Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine
Brian Cooke
- Adjunct Professor
- brian.cooke@jcu.edu.au
Amanda Murphy
- Senior Research Fellow
- amanda.murphy@jcu.edu.au
Tessa Knox
- Principal Research Fellow
- tessa.knox@jcu.edu.au
Justin Sexton
- Adjunct Research Fellow
- justin.sexton1@jcu.edu.au
Adeshina Adekunle
- Adjunct Research Fellow
- adeshina.adekunle@jcu.edu.au
Brogan Amos
- Adjunct Research Fellow
- brogan.amos@jcu.edu.au
Rachael Ryan
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- rachael.ryan1@jcu.edu.au
Emma McBryde
- Adjunct Professor
- emma.mcbryde@jcu.edu.au
Juergen Reichardt
- Adjunct Professor
- juergen.reichardt@jcu.edu.au
Tanya Russell
- Principal Research Fellow
- tanya.russell@my.jcu.edu.au
Hookworm peptide therapeutic for oral treatment of IBD (Old ID 26317)
Roland Ruscher
01 Jan 2020 - 30 Jun 2022
We intend to develop an orally delivered peptide that can modulate the immune system and be developed as a therapeutic for inflammatory bowel disease. We have identified a peptide, derived from a hookworm protein, that alleviates the clinical symptoms of experimental colitis when orally administered to mice. The peptide has bioactivity with human cells ex vivo and displays desirable drug-like properties. The aim of this project is to acquire further data on the mechanism of action and formulation conditions to facilitate formal product development prior to licensing and clinical trials.
Novel therapeutics for diabetes sourced from Northern Australian biota. (Old ID 27321)
Roland Ruscher
01 Jul 2021 - 30 Jun 2022
The aim of this project is to develop lead diabetes drug candidates from hookworm saliva and build a package for multinational commercial investment. The project aims to deliver the following outcomes: 1. Screen a synthetic hookworm library (consisting of hundreds of hookworm proteins) for anti-inflammatory activity and express lead candidates using pharmaceutical industry standard techniques. 2. Assess efficacy of leads in mouse models of diet-induced T2D. 3. Understand the mechanism of lead drug action and prioritize candidates for progression into clinical development. 4. Set the scene for a burgeoning biotech industry in Northern Australia that is differentiated from those in the south, and indeed globally, by capitalizing on the unique biodiversity of the region and the therapeutic opportunities it presents.
TB vaccination-challenge study. (Old ID 27368)
Socorro Miranda-Hernandez
19 Aug 2021 - 31 Mar 2022
This project will test the efficacy of new tuberculosis vaccine formulations developed by Lipotek Pty Ltd in a small animal model of tuberculosis at JCU.
Evaluation of BCGΔBCG1419c:ESAT6-PE25SS in immunocompetent and immunocompromised mouse models of TB (Old ID 27605)
Socorro Miranda-Hernandez
01 Jun 2022 - 31 May 2023
Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health concern that causes more than 1.5 million deaths each year. Vaccination is considered one of the most effective ways to eliminate TB. However, the only licensed TB vaccine, called BCG, provides limited protection against the disease in adults and can cause dangerous side effects in people with weaker immune systems. This project aims to investigate whether a new vaccine candidate can induce a stronger immune response and better protection against tuberculosis in mice with normal immune systems and is well-tolerated in mice with compromised immune systems, when compared with the original BCG vaccine.
Evaluation of BCGΔBCG1419c:ESAT6-PE25SS in immunocompetent and immunocompromised mouse models of TB (Old ID 27605)
Andreas Kupz
01 Jun 2022 - 31 May 2023
Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health concern that causes more than 1.5 million deaths each year. Vaccination is considered one of the most effective ways to eliminate TB. However, the only licensed TB vaccine, called BCG, provides limited protection against the disease in adults and can cause dangerous side effects in people with weaker immune systems. This project aims to investigate whether a new vaccine candidate can induce a stronger immune response and better protection against tuberculosis in mice with normal immune systems and is well-tolerated in mice with compromised immune systems, when compared with the original BCG vaccine.
Antimicrobial properties of molecular isolates from tropical fauna and flora (Old ID 26468)
Andreas Kupz
01 Jan 2019 - 31 Dec 2020
Since the introduction of antibiotics, the burden of disease from infectious diseases has significantly reduced. We now rely on antibiotics as a mainstay for the treatment of several life-threatening infections. However, misuse of antibiotics has also seen resistance occurring in several bacterial species. One of the major health problems facing humanity is the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance. Using a range of in vitro assays, the antimicrobial properties of molecular isolates from several Australian tropical fauna and flora species will be investigated, in the hope of finding new classes of antibiotics.
Plasmodium vivax transmission blocking studies in the South Pacific (Old ID 23455)
Tom Burkot
01 Dec 2018 - 30 Nov 2022
This project is aimed at better understanding transmission of P. vivax, the world's most widely spread malaria parasite. Using a newly established experimental platform that enables us to feed P. vivax infected blood to Anopheles farauti mosquitoes, we can start researching factors in human blood that determine P. vivax infection success, test new vaccine and drug candidates for their ability to block transmission and thus significantly advance science surrounding this neglected parasite.
JCU Mosquito Trap Development (Old ID 23664)
Tom Burkot
01 May 2018 - 30 Apr 2020
To design and validate traps that are low cost and sensitive enough for Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes that they can be deployed for both SIT release surveillance during suppression and elimination operations, and also for sentinel surveillance after elimination.
Stronger surveillance and systems support for rapid identification and containment of resurgent or resistant vector borne pathogens in Papua New Guinea. (Old ID 26446)
Tom Burkot
01 Feb 2019 - 16 Jan 2023
This project is aimed at stronger surveillance and systems support for rapid identification and containment of resurgent or resistant vector borne pathogens in Papua New Guinea. The subcontract to JCU includes a specific work package on arbovirus and malaria mosquito surveillance.
Stopping the Asian Tiger Mosquito from reaching mainland Australia with sugar baits (Old ID 26693)
Tom Burkot
01 Jan 2020 - 31 Dec 2020
Aedes albopictus, a documented vector of dengue, Zika and chikungunya, is one of the fastest spreading invasive species worldwide, and was first detected in the Torres Strait in 2005. This pilot project will lay the foundation required to assess the feasibility of Attractive Targeted Sugar Baits (ATSB) to control Aedes albopictus. The overall objective is to determine the frequency that mosquitos’ sugar feed, a parameter critical to the success of ATSBs. This pilot data will be leveraged for funding to trial the use of ATSBs to stop Ae. albopictus from reaching the mainland.
Quantifying the impact of Wolbachia releases on dengue infection in Townsville, Australia
- 2023
- Nature Publishing Group
- Researchers:Adeshina AdekunleMichael MeehanEmma McBryde
Two-shots of immunization effectively induce protective IgG against canine parvo-viral infection
- 2022
- Conscientia Beam
- Researchers:Suchandan Sikder
Meloxicam is the primary choice of analgesic for dogs and cats; a cross-sectional clinical study in Bangladesh
- 2022
- UniversePG
- Researchers:Suchandan Sikder
Start Date:
01 Jan 2010
Start Date:
01 Jan 2020
Start Date:
01 Jan 2021
Title:
Gene Awards – Finalist
Start Date:
01 Jan 2023
Start Date:
01 Jan 2024
Start Date:
01 Jan 2022
Start Date:
01 Jan 2018
End Date:
01 Jan 2021
Start Date:
01 Jan 2012
Start Date:
01 Jan 2019
Start Date:
01 Jan 2022