WEHI, including chemists, focused on developing better drugs that exploit knowledge garnered through such basic research in order to improve cancer treatment.
Learning The Mechanisms Of Programmed Cell Death And Tumour Suppression To Develop Novel Cancer Therapies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$863,910.00
Summary
Our bodies prevent the development of cancer through tumour suppressive processes, which also affect the outcome of cancer therapy. Programmed cell death (apoptosis) is one such process, and defects in apoptosis promote cancer development and impair the response of tumour cells to anti-cancer therapies. My laboratory uses molecular biology and cell biology approaches to investigate the mechanisms of cell death and tumour suppression, partnering with pharma to develop novel cancer therapies.
In a human body, about a million cells are born every second, and a million die by activating a physiological cell death mechanism. If cell death fails to occur, cells accumulate and can develop into cancers. Determining the mechanism and regulation of physiological cell death will provide novel approaches to treat cancers and auto-immune diseases, both of which are characterised by failure of certain cells to die.
Regulation And Mechanisms Of Cell Cycling, Cell Senescence And Cell Death
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$876,005.00
Summary
Most of our cells are not dividing, but persist in a stable arrested state, yet little is known of the molecular mechanisms that regulate and maintain permanent arrest, or that go wrong when cells start proliferating and turn into cancers. This proposal addresses an area of fundamental, basic biology, that has been largely overlooked. A better understanding of the molecules that regulate cell stability might provide new drug targets so that tumour cell proliferation can be stopped.
The Regulation Of B Cell Differentiation And Survival In Response To Antigen Challenge
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$763,409.00
Summary
Antibodies are crucial to health and well being but can cause disease if their production is not controlled appropriately. This research program examines the basis of antibody production in normal situations and in situations where it is causing illness, in diseases like system lupus erythematosus (SLE) and in cancers of antibody producing cells called multiple myeloma (MM). The aim is to enable control of the process to achieve better health outcomes and better management of disease.
Programmed cell death regulates the fate of cells during development and adult life. Working at the frontier of biology and chemistry, I lead research programs committed to uncovering cell death processes implicated in a wide range of diseases such as cancer, inflammatory diseases and tissue damage. I will develop novel small molecules that will act as powerful tools to increase our understanding of how cell death participates in these conditions and help develop new drugs to treat them.
Prevention Of Pancreatic Beta Cell Destruction In Diabetes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$621,458.00
Summary
Associate Professor Helen Thomas is a molecular and cell biologist with a particular interest in pancreatic islet biology, studying the mechanisms of pancreatic beta-cell destruction in diabetes. The aim of this work is to develop strategies to protect these cells. Such protection will improve our ability to preserve beta-cell mass in type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and after islet transplantation.
A-Prof Roberst is a clinical haematologist caring for patients with blood cancers, who is committed to developing new therapies for currently incurable diseases through laboratory and clinical trial research.