Developmental Stages Of In Vivo And In Vitro-generated Dendritic Cell Subsets And Regulation Of T Cell Differentiation.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$88,087.00
Summary
Dendritic cells (DC) represent a diverse family of white blood cells that form a sentinel network throughout the body involved in the detection and eradication of pathogens and cancer cells. DC can originate from different precursor cells in the bone marrow. It is therefore possible that different types of DC perform differing functions. For instance, DC not only initiate immune responses but are also able to silence them. However, the ability of DC to instruct and orchestrate the immune respons ....Dendritic cells (DC) represent a diverse family of white blood cells that form a sentinel network throughout the body involved in the detection and eradication of pathogens and cancer cells. DC can originate from different precursor cells in the bone marrow. It is therefore possible that different types of DC perform differing functions. For instance, DC not only initiate immune responses but are also able to silence them. However, the ability of DC to instruct and orchestrate the immune response may not only depend upon their origins but also on where they encounter pathogens or cancer cells and what other signals are associated with this encounter. Due to their specialized capacity to instruct the immune response (e.g. T cells, B cells and NK cells) of impending danger, DC are used experimentally to more efficiently deliver vaccines to the immune response so as to eradicate cancer or infectious disease. However, in order to successfully use DC to deliver vaccines, one must first understand how these cells normally behave in the body and what signals can alter their functional ability to orchestrate immune responses. We can generate DC outside the body from their precursors. We can also isolate DC from the circulation. This project seeks to identify how various physiologic stimuli differentially regulate the functional behaviour of DC subsets and how this then influences the DC's ability to instruct the developing T cell immune response. Furthermore, whether these signals are the same for DC generated outside the body with those isolated from the blood. Of particular interest is whether differing types of DC and differing stages of their maturity will differentially influence the T cell's ability to secrete immune response hormones and to recognize and kill cancer cells. The findings of this study have direct implications of how to best harness DC to effectively deliver vaccines and generate potent immune responses against cancer and infectious disease.Read moreRead less
Characterisation Of Cumulus Cell Molecular Mediators Of Oocyte Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$451,896.00
Summary
Many women are poorly fertile because of poor egg quality due to age, disease and lifestyle. IVF can assist, but requires large doses of hormone, which can lead to significant health risks. IVM is an alternative lab technique to IVF, but has very poor success. We discovered that synthetic proteins copied from recently discovered egg proteins can be added to the egg and substantially increase IVM success. Answering why will further will aid treatment for infertile women
Re-energising The Preimplantation Embryo To Extend Lifetime Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,156,936.00
Summary
Diseases of aging are associated with shortening at the ends of chromosomes called telomeres. The length of an individual’s telomeres is established during embryo development, and in situations where embryo development is compromised such as with maternal obesity the normal process of telomere lengthening may not occur. We will determine how such disruptions in embryo telomere lengthening contribute to poor health in adulthood and test ways to restore the natural process.
Advancing maternal age is associated with the progressive loss of fertility, increased miscarriage and a greater risk of bearing children with birth defects. These adverse reproductive outcomes result, in part, from the loss of egg quality with age. We aim to identify and characterise genes involved in the age-related decline in egg quality. The long-term goal of this research is to develop novel strategies to improve fertility outcomes for women who chose to delay pregnancy until later in life.
Dynamic Imaging Of The Immune Response In Lymph Nodes By Two-photon Microscopy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$79,514.00
Summary
Despite the enormous contribution of vaccination to the prevention of human disease and suffering, little is known about the laws that govern the selection and survival of B cells during the response to infection or vaccination. Our research projects aim to integrate several cutting-edge technologies, including two-photon microscopy, in order to understand the cellular and molecular basis of immunity.