Intrinsic Host Antiviral Activity Against Pathogenic Filoviruses
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$488,754.00
Summary
Bats are a major reservoir for deadly human viruses including Ebola and Marburg virus. In contrast to humans, bats can be infected with these viruses without showing clinical signs of disease. The reason why bats can co-exist with these viruses is unknown. This study will determine if a bat antiviral molecule contributes to limiting virus release compared to the human version that could reveal strategies to prevent and control these deadly viruses in humans.
Dengue Virus NS1 Protein As A Mediator Of Pathology
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$621,979.00
Summary
Dengue virus is an increasing problem in the tropical world, with estimated infection of more than 300 million people annually. Severe dengue disease can cause life-threatening bleeding and shock. Our project investigates the basis for the pathology of the disease. We have found that a viral protein termed NS1 binds to a receptor on immune cells and leads to production of inflammatory proteins which can promote vessel leakage. We will investigate drugs blocking this, in a disease model.
A Novel Vaccine Platform For Trimeric Envelope Proteins: HIV-1 Envelope
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$139,250.00
Summary
Vaccines are urgently needed for the prevention of HIV/AIDS. The design of this vaccine candidate is based on the display of HIV-1 envelope spikes using a related primate retrovirus envelope with a more stable assembly to anchor the the spikes in a particle.
Novel Generic Vaccine Approaches Applied For The Prevention Of Hepatitis C And Influenza Virus Infections.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$392,328.00
Summary
For the induction of good immune responses, antigens should be delivered in several copies on a defined particle. The small envelope protein (HBsAg) encoded by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) has the capacity to self-assemble with host derived lipids into VLPs. HBsAg VLPs are the sole component of one of the most successful vaccines, and clinical trials have shown that they are a successful delivery system for foreign epitopes or protein domains. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and Influenza viruses are maj ....For the induction of good immune responses, antigens should be delivered in several copies on a defined particle. The small envelope protein (HBsAg) encoded by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) has the capacity to self-assemble with host derived lipids into VLPs. HBsAg VLPs are the sole component of one of the most successful vaccines, and clinical trials have shown that they are a successful delivery system for foreign epitopes or protein domains. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and Influenza viruses are major human pathogens. HCV has infected 200 million people worldwide, and there is no effective vaccine available. Influenza continues to affect thousands of people each year causing epidemics with severe morbidity and considerable mortality. Current influenza vaccines are mostly inactivated formulations and they exhibit poor immunogenicity in immunological naive persons such as children and in the elderly. The influenza vaccines are not optimal for stimulation of cell-mediated immunity. We propose to use particulate antigens as a delivery platform for influenza and HCV-specific epitopes with the focus to develop approaches to target various HCV and influenza strains, including H5N1 bird influenza. We have successfully produced modified VLPs containing HCV-specific sequences, which are able to induce anti-HCV antibodies with neutralising capacity. We hypothesise that the design of VLPs with an appropriate set of HCV-specific antigens will enhance the neutralising capacity of anti-HCV sera and this may overcome strain specificity. This application will exploit a prototype delivery system to induce antibody and also cellular responses against a variety of HCV- and influenza specific target sequences (epitopes). The outcome of this study will be a prototype multivalent vaccine to a range of HCV- and influenza-specific epitopes. As a delivery system this will be ideal for vaccination against agents that are highly variable.Read moreRead less