Haemoglobin Degrading Proteases As Targets Of Anti-hookworm Vaccines
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$522,773.00
Summary
Blood-feeding worms ingest red blood cells and disrupt them in the intestine, releasing haemogobin (Hb). We have recently shown that canine hookworms employ a battery of distinct proteolytic enzymes, termed haemoglobinases, which digest Hb. The families of proteases used and the order in which they act are strikingly similar to the defined catalytic pathway used by the malaria parasite to digest Hb in its food vacuole. Recent work from our laboratory has shown that these proteases are effective ....Blood-feeding worms ingest red blood cells and disrupt them in the intestine, releasing haemogobin (Hb). We have recently shown that canine hookworms employ a battery of distinct proteolytic enzymes, termed haemoglobinases, which digest Hb. The families of proteases used and the order in which they act are strikingly similar to the defined catalytic pathway used by the malaria parasite to digest Hb in its food vacuole. Recent work from our laboratory has shown that these proteases are effective as vaccines against canine hookworm disease by interfering with the worm's ability to feed on blood and obtain suitable nutrition. This in turn affects the ability of female worms to lay eggs, thereby potentially disrupting transmission of the parasites. We now propose to identify the genes encoding haemoglobinases from the human hookworm, Necator americanus, determine the ordered pathway of Hb degradation and explore in vitro correlates of the effectiveness of a haemoglobinase vaccine in animal models of hookworm infection and pathogenesis.Read moreRead less
Determining Immune Dynamics During Controlled Primary Infection In Humans
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$579,823.00
Summary
T cells are critical to human health being our second and last line against infectious disease and cancer. However, we know very little about how this hugely complex immune compartment operates during primary challenge with infectious disease. This project will use new technologies to resolve this immune compartment to high detail during the days, weeks and years following controlled infection in human volunteers.
I am a molecular parasitologist exploring parasitism in blood-feeding human helminths, with a particular focus on the molecular biology of parasite feeding and immune evasion. I am utilizing this information to develop anti-helminth recombinant vaccines a
Helminth Secretomes: From Vaccines To Novel Anti-inflammatory Biologics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$938,910.00
Summary
Billions of people in developing countries are infected with parasitic worms, but they have been eradicated from industrialised nations. Humans co-evolved with worms, so their recent removal has deprived us of signals required to keep inflammation in check. My research focuses on worm molecules that can be used to (1) develop vaccines to combat these parasitic infections in developing countries, and (2) as a novel platform of anti-inflammatory therapeutics for use in industrialised nations.
A Cluster RCT Of The Impact Of A Community-based Hygiene And Sanitation Programme On Infection With Intestinal Parasites Following Mass Albendazole Chemotherapy In Timor-Leste
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,178,136.00
Summary
Intestinal parasites cause anaemia, stunting, wasting and poor mental development in childhood, and are related to poverty and poor hygiene. Treatment with antiparasitic drugs cures infections in human hosts, but does not prevent rapid re-infection when people contact a parasite-contaminated environment. We will quantify the impact of a hygiene and sanitation programme that reduces environmental contamination in communities that receive mass treatment with the antiparasitic drug albendazole.