Construction And Immunogenic Evaluation Of Recombinant HBsAg-S Virus-like Particles Containing B And T Cell Epitopes Of
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$170,000.00
Summary
Helicobacter pylori is a significant human pathogen impacting on the health and well being of not only thousands of Australians, but also millions of people world-wide. However, the task of developing a vaccine against H. pylori remains important. Vaccination is the most effective mechanism to prevent disease associated with this infection, particularly gastric cancer, one of the most common causes of cancer death world-wide. However, current attempts to develop an effective vaccine for humans h ....Helicobacter pylori is a significant human pathogen impacting on the health and well being of not only thousands of Australians, but also millions of people world-wide. However, the task of developing a vaccine against H. pylori remains important. Vaccination is the most effective mechanism to prevent disease associated with this infection, particularly gastric cancer, one of the most common causes of cancer death world-wide. However, current attempts to develop an effective vaccine for humans has been limited by the non-availability of an effective and safe adjuvant. The aim is to construct a recombinant Virus-Like Particle which can be used as a safe and effective vaccine against Helicobacter pylori infections. We specifically aim to: · determine the most efficacious singular or combinatorial route-s of delivery of Virus-Like Particles (VLPs) which will induce the desired Th2 and B cell responses in mice · define the Th2 and B cell epitopes of H.pylori Kat A carboxyl terminus that can be used to construct chimeric HBsAg-S-Kat A VLPs · determine if the induction of desired immunological responses in mice are protective against wild type challengeRead moreRead less
Development Of Chimeric Hepatitis B Virus Like Particles As A Vaccine Delivery Platform For Multiple HIV-1 Epitopes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$139,500.00
Summary
The small envelope protein of hepatitis B virus (HBsAg) can self-assemble into highly organised viruslike particles with about 150 HBsAg-proteins forming a virus-like particle (VLP). VLPs induce an effective immune response, mainly against the exposed major antigenic site, the hydrophilic ‘a’- determinant region. To create a novel HBsAg-specific vaccine vector, foreign epitopes were inserted into the major antigenic site allowing surface orientation of the inserted sequence. Pilot studies involv ....The small envelope protein of hepatitis B virus (HBsAg) can self-assemble into highly organised viruslike particles with about 150 HBsAg-proteins forming a virus-like particle (VLP). VLPs induce an effective immune response, mainly against the exposed major antigenic site, the hydrophilic ‘a’- determinant region. To create a novel HBsAg-specific vaccine vector, foreign epitopes were inserted into the major antigenic site allowing surface orientation of the inserted sequence. Pilot studies involving the vaccination of mice with VLPs containing an epitope derived from the AIDS-virus (human immunodeficiency virus 1, HIV-1) or various hepatitis C virus-specific epitopes resulted in high titre antibody responses. This project aims for the development of a multi-component vaccine targeting a non-structural HIV-1 protein and therefore, avoiding the selective pressure directed against the structural proteins. The non-structural HIV-1 tat-protein is a multi-functional protein with an extracellular mode to sensitise uninfected cells for HIV-1 infection and to reactivate HIV-1 from quiescently infected cells. The use of eight tat-sequences is sufficient to provide coverage against 99% of HIV-1 sequences. We will develop hybrid particles that are composed of different sets of chimeric HBsAg proteins each containing a distinct tat-epitope. With this application, we aim to develop hybrid particles for the delivery of the complete set of tat-epitopes. The hybrid particles will be used for vaccination studies in mice, and the antibodies assessed by an in-vitro assay. This will lead to the development of a therapeutic and-or prophylactic HIV-1 vaccine, which could be used either for mass immunisation or in support of combination drug therapy and would have all the cost and production advantages of the widely used hepatitis B vaccine.Read moreRead less
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.
Acoustic Blood Pressure Measurement On Implanted Biomedical Surfaces
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$184,687.00
Summary
Measurement of local blood pressure in is of great clinical importance. An application of particular interest is the pressure measurement in and around endoluminal stents grafts, which are used for the treatment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAAs). These grafts are implanted by keyhole surgery and are used to reduce the pressure on the aneurysm walls so that the artery can revert to its more anatomically correct shape on a timescale of one to two years. If the seal between the graft and the art ....Measurement of local blood pressure in is of great clinical importance. An application of particular interest is the pressure measurement in and around endoluminal stents grafts, which are used for the treatment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAAs). These grafts are implanted by keyhole surgery and are used to reduce the pressure on the aneurysm walls so that the artery can revert to its more anatomically correct shape on a timescale of one to two years. If the seal between the graft and the artery wall is not blood tight, then the aneurysm can become repressurised and may keep on expanding. Over time, an untreated, expanding AAA is likely to rupture with severe consequences for the patient. Thus a convenient, non-invasive means of measuring the pressure within the aneurysm and within the graft is highly desirable. In this proposal, we seek to produce a device that can be incorporated into the walls of the endoluminal graft, which can measure absolute pressure inside and outside the graft and where the pressure measurements can be obtained via standard acoustic or medical ultrasound equipment. To do this, we would use specially designed 'bubbles' which can be incorporated onto either side of the graft walls, where the resonant frequency of the bubbles provides a direct measurement of the pressure around the bubbles. Trials at the CSIRO have found that pressures can be measured to a resolution of better than 10 mmHg by using this technique on air bubbles in water. In this proposal, we wish to develop flexible, but semi-permanent bubbles that can be incorporated onto a biomedical implant surface. If such bubbles can be made, the researchers will use CSIRO-developed software and acoustic equipment such that local blood pressure can be measured in real time.Read moreRead less