Burden Of Respiratory Infection In The First 2 Years Of Life: A Birth Cohort Study Of Emerging Respiratory Pathogens.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,168,963.00
Summary
Respiratory illnesses are extremely common, but there is little information about patterns of infection in the community using modern diagnostic tests. Children have the highest rates of infection and transmit to all other age groups. We intend to recruit 138 newborns to monitor respiratory symptoms and collect specimens for testing in the first two years of life. This will allow us to document illnesses due to known and newly identified respiratory pathogens.
CHARACTERISATION OF NOVEL PICORNAVIRUS-LIKE VIRUSES IDENTIFIED FROM PATIENTS WITH ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$366,998.00
Summary
The common cold and serious chest colds are usually due to viral infections, and mostly occur in children. Unfortunately we can only be certain of the virus causing this illness in as little as 15% of cases. We intend to address this lack of research by examining, in detail, a new virus we recently identified in a child with serious respiratory illness that required admission to hospital. Testing by our laboratory suggests that the new virus is related to picornaviruses (which cause some common ....The common cold and serious chest colds are usually due to viral infections, and mostly occur in children. Unfortunately we can only be certain of the virus causing this illness in as little as 15% of cases. We intend to address this lack of research by examining, in detail, a new virus we recently identified in a child with serious respiratory illness that required admission to hospital. Testing by our laboratory suggests that the new virus is related to picornaviruses (which cause some common colds) but seems to be present in children with far more serious illness. Our study plans to more completely identify the new picornavirus-like virus (PLV) using the tools of molecular biology and the expertise of a senior team of Australian scientists and clinicians who have recently made several virus discoveries in Australia, demonstrating that Australian virus research is capable of achieving highly competitive results that benefit our hospitals and especially their young patients. Our studies will develop extremely sensitive tests which rely on the detection of very small amounts of the viral genome. We can use these tests to determine what the whole virus looks like, when it might occur during the year and whether the PLV are found worldwide. Our studies will also produce viral proteins in the laboratory and use these to make new tests for stored blood samples. If a blood sample comes from a patient who has previously been infected by PLV, their blood will contain specific antibodies which we will then be able to detect. We also intend to determine whether some strains of PLV are more or less likely to cause serious illness than others. Improved understanding of these and other viruses minimises the chance of illness spreading within a hospital, helps scientists to decide against which viruses to design vaccines and drugs and aids medical doctors to better identify what once went undiagnosed.Read moreRead less
Inhibition Of IFN-?/? By Human Metapneumovirus And The Induction Of Inflammation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$605,251.00
Summary
The newly isolated human metapneumovirus (hMPV) causes significant respiratory illness in infants, young children and the elderly. The virus can persist long-term and may predispose individuals to chronic lung disease. This proposal aims to determine the mechanisms by which hMPV infection causes respiratory disease, with a view to improving treatments and preventing disease.
The Phylodynamics Of Human Enteroviruses: Informing Vaccine Effectiveness And Outbreak Preparedness
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$564,868.00
Summary
Enteroviruses such as EV-A71 are increasing in frequency and in Australia have resulted in the hospitalization of children with severe encephalitis. However, major aspects of their evolution and epidemiology are unknown. We will provide new insights on these important pathogens by revealing which enteroviruses are circulating in the region and whether they arise in specific localities, whether some are commonly associated with severe encephalitis, and whether some pose a greater epidemic threat.
Intrinsic Host Antiviral Activity Against Pathogenic Filoviruses
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$488,754.00
Summary
Bats are a major reservoir for deadly human viruses including Ebola and Marburg virus. In contrast to humans, bats can be infected with these viruses without showing clinical signs of disease. The reason why bats can co-exist with these viruses is unknown. This study will determine if a bat antiviral molecule contributes to limiting virus release compared to the human version that could reveal strategies to prevent and control these deadly viruses in humans.
Pathogenic Flaviviruses: Molecular Mechanisms Of Disease, Host Response And Vaccines
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$697,209.00
Summary
The application is aimed at advancing our understanding of the viral and host processes determining outcome of infection with pathogenic flaviviruses (i.e. West Nile virus) to the level allowing most comprehensive design of effective vaccines and anti-viral drugs. One of the aims is also to develop novel viral delivery vectors for cancer therapy based on self-replicating RNA of an attenuated Australian strain of West Nile virus, Kunjin.
The Role Of Paramyxovirus P Protein Subcellular Trafficking In Virus Pathogenicity And Antagonism Of Host Interferon Responses
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$78,491.00
Summary
Emerging zoonotic viruses pose a major health threat worldwide, highlighted by recent outbreaks of viruses such as Nipah and Hendra via interspecies invasion to infect humans. A major barrier to interspecies infection is the innate immune response, which viruses must evolve to combat before successful infection can occur. We aim to examine in detail the mechanisms underlying immune evasion of such viruses, with the ultimate goal of discovering novel targets for therapeutics to viral infection.
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
Molecular Characterisation Of Host Cell Targets Of Human Pathogenic Viruses And Evaluating Their Potential As Novel Therapeutic Targets.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$307,946.00
Summary
There are currently no therapeutics to treat victims of Hendra, Nipah or Rabies virus infections, which account for > 50,000 deaths/yr worldwide. Through not fully understood mechanisms, these viruses affect the functions of specific cellular proteins in order to inhibit the host immune system, a process essential to their pathogenicity. We aim to characterise the mechanisms underlying viral inhibition of host immunity and evaluate their potential as novel targets to develop urgently needed t ....There are currently no therapeutics to treat victims of Hendra, Nipah or Rabies virus infections, which account for > 50,000 deaths/yr worldwide. Through not fully understood mechanisms, these viruses affect the functions of specific cellular proteins in order to inhibit the host immune system, a process essential to their pathogenicity. We aim to characterise the mechanisms underlying viral inhibition of host immunity and evaluate their potential as novel targets to develop urgently needed therapeutics against these deadly pathogens.Read moreRead less
Soluble Inhibitors Of Influenza Virus In The Airway Fluids Of Mice, Ferrets And Humans.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$404,803.00
Summary
This study will characterize the ability of soluble proteins in airway secretions to recognize and destroy influenza viruses. As many of our insights regarding influenza pathogenesis are derived from studies in animal models, we will characterize the importance of proteins in airway fluids from mice and ferrets, as well as from humans. These findings will be of particular importance when assessing the relevance of particular animal models to understanding human disease.