Regulation of local lymphocyte trafficking and its role during infection. The study of early immune responses will contribute to the development of better vaccination strategies. In particular it will contribute by helping to understand the essential differences between reactogenicity and immunogenicity and how this relates to adjuvants. Using this understanding it will be possible to develop novel adjuvants that induce appropriate immunity with minimal side effects.
New approaches for screening cereal germplasm for enhanced microbial pathogen resistance and desirable grain texture. The trait of grain hardness (texture) is of significance to the Australian infrastructure, as exports of hard wheat contribute over 5 billion dollars per year on average to the national economy and hard wheats are also important for domestic usage. The genes responsible for grain texture also impart resistance to bacterial and fungal pathogens which can cause extensive damage. ....New approaches for screening cereal germplasm for enhanced microbial pathogen resistance and desirable grain texture. The trait of grain hardness (texture) is of significance to the Australian infrastructure, as exports of hard wheat contribute over 5 billion dollars per year on average to the national economy and hard wheats are also important for domestic usage. The genes responsible for grain texture also impart resistance to bacterial and fungal pathogens which can cause extensive damage. However, the Australian gene pool has very limited genetic diversity in grain textures and thus possibly in pathogen resistance. The project will work out the science behind these two traits and identify lines with new variants of textures and pathogen resistances, thus greatly benefiting the national infrastructure and local primary industries.Read moreRead less
Rational design of new drug candidates for the treatment of Trypanosoma cruzi infection. There is a serious shortage of safe and effective drugs to treat Chagas disease which is caused by a parasitic infection. This project aims to design and identify new drug candidates by defining the disposition profile within the body which is necessary to achieve a therapeutic effect.
Translating pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data to better design new drugs for the treatment of Trypanosoma cruzi infection. New drugs to treat T. cruzi infection are urgently needed, however their design has been hampered by an incomplete understanding of complex host-parasite interactions, inadequate in vitro and in vivo tools to rigorously define activity during drug discovery, and a poor appreciation of concentration/effect relationships. This project aims to develop new and much needed ....Translating pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data to better design new drugs for the treatment of Trypanosoma cruzi infection. New drugs to treat T. cruzi infection are urgently needed, however their design has been hampered by an incomplete understanding of complex host-parasite interactions, inadequate in vitro and in vivo tools to rigorously define activity during drug discovery, and a poor appreciation of concentration/effect relationships. This project aims to develop new and much needed in vitro methods to better define the kinetic and dynamic activity of new drug candidates, and will provide a rational basis for translating this information into lengthy animal models of T. cruzi infection. The outcome aims to be rationally designed drug candidates that are available in a shorter period of time and are suitable for further development.Read moreRead less
Characterisation of a new class of antimicrobial agent for multidrug-resistant infections. New drugs are required to combat the development of antibiotic resistance. This project will conduct further tests on a new compound that has shown initial activity against resistant superbugs by understanding how it works against bacteria and varying the chemical structure to improve effectiveness.