Controlling Life And Death Of Dendritic Cell Subsets For Immunomodulation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$639,577.00
Summary
Dendritic cells are pivotal in orchestrating immune responses; for example, they can turn immune cells into assassins to kill virus infections. Their function is so diverse that different dendritic cells do different jobs. There are many genes that control life and death of cells but those that are important for each specialised dendritic cell have not been comprehensively studied. Drugs that affect the proteins made by such genes selectively may be a new way of controlling immune responses.
The Cell Death Mechanisms That Control Regulatory T Cell Homeostasis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$583,782.00
Summary
A central question in immunology is how to prevent destructive immune responses (e.g. autoimmune disease) and initiate productive immune responses (e.g. against cancer). A major breakthrough in this area was the discovery of special immune cells, called a Regulatory T Cells. We propose to discover the genes that determine whether these cells live and die. We will use this information to control appropriate numbers and function of Regulatory T Cells to modify the immune system.
Reversing Autoimmune Diabetes By Controlling Pathogenic Effector T-cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,662.00
Summary
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) results from misdirected immune responses that destroy insulin-producing pancreatic cells. The ultimate goal of therapeutic strategies is to remove or inactivate the cells that attack insulin-producing cells, while leaving other cells, for example, those required for protection from infectious diseases and tumours, unaffected. Here we propose to test a new way of turning off the inappropriate immune reaction with the goal of preventing type 1 diabetes.
The Regulation Of Monocyte Derived Dendritic Cells (moDCs) During Allograft Rejection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$110,218.00
Summary
Islet transplantation can cure type 1 diabetes, but the required drugs for immunosuppressing graft rejection have side effects. Therefore understanding how immune rejection occurs so that we can suppress in a more discreet selective way is our goal. A type of cell that is prominent during graft rejection is the monocyte derived dendritic cell. We propose that this cell is critical for orchestrating immune responses during rejection. Therefore we wish to determine how such cells are controlled.
Targeting CD40L(CD154) On Dendritic Cells For CD8 T Cell-mediated Immunity And Tolerance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$558,441.00
Summary
Killer T cells fight infection but also participate in transplant rejection. Activation of killer T cells often requires helper T cells. However, in the absence of helper cells, we have found an alternative pathway by which killer cells can be activated. We will explore this new pathway in enhancing vaccine responses and in modulating transoplant rejection.
Molecular determinants of an allergic response. Some humans develop allergies after exposure to environmental allergens while others do not. At present, the reason for this individual variation is not known. By comparing the processes activated in allergic versus non-allergic individuals, this study will identify critical molecules involved in making individuals susceptible to allergies, which will be used to develop safer and more effective allergy vaccines.
Understanding The Mechanisms Of Action Of The ISCOMATRIX Adjuvant For The Development Of Human Vaccines
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$401,361.00
Summary
CSL Limited, an Australian owned global biopharmaceutical company, is developing the ISCOMATRIX (IMX) adjuvant for vaccines to prevent and treat serious human disease of global concern (e.g. cancer, pandemic flu, HPV, HCV). This study will identify the mechanisms of action of IMX in generating strong cellular immunity, how to enhance it further by combining with other immuno-modulators so as to develop novel IMX vaccines for the treatment of established cancer and persistent viral infections.
Investigation of the resilience of immune memory to manipulation by pathogens. Vaccines have a major impact on the wellbeing of humans as well as productivity and welfare of veterinary species and pets. New vaccines have therefore a tremendous effect on both the economy and the community. Here we investigate in how far an adjuvanted vaccine can influence the type of immune response induced during subsequent infection when the pathogen has developed mechanisms to subvert the induced protective im ....Investigation of the resilience of immune memory to manipulation by pathogens. Vaccines have a major impact on the wellbeing of humans as well as productivity and welfare of veterinary species and pets. New vaccines have therefore a tremendous effect on both the economy and the community. Here we investigate in how far an adjuvanted vaccine can influence the type of immune response induced during subsequent infection when the pathogen has developed mechanisms to subvert the induced protective immune response. This question has profound implications for all vaccine and adjuvant development activities, as the resilience of immune memory is not yet considered an important parameter in the design of adjuvants yet it is fundamental to the successful of vaccines against many pathogens.Read moreRead less
Studies on peripheral T cell memory. Success in vaccination depends on the ability of the immune system to remember prior encounter with an infectious agent. This immune memory appears to work well for certain infections but not others, essentially meaning that for these diseases, effective vaccines remain unavailable. This application describes experiments based on a new leukocyte or white blood cell population that has been overlooked in studies of immune memory. The work involves identifyin ....Studies on peripheral T cell memory. Success in vaccination depends on the ability of the immune system to remember prior encounter with an infectious agent. This immune memory appears to work well for certain infections but not others, essentially meaning that for these diseases, effective vaccines remain unavailable. This application describes experiments based on a new leukocyte or white blood cell population that has been overlooked in studies of immune memory. The work involves identifying how they are formed and how they behave within the body. This work will therefore contribute to the development and production of new-generation vaccines to these so far uncontrollable infectious diseases.Read moreRead less