Improving Protection Against Childhood Tuberculosis: The Influence Of BCG Vaccine Strain And Age On Protective Immunity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$473,739.00
Summary
BCG vaccine is of vital importance in the fight against the increasing problem of TB worldwide, particularly in children. This project will compare the 3 most commonly used different strains of BCG vaccine to determine which produces the best protective immunity in newborns. It will also determine whether BCG at birth or at 2 months of age provides better protection. Optimising the timing and strain used for BCG immunisation would prevent large numbers of cases and deaths from TB at low cost.
Pneumococcal disease is one of the biggest killers of children under 5 years of age worldwide, mostly in developing countries. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines are highly effective at reducing pneumococcal disease however the duration of protection and the immune factors involved is unknown, particularly when fewer than the recommended number of doses are used. My fellowship aims to examine the key immune factors that provide long-term protection following pneumococcal vaccination.
Characterisation and development of adjuvants for new generation veterinary and human vaccines. Vaccination is the most successful and cost-effective means of combating infectious diseases in both veterinary and human medicine. This project will increase our understanding of how vaccines work and will help the development of new vaccines against infections in both animals and man. The results of these studies will also increase the competitiveness of Australian scientists in the field of vaccine ....Characterisation and development of adjuvants for new generation veterinary and human vaccines. Vaccination is the most successful and cost-effective means of combating infectious diseases in both veterinary and human medicine. This project will increase our understanding of how vaccines work and will help the development of new vaccines against infections in both animals and man. The results of these studies will also increase the competitiveness of Australian scientists in the field of vaccine research and development.Read moreRead less
Identifying The Targets Of Protective Immunity To Malaria In Pregnancy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$457,267.00
Summary
Malaria in pregnancy is a major cause of disease across many countries. Pregnant women have a high risk of malaria, and large numbers of malaria parasites accumulate in the placenta, which may lead to infant or maternal death. Malaria parasites infect the placenta by producing proteins that enable them to stick to the placenta. These malaria strains causing placental infection generally do not cause disease in non-pregnant individuals. Antibodies to the parasite proteins are produced in response ....Malaria in pregnancy is a major cause of disease across many countries. Pregnant women have a high risk of malaria, and large numbers of malaria parasites accumulate in the placenta, which may lead to infant or maternal death. Malaria parasites infect the placenta by producing proteins that enable them to stick to the placenta. These malaria strains causing placental infection generally do not cause disease in non-pregnant individuals. Antibodies to the parasite proteins are produced in response to placental infection, which may help control the infection and protect against further malaria in pregnancy. However, placental malaria parasites are able to vary the proteins they produce to avoid immune responses. In this project, we will study the parasite strains that cause malaria in pregnancy and the development of antibodies that protect pregnant women against malaria and its complications. We aim to identify the genes and proteins that parasites use to stick to the placenta, and determine how much variation occurs in these proteins. We will also specifically examine the role of one particular candidate gene called var2csa, and its protein, as this has been recently been associated with pregnancy malaria. We will examine how antibodies develop that recognise different proteins and different forms of malaria parasites, and determine the type of antibodies that protect pregnant women taking part in a longitudinal study of malaria in pregnancy in Malawi, Africa. We will also examine how antimalarial drugs taken in pregnancy influence the development of protective antibodies. Through these studies we aim to understand how the immune system combats malaria in pregnancy. This will be important for developing new methods for preventing or treating malaria in pregnancy, and improving child and maternal health.Read moreRead less
Defining The Targets And Function Of Antibodies That Protect Against Malaria In Pregnancy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$547,970.00
Summary
Malaria during pregnancy is a major cause of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality globally. In this project we aim to define the targets of antibodies that protect against malaria in pregnancy and understand the importance of antibody function, determine the extent of antigenic diversity, and identify epitopes of protective antibodies. Results will provide critical knowledge on the development of immunity to malaria in pregnancy that will guide vaccine development.
Trafficking And Expression Of PfEMP1 On The Surface Of P.falciparum-infected Erythrocytes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$558,189.00
Summary
Malaria causes over 2 million deaths each year. The parasite infects human red blood cells and expresses a virulence protein on the erythrocyte surface allowing it to adhere to the microcapillaries preventing clearance through the spleen. We aim to understand how the parasite is able to express this virulence protein on the parasite-infected red blood cell surface. Identification of the proteins involved will provide potential drug targets to develop novel antimalarial compounds and strategies.
Escape And Reversion Of Critical Immune Responses: Insights Into Effective Immunity To HIV
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,446.00
Summary
The HIV pandemic is a global emergency. The overall goal of this grant proposal is to elucidate the requirements for protective immunity to HIV. Although immune responses have some effect on HIV replication, the virus mutates and evolves to escape immune pressure. However, each mutation away from wild-type virus likely results in at least some impairment in the ability of the virus to replicate. Where efficient immune responses target regions of the virus that are critical to virus replication, ....The HIV pandemic is a global emergency. The overall goal of this grant proposal is to elucidate the requirements for protective immunity to HIV. Although immune responses have some effect on HIV replication, the virus mutates and evolves to escape immune pressure. However, each mutation away from wild-type virus likely results in at least some impairment in the ability of the virus to replicate. Where efficient immune responses target regions of the virus that are critical to virus replication, escape mutations may result in viral variants incapable of causing disease. Resulting from an exciting collaboration between HIV and theoretical biologists, we have recently identified techniques to calculate the effectiveness of immunity and the cost of subsequent immune escape variants. We will use and expand these techniques to identify immune responses that result in the most effective control of viral replication. These studies will lead to ways to improve HIV vaccines and thereby prevent HIV.Read moreRead less