Development of a vaccine to protect koalas against koala retrovirus (KoRV). This project aims to develop a vaccine against koala retrovirus (KoRV) to arrest the increasing loss of animals due to this infection. Along with Chlamydia, KoRV threatens the long-term survival of the koala. KoRV infects over 95 per cent of Australia’s koalas and has been strongly linked to lymphoma and leukemia. Although quarantine and antiretroviral drug treatment are possible control measures, they are impractical in ....Development of a vaccine to protect koalas against koala retrovirus (KoRV). This project aims to develop a vaccine against koala retrovirus (KoRV) to arrest the increasing loss of animals due to this infection. Along with Chlamydia, KoRV threatens the long-term survival of the koala. KoRV infects over 95 per cent of Australia’s koalas and has been strongly linked to lymphoma and leukemia. Although quarantine and antiretroviral drug treatment are possible control measures, they are impractical in the wild, leaving vaccination as the only realistic option. This is valuable for both wild and captive koalas; zoos report high animal losses due to KoRV-associated lymphoma. The main outcome will be a KoRV vaccine which can be combined with a Chlamydia vaccine which is being developed in parallel.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE160100026
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$230,000.00
Summary
VetCompass: Big Data and Real-time Surveillance for Veterinary Science. VetCompass: big data and real-time surveillance for veterinary science:
The VetCompass data service intends to collect real-time records from veterinary clinics and aggregate them for researchers to interrogate. It aims to provide Australian researchers with sustainable and cost-effective access to authoritative data from hundreds of practitioners in Australia and the United Kingdom. These data will be essential for researc ....VetCompass: Big Data and Real-time Surveillance for Veterinary Science. VetCompass: big data and real-time surveillance for veterinary science:
The VetCompass data service intends to collect real-time records from veterinary clinics and aggregate them for researchers to interrogate. It aims to provide Australian researchers with sustainable and cost-effective access to authoritative data from hundreds of practitioners in Australia and the United Kingdom. These data will be essential for research on disease distribution and determinants, and surveillance and diagnostics that underpin evidence-based practice. The expected outcomes include identification of the most prevalent disorders and their causes and optimal treatments. The data may also revolutionise clinical auditing in Australia, help the veterinary profession to rank research priorities, and inform companion animal and equine curricula in our universities.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100093
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$510,000.00
Summary
High-throughput technology targeting antimicrobial resistance in animals. This project aims to establish reference laboratories as biobanks for resistant isolate collections from veterinary diagnostic laboratories / surveillance programmes and a national research network to mitigate antimicrobial resistance in animals. Antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic/foodborne pathogens and livestock commensals is a global issue. This project will use mass-spectroscopy biotypers, information management soft ....High-throughput technology targeting antimicrobial resistance in animals. This project aims to establish reference laboratories as biobanks for resistant isolate collections from veterinary diagnostic laboratories / surveillance programmes and a national research network to mitigate antimicrobial resistance in animals. Antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic/foodborne pathogens and livestock commensals is a global issue. This project will use mass-spectroscopy biotypers, information management software, robotic liquid handling and a research dairy to develop high-throughput screening technologies to rapidly determine major animal species’ resistance status, and research anti-infectives and vaccines for livestock diseases. This will improve the health and production of Australian livestock, leading to greater market access for high quality products.Read moreRead less
Superbugs and veterinary drugs: are multidrug-resistant zoonotic pathogens residing in Australian animals? Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem affecting human health that is now emerging in animals and veterinary hospitals. This project will integrate surveillance with novel treatments and preventatives to develop effective strategies to limit the impact of resistant bacteria to animal health and prevent transfer between humans and animals.
A novel drug class for the effective treatment of Giardia infections. Companion animals play a pivotal role in the lifestyle of the average Australian family. The 9 million cats and dogs, residing in >65% of our households, have provided significant health and well-being benefits to owners, especially during COVID. Ensuring pet health is a primary obligation of pet ownership. Giardia infections (Giardia duodenalis, with 94% of infections in dogs identified as Assemblage A) is the most prevalent ....A novel drug class for the effective treatment of Giardia infections. Companion animals play a pivotal role in the lifestyle of the average Australian family. The 9 million cats and dogs, residing in >65% of our households, have provided significant health and well-being benefits to owners, especially during COVID. Ensuring pet health is a primary obligation of pet ownership. Giardia infections (Giardia duodenalis, with 94% of infections in dogs identified as Assemblage A) is the most prevalent enteric parasite identified globally in dogs. Infection rates can be as high as 75% in puppies. Current treatments are failing due to poor efficacy, resistance and poor adherence to treatment schedules. We have identified a novel, extremely rapid acting series of compounds capable of single shot eradication of Giardia.Read moreRead less
Understanding gender differences in pain: Cellular therapies for animal pain. Understanding gender differences in pain: Cellular therapies for animal pain. This project aims to relieve chronic pain in animals and lay the foundations for future human therapies, using molecular assays, cell technologies and immune/hormonal pain generators. Chronic pain affects females more than males. Establishing the fundamental mechanism in pain, the role of immune signalling and molecular mediators will enable ....Understanding gender differences in pain: Cellular therapies for animal pain. Understanding gender differences in pain: Cellular therapies for animal pain. This project aims to relieve chronic pain in animals and lay the foundations for future human therapies, using molecular assays, cell technologies and immune/hormonal pain generators. Chronic pain affects females more than males. Establishing the fundamental mechanism in pain, the role of immune signalling and molecular mediators will enable true pain-modifying treatments that address pivotal triggers in both genders. This project will then use specially selected stem cells separately targeting arthritic male and female pain and demonstrate novel veterinary chronic pain treatments. Expected outcomes are more effective gender-targeted treatments of pain and the realisation of economic value of molecular assays and cell technologies.Read moreRead less
ARC/NHMRC Research Network for Parasitology. The ARC Network for Parasitology will focus and coordinate Australia's world class fundamental, strategic and applied parasitology research. This targeted approach will raise Australia's standing in the field, assist in the community's understanding of parasitology and biosecurity and maintain and improve Australia's capacity for keeping its stock, crops, wildlife and people disease-free. On an international scale, the Network will work with other cou ....ARC/NHMRC Research Network for Parasitology. The ARC Network for Parasitology will focus and coordinate Australia's world class fundamental, strategic and applied parasitology research. This targeted approach will raise Australia's standing in the field, assist in the community's understanding of parasitology and biosecurity and maintain and improve Australia's capacity for keeping its stock, crops, wildlife and people disease-free. On an international scale, the Network will work with other countries to develop new technologies for the detection and eradication of parasites. This emphasis will not only protect Australia's borders but will assist our near neighbours and lead to the development of technologies with an economic benefit to Australia.
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Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC170100016
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,123,492.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre for Personalised Therapeutics Technologies. The ARC Training Centre for Personalised Therapeutics Technologies aims to create and develop the skills and technology to benefit from the transformative impacts that cell/organ-on-a-chip technology will have on the medtech/pharma industries. By combining microfluidics-based/real-time technologies with personalised medicine the Training Centre will provide industry growth opportunities through improved screening of potential therap ....ARC Training Centre for Personalised Therapeutics Technologies. The ARC Training Centre for Personalised Therapeutics Technologies aims to create and develop the skills and technology to benefit from the transformative impacts that cell/organ-on-a-chip technology will have on the medtech/pharma industries. By combining microfluidics-based/real-time technologies with personalised medicine the Training Centre will provide industry growth opportunities through improved screening of potential therapeutics. The use of an individual patient’s cellular and molecular research findings will ultimately enable personalised diagnostic and therapeutic decisions.Read moreRead less
Skeletal endocrine signalling in the regulation of glucose metabolism. This project seeks to explore a highly novel and interesting recent development in bone biology: the fact that the skeleton is a central regulator of glucose metabolism. Currently, the mechanisms involved in this process remain unclear. mTORC1 has been identified as a signalling pathway in bone cells that modulates glucose metabolism. This project plans to selectively delete mTORC1 in the bone cells of mice to examine how ske ....Skeletal endocrine signalling in the regulation of glucose metabolism. This project seeks to explore a highly novel and interesting recent development in bone biology: the fact that the skeleton is a central regulator of glucose metabolism. Currently, the mechanisms involved in this process remain unclear. mTORC1 has been identified as a signalling pathway in bone cells that modulates glucose metabolism. This project plans to selectively delete mTORC1 in the bone cells of mice to examine how skeletal mTORC1 signalling regulates glucose metabolism, and identify novel pathways and circulating factors involved in this process. These studies may provide greater understanding of the basic biology of glucose metabolism, and may have applications in animal husbandry and the future management of diabetes.Read moreRead less
Whole-genome multivariate reaction norm model for complex traits. This project aims to develop a multivariate whole-genome genotype-covariate correlation and interaction model that can be applied to a wide range of existing genome-wide association study (GWAS) datasets. Genotype-covariate correlation and interaction (GCCI) are fundamental in biology but there is no standard approach to disentangle interaction from correlation in the whole-genome analyses. This project will address the key featur ....Whole-genome multivariate reaction norm model for complex traits. This project aims to develop a multivariate whole-genome genotype-covariate correlation and interaction model that can be applied to a wide range of existing genome-wide association study (GWAS) datasets. Genotype-covariate correlation and interaction (GCCI) are fundamental in biology but there is no standard approach to disentangle interaction from correlation in the whole-genome analyses. This project will address the key feature in biology, which relates to dissecting the complex mechanism of association and interaction. The proposed statistical model implemented in a context of a novel design based on multiple GWAS data sets is a paradigm shifting-tool with applications to multiple industries.Read moreRead less