Improving Immunoassays For The Diagnosis Of Latent Tuberculosis Infection In Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$489,006.00
Summary
WHO highlights the urgent need for new tests for tuberculosis (TB). Diagnosis of latent TB infection (LTBI) is vital in children to prevent them developing active TB. A tuberculin skin test has long been used but is not always accurate. More accurate blood tests (immunoassays) have recently been developed which improve the diagnosis of LTBI in adults. However, we have shown that these assays do not work well in children. We aim to improve the performance of immunoassays for diagnosing LTBI in ch ....WHO highlights the urgent need for new tests for tuberculosis (TB). Diagnosis of latent TB infection (LTBI) is vital in children to prevent them developing active TB. A tuberculin skin test has long been used but is not always accurate. More accurate blood tests (immunoassays) have recently been developed which improve the diagnosis of LTBI in adults. However, we have shown that these assays do not work well in children. We aim to improve the performance of immunoassays for diagnosing LTBI in children.Read moreRead less
How Do Glycosaminoglycans Promote The Propagation Of Prions?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$512,270.00
Summary
The prion diseases are a group of transmissible, neurodegenerative disorders affecting both humans and animals. The most common form in humans is sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), although acquired (variant CJD) and inherited (familial CJD) forms are recognised. Prion diseases are transmissible to the same species by inoculation with, or dietary exposure to, infected tissues. The infectious agent, referred to as a prion , has not been identified at the molecular level. However, a major c ....The prion diseases are a group of transmissible, neurodegenerative disorders affecting both humans and animals. The most common form in humans is sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), although acquired (variant CJD) and inherited (familial CJD) forms are recognised. Prion diseases are transmissible to the same species by inoculation with, or dietary exposure to, infected tissues. The infectious agent, referred to as a prion , has not been identified at the molecular level. However, a major component of purified prions is an abnormal disease associated form of the host encoded prion protein. Understanding how the disease associated form of the prion protein is generated and how host-derived cofactors contribute to its formation will help in our understanding of the infectious nature of these diseases and in the development of effective therapeutic and prophylactic strategies. Glycosaminoglycans are host-derived components of the extracellular matrix that are associated with prion protein plaques found in the brain tissue of patients with prion diseases. Glycosaminoglycans are believed to influence the transmission of prions and the ongoing propagation of infectivity. In this study the importance of glycosaminoglycans in the formation of the disease associated prion protein and the generation of infectivity will be investigated using both cell-free and cell-based models of prion propagation. The understanding gained from this study will be used to develop a high throughput assay that can be used to detect prion infection prior to the development of clinical disease and within a time frame whereby therapeutic intervention may be effective.Read moreRead less
Growth Factors And Regulatory Genes Controlling Male Spermatogonial Proliferation And Differentiation.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$354,536.00
Summary
In newborn and prepubertal boys the testis contains germ cells which are at a premature stage of development and very suseptible to degeneration especially if the testes fail to descend to the scrotum. The molecules which are responsible for the health of these germ cells have been unknown and only recently the way has been opened for direct study of these factors. This has been made possible by a new assay, developed in our labarotory, in which we can grow these germ cells under defined conditi ....In newborn and prepubertal boys the testis contains germ cells which are at a premature stage of development and very suseptible to degeneration especially if the testes fail to descend to the scrotum. The molecules which are responsible for the health of these germ cells have been unknown and only recently the way has been opened for direct study of these factors. This has been made possible by a new assay, developed in our labarotory, in which we can grow these germ cells under defined conditions. This step forward has highlighted some areas of knowledge which need further research such as identification of the processes which stimulate gonocytes to grow and divide. We need to test growth factors, somatic cell factors and also isolate new genes which are associated with germ cells and their growth. This knowledge will have outcomes in two major areas. First, the new findings could be applied to treatment of infertility resulting from undescended testes in which a stimulus could be given to make the germ cells grow again. Second, work in developing longer term culture of germ cells coupled with introduction of mutations will enable us to make mutant mice with a specific gene abnormality, similar to transgenic or gene knockout mice. This technological development would prove less expensive and time consuming with more reproducible and direct outcomes. Mutant mouse technology is a powerful tool to determine the effects of individual genes in the whole animal (mouse).Read moreRead less
Identification And Characterisation Of Cells With High Proliferative Potential In Human Endometrium
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$409,575.00
Summary
Each month when the uterine lining does not receive an implanting embryo, this lining is shed as part of the menstrual process. It is rapidly replaced with a new functional lining that grows from the basal layer that remains. In post menopausal women, who only have the thin basal layer of the uterine lining, there is rapid regeneration of the lining when they commence hormone replacement therapy. Despite this remarkable regenerative capacity of the uterine lining, nothing is known about the prec ....Each month when the uterine lining does not receive an implanting embryo, this lining is shed as part of the menstrual process. It is rapidly replaced with a new functional lining that grows from the basal layer that remains. In post menopausal women, who only have the thin basal layer of the uterine lining, there is rapid regeneration of the lining when they commence hormone replacement therapy. Despite this remarkable regenerative capacity of the uterine lining, nothing is known about the precursor cells responsible for its cyclical growth. Our preliminary studies have shown that the human uterine lining contains a rare population of cells with high proliferative capacity. This project will identify, characterize and locate these precursor cells in the human uterine lining. It also aims to obtain information on how these precursor cells function in regenerating the uterine lining, how they interact with sex hormones and how their proliferative activity is regulated. Information generated from this project will provide significant new insight into the functioning of the uterine lining. It also has immediate application to common gynaecological diseases associated with abnormal growth of the uterine lining, such as endometriosis, a disease which affects 10% of reproductive age women causing pain and infertility. A better understanding of how these precursor cells may be involved in endometriosis and other gynaecological diseases may ultimately lead to the development of improved medical treatments rather than surgical intervention, which is currently the main form of treatment.Read moreRead less