Advanced Population-based Methods To Evaluate And Inform Immunisation Policy And Practice
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$425,048.00
Summary
Despite the overall success of immunisation programs, preventable infections continue to occur, with Aboriginal children suffering the most. I will study the health and vaccination records for 1.95 million children (98,000 Aboriginal) in New South Wales and Western Australia to see who is most at risk of vaccine preventable infections and why. The findings will aid development of strategies to target high-risk children and to optimise the benefits obtained from Australia’s immunisation program.
Enabling Technologies For Design And Delivery Of Novel Vaccines Against Infectious Diseases And Cancer.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$925,346.00
Summary
This grant will support research necessary to develop the next generation of vaccines. These will combat diseases caused by bacteria and viruses and can also be used to fight cancer. The broad range of application is made possible through the incorporation of simple molecular features that activate the immune system. The intellectual property that has been developed is protected by a patent portfolio some patents of which are already licenced to the pharmaceutical industry.
Enhancing Australia's Pandemic Influenza Vaccine Output By Increasing The Yeild Of Vaccine From Eggs
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$251,517.00
Summary
Influenza epidemics cause significant morbidity and mortality, particularly amongst the young and elderly. Unlike other vaccines, a new flu vaccine formulation needs to be prepared each year from the currently circulating strain. This involves a long process of preparing new seed vaccine stock, which is then tested, manufactured and distributed. The situation is even more complicated by the ability of different influenza strains to reassort with others. An example of current major concern is the ....Influenza epidemics cause significant morbidity and mortality, particularly amongst the young and elderly. Unlike other vaccines, a new flu vaccine formulation needs to be prepared each year from the currently circulating strain. This involves a long process of preparing new seed vaccine stock, which is then tested, manufactured and distributed. The situation is even more complicated by the ability of different influenza strains to reassort with others. An example of current major concern is the possibility of deadly avian flu viruses, such as H5N1, to gain the capacity to directly infect humans by recombining with a human strain and thereby starting a new global pandemic. When the next influenza pandemic occurs, the availability of a vaccine will be of the highest priority and early supply of vaccines will save millions of lives. Since vaccination is the only sustainable defense, we face an urgent need to have the capacity to supply large numbers of vaccine doses of influenza vaccines within a short period of time. Currently, the only way of producing flu vaccines is in eggs. The speed of vaccine supply is totally dependant on the yield of vaccine from eggs and the number of eggs that can be processed at any one time. Since there are severe constraints on the number of eggs that can be simultaneously processed, the limiting factor that can be addressed is the actual yield of vaccine per egg. The aim of this project is the develop methods that allow higher levels of vaccine virus to grow in eggs. We will take a multi-pronged approach to enhancing influenza vaccine production that are directed toward increasing the capacity of eggs to promote virus replication, as well as towards the vaccine strain to boost its ability to replicate in the egg. The outcome will be an enhanced capacity for vaccine manufacturers to quickly and effectively expand vaccine supplies which will directly impact on global morbidity and mortality during a flu pandemic.Read moreRead less
Dengue Fever Vaccine: Towards Low Cost Production And Delivery
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$612,039.00
Summary
With rising populations and a warming climate mosquito borne viral diseases will become more prevalent and low-cost vaccine production & delivery systems will become increasingly important. Here a microalgae based vaccine production platform will be coupled to proven Nanopatch & low cost oral vaccine delivery. The focus is on a Dengue virus vaccine, as Dengue causes 400 million infections & 100 million symptomatic cases annually.
A Serotype-independent, Broad Spectrum Pneumococcal Vaccine
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$955,585.00
Summary
Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is the world’s most formidable bacterial pathogen, causing 1-2 million deaths each year. Existing vaccines provide protection against only a limited proportion of strains and their widespread use is increasing the prevalence of strains against which the vaccines provide no protection. This project aims to translate a novel broadly protective pneumococcal vaccine into the commercial development pipeline.
Vaccine To Prevent Influenza Virus And Bacterial Super-infection.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$707,717.00
Summary
Influenza viruses have the ability to pre-dispose infected hosts toward secondary bacterial complications. The mortality of viral infections that are complicated by a concurrent, or subsequent, bacterial infection (known as a super-infection), is often greater than that of either the virus or the bacteria alone. We will develop a novel multi-pathogen vaccine candidate against the major upper respiratory tract pathogens - Influenza A and Streptococcus pyogenes to prevent super-infections.
Optimising Immunity Towards Cancers By Vaccination.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$211,320.00
Summary
In this project we will be studying the mechanisms of how an efficient anti cancer vaccine could be generated. We will be using cervical cancer associated human papillomavirus type 16 E7 protein as the model protein in an experimental vaccine model in mice. The results obtained from this project not only able us to design better vaccines against cervical cancers in women but against many other cancers and viruses.
Development Of A Self-adjuvanting Mucosal Vaccine Candidate Against Group A Streptococcus Using Lipid Core Technology
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$316,449.00
Summary
Novel developments in drug/vaccine delivery are clearly to have enormous economic and social impacts. My research aim is to rationally design and develop vaccines against relevant diseases. By understanding the mechanism of protection against diseases, development of novel vaccines for the treatment of many diseases can be achieved. This would contribute enormously to the betterment of public health.
OptiMalVax: Optimizing A Deployable High Efficacy Malaria Vaccine
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$494,618.00
Summary
In this proposal, a consortium comprising many of the leading malariologists, vaccine researchers and product developers in Europe, USA, Australia and Africa will collaborate in an exciting programme of antigen discovery science linked to rapid clinical development of new vaccine candidates against malaria.
This an integrated program of basic research on antigen discovery and immune mechanisms, and preclinical research on novel vaccine platforms, formulations or delivery systems for the rational design and clinical testing of a next generation vaccine against malaria. This interdisciplinary research fosters strong national and international links and offers the potential for significant economic benefit to Australia.