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.
Multistage Vaccines For The Prevention Of Tuberculosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$884,290.00
Summary
Almost two million people die from tuberculosis (TB) each year. The current vaccine, BCG, is ineffective at controlling TB and the type of immune response needed to protect against the disease is poorly understood. We have discovered new antigens of the TB bacterium, and we will combine them with novel delivery strategies to develop new TB vaccines. We will also determine the type of immune response needed to protect against TB, which will aid progression of vaccines into clinical trials.
Applying Active Hospital-based Case Ascertainment To Assess Vaccine Effectiveness And Safety
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$258,741.00
Summary
Australia makes a considerable investment in vaccination, and the public are entitled to expect that vaccines are both safe and effective. The growing complexity of the vaccine schedule requires the development of new and flexible systems to monitor vaccine performance. This project aims to do this using surveillance nurses embedded in children's hospitals to actively find cases of diseases which are potentially vaccine-preventable as well as those which might have occurred as a side effect of v ....Australia makes a considerable investment in vaccination, and the public are entitled to expect that vaccines are both safe and effective. The growing complexity of the vaccine schedule requires the development of new and flexible systems to monitor vaccine performance. This project aims to do this using surveillance nurses embedded in children's hospitals to actively find cases of diseases which are potentially vaccine-preventable as well as those which might have occurred as a side effect of vaccination.Read moreRead less
Population-based Data Linkage And Modelling Studies To Evaluate And Inform Australia’s Immunisation Program
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$311,860.00
Summary
Despite the overall success of immunisation programs, outbreaks of preventable diseases continue and Indigenous children still suffer a higher burden of illness. We will study a cohort of infants in New South Wales and data about their illnesses and vaccinations to provide accurate measures program performance. The findings will aid development of strategies to target high risk children, and more realistic models about future outcomes, so that the benefits of immunisation are optimised.
Assessing Vaccine Effectiveness Of Publicly Funded Vaccination Programs In Queensland
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$99,883.00
Summary
I will measure how well three vaccines on the national immunisation schedule prevent disease in Queensland. Pertussis (whooping cough), rotavirus, and varicella (chicken-pox) vaccines will be assessed using routinely collected health data, such as disease notifications and hospitalisations, and vaccination data. The findings of this research will contribute to evaluating the effectiveness of these publicly funded vaccination programs and will provide an evidence base for future decision-making.
Prevention Of Pertussis From Birth Through Maternal Immunisation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$197,657.00
Summary
Whooping cough or pertussis is a significant cause of death in infants worldwide. Newborns remain at risk until they have received 1 to 2 doses of pertussis vaccine (around 4 months of age). My project involves investigating whether giving pertussis vaccine in the third trimester of pregnancy provides passive protection (via transplacental transfer of antibody) to the infant in sufficient levels for protection against whooping cough in early infancy.
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.
Vaccination Timeliness In Aboriginal And Non-Aboriginal Infants: Risk Factors For Delayed Vaccination And Impact On Disease Burden—a Record Linkage Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$538,183.00
Summary
Vaccination has had a significant impact, but preventable infections continue to occur, perhaps due to delayed uptake of scheduled doses. For the first time, we will link vaccination and other health records to: provide accurate estimates of the impact of vaccination; identify reasons for delayed vaccination; and quantify the expected reduction in disease burden if vaccination timeliness was improved. The study will help determine who would benefit most from efforts to improve timeliness.
Improving Subunit Vaccines Against Tuberculosis For Pulmonary Delivery
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$635,320.00
Summary
Tuberculosis is an enormous health problem globally and remains a threat to Australia because of our proximity to high burden countries. The development of better vaccines against TB is crucial to reducing disease and preventing transmission. We shall develop and test new TB vaccines composed of a protective TB protein and immune-stimulating molecules in dry powder which can be safely delivered to the lungs. This respirable vaccine will be used to protect against TB and boost the effects of BCG.
The Impact Of The Neonatal Gut Microbiome On Specific And Nonspecific Vaccine Responses.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$661,496.00
Summary
Humans are colonised by a large and diverse group of microorganisms, collectively known as the microbiome. The gut microbiome, in particular, hosts an enormous abundance and diversity of bacteria, which perform a range of essential beneficial functions. Our study will investigate whether disruption of the gut microbiome in newborns, for example through antibiotic usage or maternal diet, leads to an impairment of subsequent immune responses to childhood immunisations.