Imaging the generation and recall of protective antiviral immune responses in vivo. Our understanding of the in vivo dynamics of cellular immune responses to infectious diseases is poor. This project will utilise advanced intravital imaging combined with novel tools to dissect the cellular events involved in the generation and recall of T cell responses to localised virus infection, combined with a detailed functional analysis of the lymphoid organ stroma. Such fundamental information will contr ....Imaging the generation and recall of protective antiviral immune responses in vivo. Our understanding of the in vivo dynamics of cellular immune responses to infectious diseases is poor. This project will utilise advanced intravital imaging combined with novel tools to dissect the cellular events involved in the generation and recall of T cell responses to localised virus infection, combined with a detailed functional analysis of the lymphoid organ stroma. Such fundamental information will contribute to the development of new generation vaccines and therapies to protect against tissue-specific infectious diseases, cancers and autoimmune diseases.Read moreRead less
Defining the immunological roles of stromal cells within lymphoid tissues. The populations of endothelial and mesenchymal cells that construct the lymphoid tissues are being revealed as key players in the priming and orchestration of immune responses. Yet, fundamental knowledge of the molecular makeup and the functions of these stromal cells, particularly their roles in immune responses, is sorely lacking. This project will utilise a multidisciplinary approach including advanced imaging and bioi ....Defining the immunological roles of stromal cells within lymphoid tissues. The populations of endothelial and mesenchymal cells that construct the lymphoid tissues are being revealed as key players in the priming and orchestration of immune responses. Yet, fundamental knowledge of the molecular makeup and the functions of these stromal cells, particularly their roles in immune responses, is sorely lacking. This project will utilise a multidisciplinary approach including advanced imaging and bioinformatics to dissect the functions of the lymphoid stromal cells and their roles in the swelling of lymphoid tissues during immune responses. This will provide vital information about the biology of these understudied cells and reveal the ways in which they support the generation of immunity.Read moreRead less
Mechanisms connecting diet, metabolism, gut microbiota and immunity. This project will identify the role of short chain fatty acids and the G-protein coupled receptor (GPR43) in regulating immune responses. This could explain how diet affects immune responses and also how certain bacteria in the gut provide benefits for immune defence.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100092
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$300,000.00
Summary
Fluorescence microscopy with optical tweezers: imaging cellular responses. Life relies on the ability of our cells to receive and respond to signals with pinpoint accuracy, involving both chemical and mechanical signals. This equipment will allow scientists to expose cells to both types of signals and measure the response at an unprecedented level of accuracy for the first time.
Structural and functional analysis of the protein kinase R. We have shown that protein kinase R (PKR) plays a key role in regulating the body's response to virus infections, inflammation and cancer. This project will identify mechanisms that regulate the activity of PKR and provide information useful for the development of novel drugs.
New guardians of the mucosa: Molecular characterisation of M cell biology. We aim to completely define the cellular and molecular biology of gut and lung M cells for the first time. We will elucidate how they develop, are regulated and function at a molecular level, and how M cells maintain normal gut and lung tissues and induce immune responses to protect against microbial challenges. In the future, the new insights will be essential pre-requisites for the development of mucosal-based intervent ....New guardians of the mucosa: Molecular characterisation of M cell biology. We aim to completely define the cellular and molecular biology of gut and lung M cells for the first time. We will elucidate how they develop, are regulated and function at a molecular level, and how M cells maintain normal gut and lung tissues and induce immune responses to protect against microbial challenges. In the future, the new insights will be essential pre-requisites for the development of mucosal-based interventions and vaccines that protect the gut and lung from infectious and inflammatory issues. The harnessing of effective immune responses to control such challenges, are of enormous fundamental and long-standing biological interest, and are amongst the most important areas of current scientific research.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE160100097
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$675,000.00
Summary
An Automated Protein Nano-Crystallisation Facility. An automated protein nano-crystallisation facility:
The project aims to establish a high throughput protein nanocrystallisation and imaging facility for protein crystallography. Protein crystallography is an important field of biological research, however there are many proteins, such as integral membrane proteins and transient molecular complexes that are more challenging to crystallise. The facility aims to use state-of-the-art imaging and c ....An Automated Protein Nano-Crystallisation Facility. An automated protein nano-crystallisation facility:
The project aims to establish a high throughput protein nanocrystallisation and imaging facility for protein crystallography. Protein crystallography is an important field of biological research, however there are many proteins, such as integral membrane proteins and transient molecular complexes that are more challenging to crystallise. The facility aims to use state-of-the-art imaging and crystallisation techniques, including second order nonlinear imaging of chiral crystals (SONICC) imaging and lipid cubic phase approaches, to enable structural studies to be undertaken on challenging proteins. This information is often used for the rational development of therapeutics. The facility would support cutting-edge biological research In Australia.Read moreRead less
Controlling apoptotic cell death in health and disease. Regulating how and when cells die is crucial for the development and maintenance of a healthy body and mind. This project will investigate the proteins that are responsible for controlling cell death with the view to identifying novel ways to target these proteins for the treatment of disorders such as cancer, neurodegenerative disease and autoimmunity.
Controlling apoptotic cell death in health and disease. Regulating how and when cells die is crucial for the development and maintenance of a healthy body and mind. This project will investigate the proteins that are responsible for controlling cell death with the view to identifying novel ways to target these proteins for the treatment of disorders such as cancer, neurodegenerative disease and autoimmunity.
Programmed cell death in host-microbe interactions. This project aims to address how host cell death, as part of the immune defence system, controls invading microbes. By following host-microbe interactions at high resolution, the project will generate new knowledge in the area of infection and immunity based on an interdisciplinary approach to discover new cell death factors. The expected outcome of this project will enhance the imaging capacity and develop new technologies in Australia by buil ....Programmed cell death in host-microbe interactions. This project aims to address how host cell death, as part of the immune defence system, controls invading microbes. By following host-microbe interactions at high resolution, the project will generate new knowledge in the area of infection and immunity based on an interdisciplinary approach to discover new cell death factors. The expected outcome of this project will enhance the imaging capacity and develop new technologies in Australia by building on international collaborations, providing significant benefits to the health of the community and potential to develop innovative applications in biomedical industries.Read moreRead less