P.gingivalis GroEL and HSP60 specific T cells in periodontal and cardiovascular diseases

Funding Activity

Website
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/252813

Funding Status
Closed

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Funded Activity Summary

Cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of death in adults in most developed and many developing countries. In recent years there has been accumulating evidence that chronic infections such as Helicobacter pylori and Chlamydia pneumoniae are associated with cardiovascular diseases. Chronic inflammatory periodontal diseases are among the most common chronic infections with over one million Australians at risk of losing their teeth. Poor dental health and in particular chronic periodontitis is now consistently being associated with a number of other diseases and conditions including cardiovascular disease. In some studies the relationship between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease is stronger than that for other risk factors such as smoking and high cholesterol. Periodontitis results from the inflammatory response to dental plaque. One of the major pathogens identified in dental plaque is P.gingivalis. Heat shock proteins (HSP) are expressed by cells on exposure to various forms of stress including temperature and injury. They participate in physiological processes such as the assembly, transport and protection of proteins from breakdown. There is a remarkable conservation in the structure of heat shock genes and HSP across species. Many pathogens including P.gingivalis bear antigens that are similar to human HSPand cross reactivity during infection may result in disease such as atherosclerosis. This study aims to test the hypothesis that cross reactivity between the bacterial antigens and HSP may explain the mechanism of the association between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease. This would have a significant impact on the treatment of both periodontal and cardiovascular disease.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2003

End Date: 01-01-2005

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $619,500.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Medical physiology not elsewhere classified

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

Association | Cardiovascular disease | Cross-reactivity | Heat Shock Protein | Immune response | Mechanism | Periodontal disease

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