Understanding immune mechanisms induced by pulmonary vaccination. This project aims to better understand the mechanisms of immune induction of a novel lung vaccination strategy. The ability to deliver vaccines that induce potent lung and body wide immune responses in a safe and efficient manner has wide implications for both human and animal health. Ultimately, the vaccine will be delivered to the lung as stable dry powders in an attempt to negate the need for a transport cold chain and therefor ....Understanding immune mechanisms induced by pulmonary vaccination. This project aims to better understand the mechanisms of immune induction of a novel lung vaccination strategy. The ability to deliver vaccines that induce potent lung and body wide immune responses in a safe and efficient manner has wide implications for both human and animal health. Ultimately, the vaccine will be delivered to the lung as stable dry powders in an attempt to negate the need for a transport cold chain and therefore facilitate the distribution of the vaccines to remote areas. The project will not only benefit the Australian biotechnology industry but also the community at large and in particular those in remote areas without access to modern medical facilities.Read moreRead less
Development and Assessment of Chimaeric Feline Caliciviruses as Vaccines. Feline caliciviruses are major pathogens of cats worldwide, but current vaccines offer only incomplete protection. This project aims to develop novel recombinant vaccine strains that will generate more cross protective immunity and thus provide greater protection for vaccinated cats.
Development of an Attenuated Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus Vaccine. This project will develop novel methods for identification of genes involved in virulence of the important avian pathogen Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus and produce an attenuated, antigenically marked infectious laryngotracheitis virus vaccine strain by specific disruption and deletion of two or more genes in the virusÕs genome.
Infectious laryngotracheitis is a major disease of chickens throughout the world, but curre ....Development of an Attenuated Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus Vaccine. This project will develop novel methods for identification of genes involved in virulence of the important avian pathogen Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus and produce an attenuated, antigenically marked infectious laryngotracheitis virus vaccine strain by specific disruption and deletion of two or more genes in the virusÕs genome.
Infectious laryngotracheitis is a major disease of chickens throughout the world, but current vaccines retain some capacity to cause disease. The development of novel attenuated vaccines will thus enhance control of this important disease of poultry.Read moreRead less
The molecular pathogenesis of Equine rhinitis A virus, a major respiratory pathogen of horses. The equine industry in Australia is worth $15 billion a year. Equine respiratory disease costs Victoria, alone, $5-10 million per year. Equine rhinitis A virus is a major cause of acute febrile respiratory disease in horses. This project aims to develop an infectious clone to study the pathogenesis of the disease, and subunit antigens for use as vaccines. These reagents will increase our understand ....The molecular pathogenesis of Equine rhinitis A virus, a major respiratory pathogen of horses. The equine industry in Australia is worth $15 billion a year. Equine respiratory disease costs Victoria, alone, $5-10 million per year. Equine rhinitis A virus is a major cause of acute febrile respiratory disease in horses. This project aims to develop an infectious clone to study the pathogenesis of the disease, and subunit antigens for use as vaccines. These reagents will increase our understanding of the pathogenesis of ERAV and will lead to experimental vaccines which will be tested in horses.Read moreRead less
Vaccine against leptospirosis. This project will utilise the information from the determination of the complete genome sequence of Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar Hardjobovis at Monash University. Bioinformatics analysis will be used to allow a global approach to identify all putative vaccine antigens which will be cloned, expressed and purified and their protective capacity investigated.
Characterisation and Stability of ISCOM Vaccines. ISCOMS® are particles comprising saponin, cholesterol and phospholipids which when mixed with proteins form potent vaccines. When proteins are associated with ISCOMs® a variety of different sized particles with various surface chemistries can be formed. This project aims to understand the physico-chemical mechanisms governing ISCOM® formation. This understanding will allow development of methods for controlling the size, characteristics and long- ....Characterisation and Stability of ISCOM Vaccines. ISCOMS® are particles comprising saponin, cholesterol and phospholipids which when mixed with proteins form potent vaccines. When proteins are associated with ISCOMs® a variety of different sized particles with various surface chemistries can be formed. This project aims to understand the physico-chemical mechanisms governing ISCOM® formation. This understanding will allow development of methods for controlling the size, characteristics and long-term stability of these particles. In addition the size and surface chemistry of the particles will be correlated with their effectiveness as vaccines. Both these outcomes will support the ongoing commercial development of ISCOM®-based vaccines at CSL.Read moreRead less
Investigation of the immunological properties of a novel adjuvant in sheep. The induction of strong immune responses without side effects is a highly desirable goal in vaccine R&D. The recently developed adjuvant DCtag utilises unique properties of dendritic cells to boost both cellular and humoral immune responses without tissue damage. This project will identify the mechanisms of immune induction of DCtag using unique properties of our sheep cannulation model. This will allow further optimisat ....Investigation of the immunological properties of a novel adjuvant in sheep. The induction of strong immune responses without side effects is a highly desirable goal in vaccine R&D. The recently developed adjuvant DCtag utilises unique properties of dendritic cells to boost both cellular and humoral immune responses without tissue damage. This project will identify the mechanisms of immune induction of DCtag using unique properties of our sheep cannulation model. This will allow further optimisation of DCtag adjuvanticity in sheep, which will then be applied to the delivery of a prototype peptide based vaccine against foot and mouth disease virus, a veterinary disease of global importance, hereby increasing Australia's leadership in biotechnology.Read moreRead less
Identification of novel antigens for vaccination and immunotherapy against the human gastric pathogen, Helicobacter pylori. The bacterium Helicobacter pylori is a significant human pathogen which infects the stomach where it is the major cause of stomach and duodenal ulcers, plus two types of cancer. This project proposes to utilise a novel strategy to identify potential vaccine targets on the bacterial surface with the aim to develop an effective vaccine against this organism. Such a vaccine wo ....Identification of novel antigens for vaccination and immunotherapy against the human gastric pathogen, Helicobacter pylori. The bacterium Helicobacter pylori is a significant human pathogen which infects the stomach where it is the major cause of stomach and duodenal ulcers, plus two types of cancer. This project proposes to utilise a novel strategy to identify potential vaccine targets on the bacterial surface with the aim to develop an effective vaccine against this organism. Such a vaccine would protect against the development of stomach cancer, hence saving lives, plus significantly reduce the incidence of stomach ulcers, thereby reducing suffering of individuals and providing financial benefits to employers.Read moreRead less
Development of an amoebic gill disease vaccine to protect Atlantic salmon. This project aims to identify candidate vaccine antigens and produce an experimental vaccine against amoebic gill disease (AGD) that will benefit the Tasmanian and international Atlantic salmon aquaculture industries. AGD is the most significant health problem affecting Atlantic salmon aquaculture in Tasmania. In the last decade, AGD has become a legitimate health threat to the multibillion dollar global Atlantic salmon i ....Development of an amoebic gill disease vaccine to protect Atlantic salmon. This project aims to identify candidate vaccine antigens and produce an experimental vaccine against amoebic gill disease (AGD) that will benefit the Tasmanian and international Atlantic salmon aquaculture industries. AGD is the most significant health problem affecting Atlantic salmon aquaculture in Tasmania. In the last decade, AGD has become a legitimate health threat to the multibillion dollar global Atlantic salmon industry. A solution is needed before AGD fully establishes itself in the largest Atlantic salmon producing nations. The expected outcome of this project is the development of a commercial vaccine that should significantly benefit the Australian and international aquaculture industries. Read moreRead less
The role of hyaluronan in antigen and immune cell trafficking. This project aims to examine how hyaluronidase, an enzyme that breaks down hyaluronan (a structural component of the skin), affects antigen and cell trafficking to lymph nodes. The project expects to generate new knowledge on the role of hyaluronan in antigen presentation and immunity and to build an interdisciplinary collaboration across immunology, lymphatic transport and material science. The expected outcomes of the project are t ....The role of hyaluronan in antigen and immune cell trafficking. This project aims to examine how hyaluronidase, an enzyme that breaks down hyaluronan (a structural component of the skin), affects antigen and cell trafficking to lymph nodes. The project expects to generate new knowledge on the role of hyaluronan in antigen presentation and immunity and to build an interdisciplinary collaboration across immunology, lymphatic transport and material science. The expected outcomes of the project are the development of new knowledge and new models to explore immunity, interdisciplinary training for researchers and post graduate students and a roadmap of the importance of hyaluronan in antigen trafficking. Read moreRead less