The Regulatory Role Of Clec12A In Antigen Presentation And Inflammatory Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,381,077.00
Summary
The immune system maintains a balance between initiating immune responses to infections and suppressing immune responses in health. We have identified, on the surface of specialised immune cells, a protein that is critical for regulating immune responses and dampening down inflammation. This proposal aims to determine how this protein functions in health and under inflammatory conditions, and to develop approaches based on its molecular interactions to reduce inflammatory disease.
Antigen Receptor Sharing By Lymphocytes During An Immune Response
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$286,328.00
Summary
A successful immune response relies on the ability of immune cells to quickly mount a specific offensive against invading foreign pathogens like bacteria or viruses. The specificity of this offensive is governed by receptors that can recognise pathogens. To survive an infection the immune system must rapidly expand the number of immune cells that have receptors that recognise, and can therefore specifically combat, the infection. The underlying theory of immunology, the clonal selection theory, ....A successful immune response relies on the ability of immune cells to quickly mount a specific offensive against invading foreign pathogens like bacteria or viruses. The specificity of this offensive is governed by receptors that can recognise pathogens. To survive an infection the immune system must rapidly expand the number of immune cells that have receptors that recognise, and can therefore specifically combat, the infection. The underlying theory of immunology, the clonal selection theory, states that this expansion is mediated by the proliferation of immune cells selected on the basis of expressing a pathogen specific receptor. We hypothesise that in addition to this proliferation the immune system may also expand the number of immune cells expressing pathogen-specific receptors by transferring these receptors between cells by a means of cell-membrane sharing. Indeed, we have evidence that this does occur both in the test tube and in animals and can function to amplify the number of immune cells that can specifically recognise a pathogen and thereby help with immune response development. This grant aims to further advance our understanding of this novel phenomenon.Read moreRead less
The Molecular Basis Of HLA-linked Drug Hypersensivity Reactions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$683,040.00
Summary
Adverse drug reactions are one of the leading causes of death in hospitalised patients. We have discovered a new mechanism that links these reactions to recognition of drug induced changes in immunological self, resulting from interactions of drugs with immune receptors. This project probes the generality of this mechanism by examining the basis of life threatening reactions to drugs used to treat epilepsy (carbamazepine), gout (allopurinol), HIV (Nevirapine) and towards aspirin a commonly used ....Adverse drug reactions are one of the leading causes of death in hospitalised patients. We have discovered a new mechanism that links these reactions to recognition of drug induced changes in immunological self, resulting from interactions of drugs with immune receptors. This project probes the generality of this mechanism by examining the basis of life threatening reactions to drugs used to treat epilepsy (carbamazepine), gout (allopurinol), HIV (Nevirapine) and towards aspirin a commonly used pharmaceutical.Read moreRead less