Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers, with the help of NICTA’s Victoria ICT Laboratory, are a step closer to being able to model the complexity of our immune system in a computer thanks to research published in Science today. This will be a critical tool in developing new vaccines and better therapies for autoimmune diseases.
Scientists have found new clues in the search for a vaccine against glandular fever.
For the unfortunate few born with the rare immunodeficiency known as X-linked lymphoproliferative disease (XLP), infection with the saliva-borne Epstein Barr virus, which causes glandular fever, can be fatal.
Australian immunologists have now discovered why, and while their finding does not point to an immediate cure for XLP, it does give insight to enhance normal immunity to EBV in the future – with vaccines or prophylactic medicines.
Dr Umaimainthan Palendira and A/Prof Stuart Tangye, Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Natural Killer cells are shut down by a group of proteins found on healthy cells, an international team has found. These de-activating proteins, known as Human Leukocyte Antigens or HLA molecules are absent in many tumours and cells infected with viruses, leaving them open to attack by the Natural Killer cells.
Prof Jamie Rossjohn, Monash University and A/Prof Andrew Brooks, University of Melbourne
Nature, http://www.monash.edu.au/news/show/unravelling-the-mysteries-of-the-natural-killer-within-us
This week on radio, Tim Thwaites is talking about booze and the immune system; Twitter and the world’s mood; general anaesthetic; a nose for death; and more… Read the full article →
Our livers can fight back against the immune system – reducing organ rejection but also making us more susceptible to liver disease. Read the full article →
This week on radio, Tim Thwaites is talking about Australia’s big twist; slipped discs; poisonous rats; hungry bats; and more… Read the full article →
This week on radio, Tim Thwaites is talking about surreptitious sleep; feeding hummingbirds; why bats don’t like the rain; and more. Read the full article →
This week on radio, Tim Thwaites is talking about arsenic-eating microbes; vegetarian pandas; frog pee; the swine flu wash-up; and more Read the full article →
This week on radio, Tim Thwaites is talking about ditching fingers for bean bags; evolving to beat climate change; the downside of space tourism; running before breakfast; and more…
Media release: Geelong, Friday 23 April 2010
Modern drugs can stabilise adult onset diabetes but with some serious side effects. A Geelong-based company, Verva Pharmaceuticals, has a new approach – a drug used for many years to treat eye disease. In animal testing, the drug restored sensitivity to insulin. But will it be effective and safe in people? Read the full article →
Follow this link to Ian Frazer’s acceptance speech: http://www.uq.edu.au/news/?article=16238
A hero of women and scienceIan Frazer has created four vaccines to fight cervical cancer. Two of them-Gardasil and Cervarix-are now on the market. Both prevent infection with the virus responsible for most cervical cancers. The other two vaccines are in clinical trials and are designed to treat women who have already been infected.
And Ian isn’t finished-he’s already working on the next generation of cervical cancer vaccines. But his greatest challenge is to get the vaccines to where they can do most good, in developing countries where screening programs are not widely available and 200,000 women die every year from cervical cancer.
Only then will his battle against cervical cancer be complete.
Jamie RossjohnProteins are the molecular machines of all life. Their shape is the key to understanding how they function, or malfunction. We can use this knowledge to understand the natural world, and to guide the development of tests, vaccines and drugs to fight disease.
Jamie Rossjohn is one of Australia’s leaders in structural biology and X-ray crystallography, a burgeoning field of science built around understanding the shape and function of proteins and other biological molecules. Read the full article →
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