INSIDE THE SKIN: UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENT HOST RESPONSES IN SCABIES
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$499,095.00
Summary
Scabies is an underlying cause of poor health in indigenous communities worldwide. Crusted scabies is a poorly understood, life-threatening form of the disease compromising the success of community control strategies. This research compares the immune response in the skin of scabies patients, and in a world-first animal model of human scabies. This will reveal specific immune defects predisposing to disease, ultimately resulting in improved skin health for disadvantaged communities
MOLECULAR APPROACHES TO OVERCOME SCABIES AND ASSOCIATED DISEASE. Scabies causes childhood pyoderma predisposing to severe disease in later life. It is a major increasing health burden in Indigenous people of Northern Australia. Drug resistance is developing in mites and bacteria. The lack of clinical material has hampered molecular research and this work will use comparative genomics of parasitic and free living mites and microbiome analysis to understand fundamental aspects of mite biology and ....MOLECULAR APPROACHES TO OVERCOME SCABIES AND ASSOCIATED DISEASE. Scabies causes childhood pyoderma predisposing to severe disease in later life. It is a major increasing health burden in Indigenous people of Northern Australia. Drug resistance is developing in mites and bacteria. The lack of clinical material has hampered molecular research and this work will use comparative genomics of parasitic and free living mites and microbiome analysis to understand fundamental aspects of mite biology and pathogenesis. The understanding of proteins that are essential for mite survival and interfere with host defences will allow the informed design of peptide inhibitors as a new strategy to develop alternative treatment options.Read moreRead less
A Targeted Molecular Approach To Treating Scabies And Associated Bacterial Infections.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$518,334.00
Summary
Chronic infestation of human skin with parasitic scabies mites is a severe health burden in Australian Indigenous communities and other disadvantaged communities around the world. Secondary infections with bacteria exacerbate this skin problem, with long-term, systemic and often fatal consequences including rheumatic heart disease. Analyses of the scabies mite genome and associated bacteria will accelerate biomedical research toward improved treatment and control of this neglected disease.
A New Animal Model For Genitourinary Schistosomiasis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$395,711.00
Summary
Schistosoma haematobium causes genitourinary schistosomiasis, a serious disease that affects reproductive health, urinary system health and potentially bladder cancer. This species is the most pathogenic species of all schistosomes, but comparatively less is know about it than other species because of a lack of a suitable model. We need a suitable model host for this important parasite. This project will test whether newborn pigs can be used as laboratory models.
Scabies Mite Proteins As Targets For The Development Of New Therapeutics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$299,564.00
Summary
Scabies and associated bacteria disease (pyoderma) are a significant health burden, with pyoderma implicated in rheumatic fever and heart disease. Investigations of the mechanism underlying scabies and bacteria disease links, identified scabies proteins inhibiting the human complement system. The inhibition prevents mite damage and promotes growth of bacteria. This proposal aims to elucidate the interaction between scabies, bacteria and the human host, in order to design new therapeutics.
Scabies Mite Intestinal Proteases As Targets For Novel Therapeutics.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$672,533.00
Summary
Scabies causes bacterial disease affecting poor people worldwide. Available therapies are limited and drug resistance is emerging. We investigate molecules that the mite needs to infest the skin, to guide the formulation and the testing of novel drugs. This will provide improved treatment of affected individuals and their families, thereby reducing the spread of scabies and bacterial infections and their devastating sequelae, particularly in Australian Indigenous communities.
Export Of Effector Proteins By P. Falciparum To The Infected Erythrocyte.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$196,582.00
Summary
Infection by the malaria parasite has lethal consequences for humans. In order to survive the parasite exports hundreds of proteins to commandeer the erythrocyte. A translocon that mediates such export has been identified and important questions remain unanswered. In this research, I aim to determine the function of one of the major translocon components for export of proteins to the erythrocyte (EXP2) and through this process determine if it is a viable target for anti-malarial drug development ....Infection by the malaria parasite has lethal consequences for humans. In order to survive the parasite exports hundreds of proteins to commandeer the erythrocyte. A translocon that mediates such export has been identified and important questions remain unanswered. In this research, I aim to determine the function of one of the major translocon components for export of proteins to the erythrocyte (EXP2) and through this process determine if it is a viable target for anti-malarial drug development.Read moreRead less
The biosynthesis of structural proteins in parasites. The socio-economic impact of parasitic diseases, in Australia and throughout the world, is enormous- they kill 2-3 million people per year and cost livestock industries billions of dollars per annum. Some are serious food and waterborne threats, such as the coccidia, because they are transmitted from person-to-person via the faecal-oral route, or via ingestion of contaminated water or food, or through the ingestion of cysts in raw or underco ....The biosynthesis of structural proteins in parasites. The socio-economic impact of parasitic diseases, in Australia and throughout the world, is enormous- they kill 2-3 million people per year and cost livestock industries billions of dollars per annum. Some are serious food and waterborne threats, such as the coccidia, because they are transmitted from person-to-person via the faecal-oral route, or via ingestion of contaminated water or food, or through the ingestion of cysts in raw or undercooked meat. They cause diarrhoea, which in some cases, can be life-threatening. We will understand how the coccidia protect themselves as they move from host to host and, through that understanding, develop new ways to control them and eliminate the suffering caused by parasitic diseases.Read moreRead less
Gastrointestinal parasites and their diagnosis. Gastrointestinal disease such as diarrhoea, abdominal pain and irritable bowel syndrome are common in the Australian population and there are a wide variety of causes, including potentially parasites. The parasite Dientamoeba fragilis has, until recently, been overlooked as a cause of human disease, but recent studies have confirmed its role as a pathogen. This project seeks to improve the diagnosis of this organism in faeces and this development ....Gastrointestinal parasites and their diagnosis. Gastrointestinal disease such as diarrhoea, abdominal pain and irritable bowel syndrome are common in the Australian population and there are a wide variety of causes, including potentially parasites. The parasite Dientamoeba fragilis has, until recently, been overlooked as a cause of human disease, but recent studies have confirmed its role as a pathogen. This project seeks to improve the diagnosis of this organism in faeces and this development will allow effective treatment to be used in patients thereby ameliorating disease.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Chemokine Networks In Severe Malaria And The Control Of Parasite Density
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$620,731.00
Summary
Two contributing factors have been identified as the main determinants of severe malaria: high parasite densities and host inflammatory responses. To date it is not clear whether inflammation is a cause or a consequence of high parasite densities. We have identified a new biomarker (IP-10) of disease severity in a malaria-endemic area of Papua New Guinea that is associated with high parasite densities. Here we will decipher the mechanisms by which IP-10 contributes to the development of high par ....Two contributing factors have been identified as the main determinants of severe malaria: high parasite densities and host inflammatory responses. To date it is not clear whether inflammation is a cause or a consequence of high parasite densities. We have identified a new biomarker (IP-10) of disease severity in a malaria-endemic area of Papua New Guinea that is associated with high parasite densities. Here we will decipher the mechanisms by which IP-10 contributes to the development of high parasite burden and severe malaria.Read moreRead less