Immune Therapies For Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$359,085.00
Summary
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes acute and chronic infection leading to severe liver damage in many patients and increased risk of primary liver cancer. Worldwide ~350 million people have chronic HBV infection and, while a HBV vaccine is available that protects against new infections, current antiviral drug treatments for existing infection are largely ineffective. Thus, the aim of our project is to develop new treatments for chronic HBV infection using vaccination approaches. These therapies will ....Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes acute and chronic infection leading to severe liver damage in many patients and increased risk of primary liver cancer. Worldwide ~350 million people have chronic HBV infection and, while a HBV vaccine is available that protects against new infections, current antiviral drug treatments for existing infection are largely ineffective. Thus, the aim of our project is to develop new treatments for chronic HBV infection using vaccination approaches. These therapies will be tested in ducks infected with the duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV), a model for human HBV infection. In brief, DHBV-infected ducks will be treated with a new antiviral drug, Entecavir (ETV) developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb, which blocks virus replication. To accelerate clearance of infected cells before drug-resistant viruses can emerge, the ducks will also be treated in combination with different novel therapeutic vaccines designed to induce strong humoral and cell mediated immune responses. Based on outcomes in initial experiments, we will adjust the vaccination protocol in ETV-treated ducks to maximize reductions in the levels of DHBV in liver and bloodstream, rates of death and clearance of DHBV-infected hepatocytes. Our ultimate goal is to define a protocol for combination antiviral and vaccination treatments that allows elimination of HBV infection, or that achieves a level of control of infection that eliminates ongoing disease by reducing virus loads to virtually undetectable levels.Read moreRead less
A New Scrambled Antigen Vaccine (SAVINE) Approach: Proof-of-concept In Non-human Primates For HIV-1
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$120,700.00
Summary
The specific aim of this proposal is to demonstrate, in non-human primates, proof–of-concept of a patented new platform vaccine technology (scrambled antigen vaccine or SAVINE) designed to encode all the protein sequences of an infectious agent, in this case HIV-1. These are arranged as equal-sized, overlapping fragments such that all potential T cell epitopes that are needed to induce broad T-cell-mediated immunity are maintained. The synthetically designed vaccine uses consensus sequences of H ....The specific aim of this proposal is to demonstrate, in non-human primates, proof–of-concept of a patented new platform vaccine technology (scrambled antigen vaccine or SAVINE) designed to encode all the protein sequences of an infectious agent, in this case HIV-1. These are arranged as equal-sized, overlapping fragments such that all potential T cell epitopes that are needed to induce broad T-cell-mediated immunity are maintained. The synthetically designed vaccine uses consensus sequences of HIV-1 to provide universal coverage of the major HIV-1 strains for a global population. The synthetic systematically designed HIV-1 vaccine will be delivered using our newly developed prime-boost immunisation regime that induces particularly high levels of cell-mediated immunity.Read moreRead less
Hypoallergenic Proteins As Novel Immunotherapeutic Candidates For Food Allergy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
The rate of food allergy has tripled over the past decade and is a leading cause of food related anaphylaxis in Australia. Allergen immunotherapy can help patients develop tolerance to the allergenic food. This research will investigate the potential of hypoallergenic derivatives of two major food allergens as novel desensitisation therapeutics, addressing an issue of significant importance to human health, paving the way for research on advanced therapeutics for paediatric food allergy.
Characterisation Of A Novel Direct Electrochemical Chip As A Biosensor And Tool For Studying Redox-sensitive Proteins
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$144,500.00
Summary
Biosensors use biomolecules to detect a chemical event. They are becoming important for the rapid and reliable measurement of the concentrations of molecules in fluids. In human medicine they will be of great use to general practitioners and patients for instantaneous read outs of concentrations of many different biological molecules. How well a biosensor responds depends on the method in which the biomolecule is immobilised to a surface and the signal detected. We have made a significant advanc ....Biosensors use biomolecules to detect a chemical event. They are becoming important for the rapid and reliable measurement of the concentrations of molecules in fluids. In human medicine they will be of great use to general practitioners and patients for instantaneous read outs of concentrations of many different biological molecules. How well a biosensor responds depends on the method in which the biomolecule is immobilised to a surface and the signal detected. We have made a significant advance in biosensing capabilities using a recombinant protein (thioredoxin) and demonstrated the improvement that is possible by (i) immobilising the protein in a highly oriented way and (ii) using a sensitive electrical signal to monitor the response. Here we will undertake more comprehensive testing by extending the number of proteins to include the 4 major classes of redox-sensitive biomolecules (proteins) in the body. This will enable us to establish the broad application of our methods and substantially improve our ability to commercialize our discoveries.Read moreRead less