Viral infections that mothers catch during pregnancy still cause much illness in babies either in the womb, or after birth. One of these infections called CMV causes more babies to be born with malformation in Australia than any other infection, and is second only to cerebral palsy as a cause of serious problems in babies. Our studies are examining CMV in mothers and babies, leading to better diagnostic tests, researching use of existing and new antiviral drugs to reduce infection in these mothe ....Viral infections that mothers catch during pregnancy still cause much illness in babies either in the womb, or after birth. One of these infections called CMV causes more babies to be born with malformation in Australia than any other infection, and is second only to cerebral palsy as a cause of serious problems in babies. Our studies are examining CMV in mothers and babies, leading to better diagnostic tests, researching use of existing and new antiviral drugs to reduce infection in these mothers and babies.Read moreRead less
Improved Health Outcomes For People Living With HIV
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$560,284.00
Summary
Despite the success of antiviral therapy for HIV infection, HIV cannot be cured and treatment is life long. In addition, there are complications in patients on long term antiviral therapy due to impaired immune recovery. This grant will identify strategies to eliminate HIV from latently infected cells that persist in patients on antiviral therapy as well as identify novel ways to improve the immune response to antiviral treatment for patients with HIV infection as well as patients co-infected wi ....Despite the success of antiviral therapy for HIV infection, HIV cannot be cured and treatment is life long. In addition, there are complications in patients on long term antiviral therapy due to impaired immune recovery. This grant will identify strategies to eliminate HIV from latently infected cells that persist in patients on antiviral therapy as well as identify novel ways to improve the immune response to antiviral treatment for patients with HIV infection as well as patients co-infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV)Read moreRead less
The Future Of HIV Care - Long Term Remission And Eliminating Co-morbidities
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$577,189.00
Summary
Despite the great successes in antiretroviral therapy (ART) in reducing HIV-associated mortality, treatment is life long and there is no cure. The major barrier to a cure for HIV is the persistence of long lived latently infected cells on ART. Over the next five years I will discover, develop, optimise and evaluate novel interventions to eliminate latently infected cells, long lived infected cells in the liver and enhance HIV-specific immunity through immunotherapy.
Immunopathogenesis And Manipulation Of The HIV Reservoir
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$494,732.00
Summary
Kelleher is a Clinical immunologist with a globally recognised, sustained track record of translational research which has impacted both on our understanding of HIV immunopathogenesis and on the way HIV infection is treated. He will conduct a series of studies that encompass basic scientific techniques through to pivotal pre-clinical and clinical studies that will provide a pathway towards control of HIV-infection without daily therapy.
The renewal of my Practitioner Fellowship will continue to facilitate an expanding program of epidemiological and clinical research in viral hepatitis, with a primary focus on hepatitis C. New directions will include development of international clinical cohort and trials networks, particularly to characterise the natural history of early hepatitis C infection and evaluate hepatitis C therapuetic strategies for injecting drug users.
Hepatitis C Vaccines: Preclinical To Clinical Development
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$474,244.00
Summary
Hepatitis C is one of the most common notifiable infectious diseases in Australia with 200,000 infected individuals and 10,000 new infections each year. Treatments currently available for hepatitis C are effective but also associated with significant side effects and expensive. The economic and health burden of hepatitis C infection and the high costs of emerging antiviral therapies makes the development of an effective vaccine for HCV imperative. This project aims to develop a vaccine for the p ....Hepatitis C is one of the most common notifiable infectious diseases in Australia with 200,000 infected individuals and 10,000 new infections each year. Treatments currently available for hepatitis C are effective but also associated with significant side effects and expensive. The economic and health burden of hepatitis C infection and the high costs of emerging antiviral therapies makes the development of an effective vaccine for HCV imperative. This project aims to develop a vaccine for the prevention of hepatitis C infection.Read moreRead less
HIV infection continues to be a global problem, an effective vaccine is critical to halting its spread. For those infected there is no cure. They require life-long, expensive therapy. The proposed research looks to provide insights that will contribute to the development of an effective vaccine and to clearing the virus from infected patients by using cutting edge laboratory techniques to study patients in populations that are pathogenically informative.