Male Chlamydia Infections: The Key Role Of Macrophages In Testicular Dissemination And Disrupted Spermatogenesis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$868,464.00
Summary
Male partners of couples seeking IVF, who are seropositive for Chlamydia, indicating a prior infection, often have significantly impaired sperm quality (reduced motility, increased DNA damage and abnormal sperm morphology). Our studies will define how Chlamydia are transported to the testis from the penis and how chronic chlamydial infection in the testis disrupts sperm development. We will also develop new antibiotic delivery systems to improve treatment of male chlamydial infections.
The Male Partner Contribution To Pregnancy Immune Tolerance Deficit In Women
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,462,925.00
Summary
A complication-free pregnancy and birth of a healthy infant depends on adequate preparation of the mother's immune system to tolerate the 'foreign' fetus, Both the mother and the father contribute to establishing optimal immune tolerance. This project will determine the links between specific agents in male seminal fluid and the female immune response, and will make progress towards new diagnostic tests and treatment options for unexplained subfertility and gestational disorders.
Female Reproductive Health Preservation By Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+) And Sirtuin2 (SIRT2)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$410,983.00
Summary
Cancer treatment can be severely toxic to women’s eggs. Increasing numbers of women who survive cancer therefore become infertile and prematurely deprived of hormonal support whilst still in their reproductive years. This project will use state-of-the-art techniques to interrogate newly uncovered pathways that can protect eggs from treatment-induced injury thereby greatly improving the quality of life for female cancer survivors.
Male-female Sperm Signalling - A Novel Pathway For Peri-conceptual Health?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$674,920.00
Summary
This project will investigate a new biological process in reproduction, whereby sperm delivered to the cervix at coitus transmit signalling molecules called microRNAs that influence the female immune response, to increase the chances of conception and pregnancy. We will define the molecular details of this signalling pathway in mouse models, and then determine whether human sperm have a comparable function in ‘priming’ the female body to conceive.
Generating Stronger And Smarter T Cells For Cancer Therapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$310,332.00
Summary
White blood cells from cancer patients can be modified in the laboratory to react against tumours. These cells can then be given back to the patient, which can sometimes cause cancer regression. However, often the white blood cells lack strength, or they lack the ability to distinguish between tumour and normal tissues of the body. In this project we seek to make stronger and smarter white blood cells that can deliver a lethal hit against tumours without damaging essential organs of the body.
The Impact Of Therapy On T-cell Recognition Of Mutated Tumour Neo-antigens
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,126,685.00
Summary
Cancer is caused by mutations which should be 'seen' and destroyed by the patients immune cells, similar to how immune cells protect us against viruses. But they don't. This grant will study how current cancer treatments help the immune cells 'see' these mutations. We will undertake these studies in the important cancers lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT): Further Characterization Of Disease Mechanism Will Improve Patient Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$456,484.00
Summary
Thrombus formation occurs as a side effect of heparin treatment in many patients. This condition is called Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT). The clots may be stabilised by secretions from cells called neutrophils. In this project we will study this possibility using a mouse model of HIT and will explore therapeutic approaches to inhibit clot stabilisation.
A Study Of Artemisinin Combination Therapy Given At Delivery To Prevent Postpartum Malaria And To Young Infants To Treat Uncomplicated Malaria
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$788,850.00
Summary
The proposed studies will investigate the preventive value of a course of combination antimalarial treatment at delivery in pregnant women in malarial areas. The transfer of this treatment into breast milk and to the suckling infant will be investigated since this may protect the infant against malaria but also cause drug-related side-effects. These data will be used, with a study of combination treatment in infants with malaria, to optimise dose regimens in this vulnerable group.
A Phase I Study Of Autologous CD19 Specific Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cells For Therapy Of Relapsed And Refractory B-cell Leukaemia And Lymphoma (The Auto-CAR19 Trial).
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$584,666.00
Summary
Most people with leukaemia and lymphoma who relapse early after chemotherapy die of their disease. Inserting special genes into immune cells can enable them to kill leukaemia and lymphoma and has led to dramatic cures, but the cost of the viral vectors used to make these cells is prohibitively expensive. We will make leukaemia and lymphoma specific immune cells from patients using an inexpensive non-viral system, then administer the immune cells to patients to assess their safety and efficacy.
Biomaterials For The Direct Reprograming Of Reactive Astrocytes Into Functional Neurons
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$630,500.00
Summary
We will employ peptide inspired hydrogel nanoscaffolds that can be injected into a brain lesion as a single injection to provide chemical and physical support for the surrounding cells. We will utilize various modifications to these materials to reprogram inflammatory cells into neurons, whilst also promoting the survival, maintenance and growth of existing neurons to encourage repair.