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Promoting, Improving and Maintaining the World's Health

The young and the elderly are the most susceptible to parasitic diseases, both in the developed and the developing world.

To address this, the Network will focus on the development of new vaccines and treatments for local and global populations and the creation of new technologies to monitor and prevent contamination of waterways with infectious stages of zoonotic parasites (one of the world’s principle causes of disease).

The specific objectives of the Network are to enhance and focus Australia’s parasitology research effort to:

  • Better understand host-parasite relationships; and
  • Discover and develop sustainable parasite control strategies.

Case Study : The Human Hookworm Initiative

Dr Alex Loukas, Queensland Institute of Medical Research

Hookworms infect almost one billion people in developing countries throughout the world. Adult hookworms live in the intestine where they bury their heads into the mucosa and feed on blood. Clinical symptoms of hookworm disease are most notably iron deficiency anaemia, a direct consequence of blood loss from feeding adult parasites. Anthelmintic drugs are effective however re-infection rapidly occurs soon after treatment. A vaccine is therefore an urgent requirement. Hookworm infection is a seriously debilitating disease in its own right, but in addition, the general state of immune suppression that these worms induce is likely to have an effect on vaccine programs being developed for other human infectious diseases, notably malaria, HIV, TB and leishmaniasis.

The Helminth Biology Laboratory at Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) in Brisbane, is headed by Dr Alex Loukas, and the lab is intimately involved with the Human Hookworm Vaccine Initiative (HHVI). The HHVI is primarily run out of George Washington University (Drs Peter Hotez and Jeffrey Bethony) and The Sabin Vaccine Institute, Washington DC, USA. The HHVI is funded by an $US18 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. The Helminth Biology lab at QIMR is partly funded by the HHVI to identify protective antigens and express them in eukaryotic hosts (insect cells) for vaccine trials and human immunoepidemiologic studies.

Candidate antigens have been identified from infective hookworm larvae and blood-feeding, adult worms. Proteins secreted by larvae during their transition to parasitism, and proteolytic enzymes used to digest host haemoglobin (haemoglobinases) are major targets of what will likely be a multi-protein cocktail vaccine. Vaccine studies in animal models and complimentary human immunoepidemiologic correlates have highlighted the potential efficacy of a number of proteins, one of which will proceed to Phase I clinical trials in the near future.

Current Project Funding

Project Title Chief Investigator Host Institute Funding Body
The role of dendritic cells in inducing protective immunity to malaria M. Plebanski UMelb NHMRC
Identifying host response genes for malaria S. Foote WEHI NIH
Targets for malaria cell mediated immunity from MSP1 and other proteins M.F. Good et al. QIMR WHO
CD38+ T cells in malaria immunosuppression M. Plebanski UMelb NHMRC
Oxidative stress-induced alterations of the host erythrocyte by the malaria parasite L. Tilley and N. Klonis. LaTrobe ARC
Red cell polymorphism and malaria D. Kemp, K. Trenholme et al. QIMR ARC
Studies of the ways in which the malaria parasite alters the surface properties of its host’s red blood cells L. Tilley LaTrobe NHMRC
Understanding proteins that make malaria-infected blood cells sticky : functional characterization of a Maurer’s cleft protein involved in adhesion of malaria-infected red blood cells B. Cooke and R. Coppel Monash NHMRC
The red cell membrane skeleton and malaria infection M. Narla and R. Coppel Monash NIH
Adherance of malaria-infected red cells A. Cowman, B. Cooke and R. Coppel WEHI NIH
The CLAG gene family of Plasmodium falciparum D. Kemp, K. Trenholme and D. Gardiner QIMR NHMRC
Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 and var gene expression, parasite sequestration and anti-adhesive responses S. Rogerson  UMelb Wellcome
Post genomic investigation of the relict plastid and mitochondrion of malaria parasites G. McFadden UMelb ARC
Expression and characterisation of nutrient transporters from the intracellular malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum K. Kirk, S. Howitt and S. Broe ANU ARC
Ion transport in the malaria parasite K. Kirk ANU NHMRC
Vitamin metabolism in the malaria parasite K. Saliba and K. Kirk ANU NHMRC
Plasmodium falciparum leucine aminopeptidases: gene silencing, functional expression and characterization J. Dalton and C. Stack UTS Enterprise Ireland
Control of pH in the digestive vacuole of the human parasite, Plasmodium falciparum K. Kirk ANU NHMRC
PH regulation in the intracellular malaria parasite S. Ward and K. Kirk ANU Wellcome
Mechanisms that control pathology in experimental cerebral malaria C. Engwerda QIMR NHMRC
Inducible nitric oxide synthase, paediatric falciparum malaria, and aspirin I. Clark ANU NHMRC
Roles of CD8-positive T-cells and chemokines in cerebral malaria N. Hunt USyd NHMRC
Malaria and HIV in pregnancy S. Rogerson and S. Meshnick UMelb NIH
Structure, dynamics and interactions of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 2 R. Norton, D. Keizer and R. Anders WEHI ARC
Oral immunisation against malaria : assessment of transgenic plants expressing malaria antigens as a means of inducing protective immunity R. Coppel, L. Wang and S. Wesselingh Monash NHMRC
Structure of a malaria vaccine candidate R. Norton, R. Anders and M. Foley WEHI NHMRC
The characterization and improvement of antibody memory to the malaria vaccine MSP119 M. Wykes, M.F. Good, A. Lew and J. Wispasa QIMR WHO
The role of heat shock protein 70 in parasite virulence N. Smith and M. Wallach UTS ARC
The molecular basis for oocyst and cyst wall formation in apicomplexan parasites S. Belli, N. Smith and N. Beebe UTS ARC
Chemotherapy of protozoan infections A. Thompson, J. Reynoldson Murdoch Glaxo SmithKline
Modulation of immune responses during infectious disease C. Engwerda QIMR NHMRC
Finding genes for host responses to Leishmania major S. Foote and E. Handman WEHI NIH
Characterisation of a mucin-like proteophosphoglycan, a potential Leishmania major amastigote virulence factor E. Handman WEHI WHO
Genotyping of the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis P. Upcroft and P. Johnson QIMR NIH
Organisation, expression and diversity of the sub-telomeric regions of the ancient eukaryote, Giardia duodenalis P. Upcroft QIMR ARC
Adsorption of host antigens by schistosomes A. Loukas QIMR NHMRC
Immunogenic studies on Schistosoma japonicum in Dongting Lake, China D. McManus and Y. Li QIMR Wellcome
Schistosoma mansoni: proteases involved in haemoglobin digestion and potential as vaccines J. Dalton and S. Donnelly UTS Wellcome
Pathways to improved, sustainable morbidity control and prevention of schistosomiasis in the People’s Republic of China D. McManus et al. QIMR Wellcome/ NHMRC
Mobile genetic elements from the genomes of hookworms A. Loukas and P. Brindley QIMR Thailand Tropical Diseases Research Program
Development of a vaccine against human hookworm infection P. Hotez, A. Loukas and J. Bethony QIMR Gates Foundation
Cyclophilins in Echinococcus granulosus M. Lightowlers UMelb NHMRC
Immunological control of cysticercosis and hydatid disease M. Lightowlers UMelb NHMRC
Evaluation of Xiao-Bao, a novel compound derived from Chinese Traditional Medicine, for the treatment of human echinococcosis J. Cipeng, M. Jones, D.P. McManus QIMR WHO
Drug resistance in filariasis J. McCarthy, A. Kotze and M. Bokarie QIMR WHO
Purification, cloning and expression of Opisthorchis viverrini proteases: applications in pathology and immunodiagnostics B. Sripa and A.Loukas QIMR Thailand Tropical Diseases Research Program
Investigating the molecular basis of emerging drug resistance in scabies mites S. Walton, J. McCarthy, B. Currie and D. Holt Menzies NHMRC
Resistance to pediculicides in head lice S.Barker and R. Speare QIMR ARC