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Research

Defining the cellular immune response to vaccines for enhanced protection from invasive pneumococcal disease

Peter Lea-Ann Ruth Richmond Kirkham Thornton MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP PhD PhD Head, Vaccine Trials Group Co-Head, Bacterial Respiratory Infectious Disease

Research

Combination of clinical symptoms and blood biomarkers can improve discrimination between bacterial or viral community-acquired pneumonia in children

Combining elevated CRP with the presence or absence of clinical signs/ symptoms differentiates definite bacterial from presumed viral pneumonia better than CRP alone

Research

Australian Aboriginal children with otitis media have reduced antibody titers to specific nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae vaccine antigens

decreased serum IgG responses to NTHi outer membrane proteins may contribute to the development of chronic and severe OM in Australian Aboriginal children

Research

Identifying barriers and facilitators for the effective diagnosis and provision of primary health care for otitis media from the perspective of carers of Aboriginal children

To identify the barriers and facilitators for timely detection and optimal management of otitis media in Aboriginal children in a primary care setting from the perspective of carers of Aboriginal children. 

Research

PCV10 elicits Protein D IgG responses in Papua New Guinean children but has no impact on NTHi carriage in the first two years of life

Nasopharyngeal colonisation with nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is associated with development of infections including pneumonia and otitis media. The 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) uses NTHi Protein D (PD) as a carrier. Papua New Guinean children have exceptionally early and dense NTHi carriage, and high rates of NTHi-associated disease.

Research

Optimising a 6-plex tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis fluorescent bead-based immunoassay

Small volume assays are required for large-scale research studies and in particular paediatric trials, where multiple measures are required from a single sample. Fluorescent bead-based technology (Bioplex/Luminex) allows high through-put and simultaneous quantification of multiple analytes in a single test. This technology uses sets of microspheres, each with a unique spectral address that can be coated with a different antigen of interest.

Research

Pathogens on the rise: is impaired immunity the cause of chronic ear and chest infections?

Ruth Elke Peter Thornton Seppanen Richmond PhD BSc PhD MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP Co-head, Bacterial Respiratory Infectious Disease Group (BRIDG) Program

Research

Bacillus licheniformis in geogenic dust induces inflammation in respiratory epithelium

We have previously demonstrated that mice exposed to geogenic dust PM10 experienced an exacerbation of inflammatory responses to influenza A virus.

Research

Role of viral and bacterial pathogens in causing pneumonia among Western Australian children: A case-control study protocol

We aim to determine the contribute of bacteria and virus to childhood CAP to inform further development of effective strategies.