Pneumococcal disease is one of the biggest killers of children under 5 years of age worldwide, mostly in developing countries. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines are highly effective at reducing pneumococcal disease however the duration of protection and the immune factors involved is unknown, particularly when fewer than the recommended number of doses are used. My fellowship aims to examine the key immune factors that provide long-term protection following pneumococcal vaccination.
Systems Immunology Of Antigen Specific T Cells: From Single-cell To Immune Protection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$470,144.00
Summary
T cells are key for establishment of immune protection and object of ongoing research in vaccines and more recently immunotherapy against infections and some cancers. Their dynamics are complex and many mechanisms remain unknown that could be exploited for modern therapies. Here, in a systems approach I will combined single cell technologies, immunology and computational biology to identify the factors that determine the establishment of long term memory cells utilising a unique set of samples.