Can an anti-HIV gene in blood stem cells protect from immune depletion by HIV? Approximately 15,000 individuals in Australia are currently HIV infected. Gene therapy has the capacity to remove antiretroviral treatment related issues, dramatically decrease treatment costs and simplify treatment of HIV.
In this study we will model a new approach to treat HIV in which the patient's own cells are used as the therapy by incorporating an anti-HIV gene. These cells are then re-introduced into the p ....Can an anti-HIV gene in blood stem cells protect from immune depletion by HIV? Approximately 15,000 individuals in Australia are currently HIV infected. Gene therapy has the capacity to remove antiretroviral treatment related issues, dramatically decrease treatment costs and simplify treatment of HIV.
In this study we will model a new approach to treat HIV in which the patient's own cells are used as the therapy by incorporating an anti-HIV gene. These cells are then re-introduced into the patient.
The strong mathematical focus of this project, and its application to a promising approach against HIV, will place Australia at the forefront of the mathematics of gene research and contribute to the National Priority Area of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and the Priority Goal of Preventative Healthcare.
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Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL210100110
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,021,288.00
Summary
New Approaches to Understand How Form and Function Shape Complex Systems. As biology and medicine transform into quantitative sciences, existing mathematical methods are often inadequate to explain the data they generate. This project aims to unlock the potential of such biomedical data through the development of new mathematical approaches that combine concepts from pure and applied mathematics, statistics and data science, and then to investigate their ability to generate mechanistic insight i ....New Approaches to Understand How Form and Function Shape Complex Systems. As biology and medicine transform into quantitative sciences, existing mathematical methods are often inadequate to explain the data they generate. This project aims to unlock the potential of such biomedical data through the development of new mathematical approaches that combine concepts from pure and applied mathematics, statistics and data science, and then to investigate their ability to generate mechanistic insight into fundamental biomedical processes. In this way, the project expects to affect a paradigm shift in mathematical biology while strengthening Australia’s reputation as a world-leader in mathematical biology. An outcome from this project could be new mathematical models that guide decision making in the clinic.Read moreRead less
Modelling and estimation techniques for the transmission and control of Tuberculosis with new and existing vaccines. Most Tuberculosis in Australia is seen in foreign-born people. Australia has an important role in providing leadership in the Asia-Pacific region in Tuberculosis control, which will have flow-on benefits to TB control in this country. Using mathematical models, this project will assess the use of vaccines for Tuberculosis in the developing world. Rising levels of extremely drug r ....Modelling and estimation techniques for the transmission and control of Tuberculosis with new and existing vaccines. Most Tuberculosis in Australia is seen in foreign-born people. Australia has an important role in providing leadership in the Asia-Pacific region in Tuberculosis control, which will have flow-on benefits to TB control in this country. Using mathematical models, this project will assess the use of vaccines for Tuberculosis in the developing world. Rising levels of extremely drug resistant infections make this a timely and important study with significant policy implications, both externally and in the Australian context. Read moreRead less
Individualisation for 3D Audio. The project aim is to allow the general listener to enjoy high-fidelity 3-D sound over headphones. Such 3-D audio is of paramount importance when inter-personal communication requires situational awareness, (eg search and rescue, fire-fighting, and air traffic control). To achieve this, the project aims to address one of the toughest problems in audio signal processing: deriving high-fidelity 3-D audio headphone filters from photos and/or 3D scans of ears. The pro ....Individualisation for 3D Audio. The project aim is to allow the general listener to enjoy high-fidelity 3-D sound over headphones. Such 3-D audio is of paramount importance when inter-personal communication requires situational awareness, (eg search and rescue, fire-fighting, and air traffic control). To achieve this, the project aims to address one of the toughest problems in audio signal processing: deriving high-fidelity 3-D audio headphone filters from photos and/or 3D scans of ears. The project plans to address fundamental research questions in statistical shape and data analysis and to perceptually evaluate the 3-D audio methods developed.Read moreRead less
Nonlinear Dynamics of Pulse Coupled Oscillators. A mathematical model of the heart pacemaker system will be created, based on simple interacting units. These units have been shown to be good models of physiological information e.g. the discrimination of different influences on heart rate. We will firstly look at the interaction of the units in simple combinations and then tune the model to mimic the behaviour of the cardiac pacemaker.
Potential benefits may arise from elucidating the mechanis ....Nonlinear Dynamics of Pulse Coupled Oscillators. A mathematical model of the heart pacemaker system will be created, based on simple interacting units. These units have been shown to be good models of physiological information e.g. the discrimination of different influences on heart rate. We will firstly look at the interaction of the units in simple combinations and then tune the model to mimic the behaviour of the cardiac pacemaker.
Potential benefits may arise from elucidating the mechanisms underlying arrhythmias which contribute to ?sudden cardiac death? in young men, and suggesting strategies for artificial pacemakers to effectively arrest abnormal rhythms before they convert to potentially fatal fibrillation.Read moreRead less
New Approaches to Modelling and Analysing Long-Memory Random Processes. The project aims to develop new approaches using infinite-dimensional Markov processes to solving important long-standing problems from the theory of long memory random processes and their applications. It aims to: construct a class of new representations of random processes; derive inequalities for the key numerical characteristics; and, devise and investigate numerical methods for computing the characteristics and for perf ....New Approaches to Modelling and Analysing Long-Memory Random Processes. The project aims to develop new approaches using infinite-dimensional Markov processes to solving important long-standing problems from the theory of long memory random processes and their applications. It aims to: construct a class of new representations of random processes; derive inequalities for the key numerical characteristics; and, devise and investigate numerical methods for computing the characteristics and for performing statistical inference on the long memory models. The accuracy of numerical approximations will be analysed using simulations on supercomputers. Expected outcomes include models and results of practical importance with applications such as intrusion detection problems, cell motility for biological data and telecommunication.Read moreRead less
Computational methods for population-size-dependent branching processes. Branching processes are the primary mathematical tool used to model populations that evolve randomly in time. Most key results in the theory are derived under the simplifying assumption that individuals reproduce and die independently of each other. However, this assumption fails in most real-life situations, in particular when the environment has limited resources or when the habitat has a restricted capacity. This project ....Computational methods for population-size-dependent branching processes. Branching processes are the primary mathematical tool used to model populations that evolve randomly in time. Most key results in the theory are derived under the simplifying assumption that individuals reproduce and die independently of each other. However, this assumption fails in most real-life situations, in particular when the environment has limited resources or when the habitat has a restricted capacity. This project aims to develop novel and effective algorithmic techniques and statistical methods for a class of branching processes with dependences. We will use these results to study significant problems in the conservation of endangered island bird populations in Oceania, and to help inform their conservation management.Read moreRead less
New universality in stochastic systems. This project aims to uncover new analyses and effects in the complex behaviour of non-linear systems with random noise. Many systems originate near an unstable equilibrium. This project will develop a new mathematical theory that establishes a universality in the way the long term effect of noise expresses itself as random initial conditions in the dynamics. It will fill gaps in Mathematics and make refinements to existing fundamental scientific laws by in ....New universality in stochastic systems. This project aims to uncover new analyses and effects in the complex behaviour of non-linear systems with random noise. Many systems originate near an unstable equilibrium. This project will develop a new mathematical theory that establishes a universality in the way the long term effect of noise expresses itself as random initial conditions in the dynamics. It will fill gaps in Mathematics and make refinements to existing fundamental scientific laws by including random initial conditions as predicted by our theory. This will advance our understanding of complex systems subjected to noise and will provide significant benefits in the scientific discoveries in Biology, Ecology, Physics and other Sciences where such systems are frequently met.Read moreRead less
An efficient approach to the computation of bacterial evolutionary distance. This project aims to apply advanced mathematical tools to improve our understanding of bacterial evolution. Bacteria account for as much total Earth biomass as all plant species put together, and have an unparalleled ability to evolve quickly and adapt to changing environments. Unfortunately, the existing mathematical models used to model bacterial evolution are generally computationally intractable. This project will r ....An efficient approach to the computation of bacterial evolutionary distance. This project aims to apply advanced mathematical tools to improve our understanding of bacterial evolution. Bacteria account for as much total Earth biomass as all plant species put together, and have an unparalleled ability to evolve quickly and adapt to changing environments. Unfortunately, the existing mathematical models used to model bacterial evolution are generally computationally intractable. This project will rectify this situation by using representation theory to transform combinatorial group theory into linear algebra, allowing for the application of advanced methods of numeric approximation. This will provide a better understanding of how bacteria evolve and improve our ability to manage their impact.Read moreRead less
Real-time analysis of tumour-infiltrating T cells using novel analytical tools. By dynamic visualization of immune cells within intact tumours, we have shown that active screening for target cells optimises their anti-tumour effect. This project will develop novel mathematical/analytical tools to unravel the basic strategies that enable immune cells to position themselves at the right location at the right time.