Membrane excitability and cellular calcium regulation in the peripheral nervous system under different (patho)-physiological conditions and in inflammatory disease. Studies of cytokine action on neurons and muscle give new insights into functional responses of the nervous system to systemic inflammation and sepsis. In some countries, sepsis is the third most frequent cause of death following heart attack. Elucidating the pathomechanisms allows to develop therapeutic strategies. Electrophysiology ....Membrane excitability and cellular calcium regulation in the peripheral nervous system under different (patho)-physiological conditions and in inflammatory disease. Studies of cytokine action on neurons and muscle give new insights into functional responses of the nervous system to systemic inflammation and sepsis. In some countries, sepsis is the third most frequent cause of death following heart attack. Elucidating the pathomechanisms allows to develop therapeutic strategies. Electrophysiology, Ca2+ regulation and optical membrane potentiometry allow us to monitor early changes in disease on a (sub)cellular level. Experiments on Ca2+ regulation and ion channel function in muscle with different cholesterol membrane contents will help to understand pathomechanisms in high cholesterol diseases, e.g. obesity, on the membrane level long before cardiovascular effects become prominent.Read moreRead less
Understanding and regulating autoimmune disease through the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kappaB) family transcription factor, v-rel reticuloendotheliosis viral oncogene homolog B (RelB). This program is well-aligned with the national research priority: Promoting and Maintaining Good Health. The disabling conditions rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes affect over 1% of Australia's population. They are incurable, so disability and the need for treatment p ....Understanding and regulating autoimmune disease through the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kappaB) family transcription factor, v-rel reticuloendotheliosis viral oncogene homolog B (RelB). This program is well-aligned with the national research priority: Promoting and Maintaining Good Health. The disabling conditions rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes affect over 1% of Australia's population. They are incurable, so disability and the need for treatment persist into old age and life expectancy is reduced. The program focuses on more effective and safer treatment, and future disease prevention, with immune therapy. This will have social and economic benefits to Australia. The research will advance Australia's intellectual leadership in Immunology, providing research training and career opportunities, and will lead to strong collaborations between basic scientists, clinicians and industry.Read moreRead less
Molecular grafting methods for design of peptide therapeutics. This project has the potential to lead to major economic benefits to Australia via royalty returns from novel drugs. Extra economic benefits derive from a reduction in the cost of treatment of diseases. The development of a new Australian developed peptide drug thus has the potential to lead to multimillion dollar savings to the Australian economy. Finally the project will provide training in state-of-the-art drug design that will e ....Molecular grafting methods for design of peptide therapeutics. This project has the potential to lead to major economic benefits to Australia via royalty returns from novel drugs. Extra economic benefits derive from a reduction in the cost of treatment of diseases. The development of a new Australian developed peptide drug thus has the potential to lead to multimillion dollar savings to the Australian economy. Finally the project will provide training in state-of-the-art drug design that will enhance Australia's pharmaceutical industry generally.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989436
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
Multiphoton microscopy of living animals as a tool for immunology and cell biology studies. The multiphoton microscope will enable us to watch the growth, migration and interactions of cells in a living animal in response to changes in the cells' environment will give us better understanding of how we work as living machines, and what can go wrong with that process to make us unwell.
Development of an effective vaccine for chlamydial infection: optimisation of a non-toxic cholera toxin-based adjuvant to generate a protective mucosal response. Chlamydial genital infections are the most common sexually transmitted infection in Australia and the world and impose a major health burden on the community. Chlamydial infections are also associated with cardiovascular disease, Australia's biggest killer and asthma, another condition that has increased significantly in prevalence in t ....Development of an effective vaccine for chlamydial infection: optimisation of a non-toxic cholera toxin-based adjuvant to generate a protective mucosal response. Chlamydial genital infections are the most common sexually transmitted infection in Australia and the world and impose a major health burden on the community. Chlamydial infections are also associated with cardiovascular disease, Australia's biggest killer and asthma, another condition that has increased significantly in prevalence in the past 10 years. This project will evaluate the effectiveness of a new adjuvant as a first step towards the development of a vaccine to target these important infections.Read moreRead less
The Role of RNA interference in the induction of immune responses. Our work will allow us to understand a new means by which to alert the immune system to the presence of cancer cells using a new technology called RNA interference. This will hopefully lead to new investment in biotechnology products based on RNA interference, improved treatments for cancers and better health for Australians
The molecular basis of macropinocytosis in mammalian cells: the composition of endosome proteins and their function. Individual cells communicate with their immediate environment by the process of macropinocytosis, a process that involves the exchange of materials between the extracellular space and a specialised region of the cell termed endosomes. It is an important process in mammalian cells being essential to the correct functioning of many tissues. This project will advance understanding of ....The molecular basis of macropinocytosis in mammalian cells: the composition of endosome proteins and their function. Individual cells communicate with their immediate environment by the process of macropinocytosis, a process that involves the exchange of materials between the extracellular space and a specialised region of the cell termed endosomes. It is an important process in mammalian cells being essential to the correct functioning of many tissues. This project will advance understanding of macropinocytosis at a molecular level. The project is relevant to understanding the functioning of normal cells and the means by which some pathogens can enter cells and also understanding processes involved in tumour progression and metastasis.Read moreRead less
Foreign DNA is a danger signal for mammalian cells. This project investigates how cells normally respond to foreign DNA, and is relevant to understanding how the body fights infections, particularly by viruses. The results will help us to design more effective treatments for infectious disease. Studying responses to DNA will also promote the design of new treatments for the autoimmune disease lupus, and help improve technologies or treatments where DNA is introduced into cells or tissues. This ....Foreign DNA is a danger signal for mammalian cells. This project investigates how cells normally respond to foreign DNA, and is relevant to understanding how the body fights infections, particularly by viruses. The results will help us to design more effective treatments for infectious disease. Studying responses to DNA will also promote the design of new treatments for the autoimmune disease lupus, and help improve technologies or treatments where DNA is introduced into cells or tissues. This includes gene therapy, new strategies for vaccination, and the production of proteins as drugs by biotechnology. The project will promote National Research Priorities in the areas of preventative healthcare, ageing well ageing productively, breakthrough science and new technologies.Read moreRead less
A Genomic analysis of macrophage differentiation: Epigenetic factors that determine transcriptional choices in a lineage dependant manner. Our genetic information is fundamental to who we are, how we develop, & how we age. This project will build the research capacity of Australia's genome sciences, providing an analytical framework to describe & study the many products expressed from any single gene and to assess the function of genetic variation & test genome regulatory events. An immediate ou ....A Genomic analysis of macrophage differentiation: Epigenetic factors that determine transcriptional choices in a lineage dependant manner. Our genetic information is fundamental to who we are, how we develop, & how we age. This project will build the research capacity of Australia's genome sciences, providing an analytical framework to describe & study the many products expressed from any single gene and to assess the function of genetic variation & test genome regulatory events. An immediate outcome is a better understanding of the regulation of our immune system. This approach will fuel the discovery of new signalling molecules & their effects on a population of cells, & likewise provides a novel approach to study the dysregulation of cell signalling pathways.Read moreRead less
Engineered Polymer Nanoparticles: A Potent Weapon Against Cancer. Cervical cancer is the commonest cause of cancer death in women under the age of 50 worldwide, the 8th most common cancer among women in Australia, and is the leading cause of cancer death in Aboriginal women. While a vaccine is available to prevent HPV-mediated disease, it would not impact upon death rates for at least 25 years. The systemic delivery of RNAi offers to best opportunity to solve this problem. The delivery devices w ....Engineered Polymer Nanoparticles: A Potent Weapon Against Cancer. Cervical cancer is the commonest cause of cancer death in women under the age of 50 worldwide, the 8th most common cancer among women in Australia, and is the leading cause of cancer death in Aboriginal women. While a vaccine is available to prevent HPV-mediated disease, it would not impact upon death rates for at least 25 years. The systemic delivery of RNAi offers to best opportunity to solve this problem. The delivery devices will be designed with precision and function to meet the delivery needs in vivo. These polymer structures will be suitable for use in drug and gene delivery providing Australian products with advanced features and capabilities, significantly improving product performance.Read moreRead less