Contact Networks, Immunity, and Evolution in Competing Cancer Epidemics. The project aims to evaluate evolutionary interactions between two transmissible cancer epidemics affecting Tasmanian devils and quantify their feedback on infection risk and epidemic behaviour. Using contact tracing and a phylogenetic framework we aim to quantify how tumour lineages evolve with each generation of infection and their effects on susceptibility to infection and disease progression. We expect to reveal the hos ....Contact Networks, Immunity, and Evolution in Competing Cancer Epidemics. The project aims to evaluate evolutionary interactions between two transmissible cancer epidemics affecting Tasmanian devils and quantify their feedback on infection risk and epidemic behaviour. Using contact tracing and a phylogenetic framework we aim to quantify how tumour lineages evolve with each generation of infection and their effects on susceptibility to infection and disease progression. We expect to reveal the host immuno-genetic basis underpinning cancer suppression and the adaptive capacity of populations in response to infectious diseases. This should significantly improve our ability to understand and manage this and other epidemic outbreaks in wildlife, as well as advancing our knowledge in cancer ecology and evolution.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR200200441
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$289,479.00
Summary
Enabling cultures of bushfire readiness in Australian communities. This project aims to improve bushfire preparation by examining how cultural connections to landscape, place and community affect the ways in which people respond to information about bushfire hazards. Australia’s Black Summer showed that many households are inadequately prepared for the ‘new normal’ of faster, fiercer fires. This is particularly concerning on the urban fringe, where rapid development is changing landscapes, and h ....Enabling cultures of bushfire readiness in Australian communities. This project aims to improve bushfire preparation by examining how cultural connections to landscape, place and community affect the ways in which people respond to information about bushfire hazards. Australia’s Black Summer showed that many households are inadequately prepared for the ‘new normal’ of faster, fiercer fires. This is particularly concerning on the urban fringe, where rapid development is changing landscapes, and households face complex socio-economic challenges. The study aims to contribute to the safety of Australians by enabling emergency services to more effectively engage diverse communities in dialogue that promotes bushfire readiness, by connecting with place-based values, aspirations and behaviours.Read moreRead less
Multi-Country Study on Health Effects of Bushfire Air Pollution. Catastrophic bushfires are a major natural disaster, causing serious air pollution. However, aligning bushfire air pollution and public health policies becomes a significant challenge, because limited studies are available on relationships between bushfire air pollution and human health, particularly for the prolonged exposure. We will characterize the nature of the relationships between bushfire air pollution and mortality/morbidi ....Multi-Country Study on Health Effects of Bushfire Air Pollution. Catastrophic bushfires are a major natural disaster, causing serious air pollution. However, aligning bushfire air pollution and public health policies becomes a significant challenge, because limited studies are available on relationships between bushfire air pollution and human health, particularly for the prolonged exposure. We will characterize the nature of the relationships between bushfire air pollution and mortality/morbidity by developing a multi-country study; and estimate the burden of diseases attributed to bushfire air pollution. This project will provide essential scientific evidence to policy-makers and stakeholders in the development, prioritization and implementation of health protection strategies and policies.
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