Rhinovirus Protease Subcellular Trafficking And Host Cell Targets; Relevance To Asthma Exacerbation And Vaccine Approaches
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$582,072.00
Summary
Rhinovirus (RV) infections are the major cause of virus induced asthma attacks, causing significant morbidity and mortality. Asthma & asthma exacerbations are increasing worldwide with new strategies urgently needed to reduce RV-associated disease. We aim to build on our substantive new data, using cutting edge technology to identify new targets for novel asthma therapies.
How The Immune Response Can Affect Influenza Virus And Asthma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$333,964.00
Summary
A strong immune response is essential for protection against viral infections. However, in some circumstances a strong immune response against viruses can actually further aggravate disease. In addition, an anti-viral immune response can trigger asthma attacks in allergic individuals. This research thus seeks to understand and therefore mitigate the potentially detrimental role of inflammation in influenza virus infections and asthma.
Herpesviruses infect us all and cause cancer, blindness, and congenital disability. Developing vaccines requires information from both patients and experimental animals. CD4 T cells seem to suppress directly virus replication, and cells in the nose provide an important way for herpesviruses to get in. We will test whether CD4 T cells can clear nasal infection; what targets they recognize; and how they act. Thus we can establish whether CD4 T cell-directed vaccines might protect against disease.
A New Monocyte Atherogenic Phenotype In Chronic HIV Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$632,037.00
Summary
Most HIV+ people in Australia now die from cardiovascular disease, caused by atherosclerosis or thickening of coronary arteries. The ability of a white blood cell called the monocyte to prevent atherosclerosis is impaired in HIV. This project aims to understand how HIV does this and how we can reverse the effect. Understanding these processes will also help improve treatments to reduce heart disease in people with other chronic inflammatory conditions.
Understanding How Cytomegaloviruses Establish Systemic Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$668,144.00
Summary
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infects most Australians, causes birth defects and harms transplant patients. Vaccines against it have worked poorly. HCMV spreads throughout the body and is never cleared. To control infection we must identify its key checkpoints. Using mouse CMV, we find that host dendritic cells, which normally defend against infections, are taken over and spread virus to new sites. The viral gene responsible is a potential target for intervention. We will define how it works.
I am a molecular virologist researching the host response to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with the aim of understanding how the liver clears HCV infection. An understanding of this process will hopefully lead to novel antiviral strategies to combat not only HCV but a broad range of other viral infections.
Addressing The Major Challenges In HIV Vaccine And Cure Research
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$16,136,755.00
Summary
HIV remains one of the defining global health challenge of our times. 37 million people are living with HIV with 2 million new infections each year. Despite advances in management of HIV infection with antiretroviral therapy, there is still no cure, no effective vaccine, and several co-infections reduce life expectancy. This program assembles Australia’s leading HIV researchers to use innovative basic and translational science to tackle priority areas in controlling the HIV epidemic.
Hepatitis C Virus infects 3% of the world's population causing recurring liver disease, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. To infect a liver cell, the viral glycoproteins attach to cell surface molecules wher they are activated to mediate merger of the viral and cellular membranes. This project grant will explore how the viral glycopropteins become activated and obtain essential structural information on the viral glycoproteins. These studies will help us to design antiviral agents.
Use Of Mouse Models To Study Mechanisms Of Pathology In Viral Exacerbations Of COPD
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$411,960.00
Summary
We want to understand why cigarette smoke exposure worsens respiratory virus infections. People who smoke, or who have smoked in the past, or who are exposed to environmental (passive) smoke, get sicker than nonsmokers when they get a respiratory virus infection, such as a common cold or the flu. This is true for people of all age groups, but we don't know why smoke has this effect. We think it may be because smoke interferes with some aspects of the immune response. A particular focus of our re ....We want to understand why cigarette smoke exposure worsens respiratory virus infections. People who smoke, or who have smoked in the past, or who are exposed to environmental (passive) smoke, get sicker than nonsmokers when they get a respiratory virus infection, such as a common cold or the flu. This is true for people of all age groups, but we don't know why smoke has this effect. We think it may be because smoke interferes with some aspects of the immune response. A particular focus of our research is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is a serious lung disease which generally occurs in people who have smoked for many years. However, many COPD patients stopped smoking many years ago. COPD patients are especialy at risk of serious outcomes if they get a respiratory infection (known as an acute COPD exacerbation) and patients with COPD exacerbations use a lot of health care resources. There are no effective drugs to prevent or treat COPD exacerbations. We are currently using a mouse model of smoke exposure and virus infection to do this research, which is a much faster and more ethical approach than using humans in research. We believe that we will get a better understanding of how smoke affects the immune response to infection. This is likely to contribute to the development of better drugs for COPD exacerbations and other types of smoking related lung disease.Read moreRead less