US funding boost for autoimmune projects
A team of Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) researchers has been awarded grants from two United States-based foundations for studies into different autoimmune diseases.
Professor Anthony Purcell and Dr Pouya Faridi were recently awarded a $195,000 grant by the JDRF, while Professor Purcell and Dr Asolina Braun were awarded a $100,000 grant by the National Psoriasis Foundation. Both grants are for one-year projects.
While seemingly different, the strands of research share a common theme and Professor Purcell’s success in securing the grants a common basis.
“We’re using our skills and expertise in antigen and epitope discovery to understand what triggers these diseases – that’s the common link,” he said. “Both type 1 diabetes and psoriasis are autoimmune diseases, and in both cases are increasing in frequency.”
Professor Purcell and Drs Faridi and Braun work within a large team of researchers in the Monash BDI’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
The JDRF Strategic Research Agreement (SRA) grant is supporting pilot studies aimed at identifying the mechanisms of type 1 diabetes pathogenesis, specifically a new source of antigen called hybrid insulin peptides. These ‘stitched together’, or ‘Frankenstein’ peptides as they have been coined, form novel structures that may evoke autoimmunity and lead to the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes, Professor Purcell said.
“Somewhere along the line in the pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin, pieces of the hormone insulin get fused to other protein fragments, thus generating these novel hybrid molecules, which can be targeted by autoreactive T cells,” he said.
The studies will ultimately work towards identifying enzymes that may be responsible for forming these fusion peptides, which could then be targeted by a small molecule inhibitor. They also may pave the way to developing new immunotherapies that would work by inducing an anergic response in autoreactive T cells, essentially turning them off, he said.
Professor Purcell is Principal Chief Investigator on this grant while post-doctoral researcher Dr Pouya Faridi is Chief Investigator.
The other grant is also for early stage research, this time aimed at finding peptides that trigger the skin condition psoriasis. Psoriasis affects between one and three per cent of the population and can be extremely uncomfortable for people who have it in a severe form.
Professor Purcell will investigate a molecule called HLA-Cw6, a variant of Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) that is highly prevalent in psoriasis.
“We believe that by making HLA-Cw6 transgenic mice, we’ll be able to induce the disease and then use that as a model to really understand how we can reduce or ameliorate the disease,” he said.
Current psoriasis treatments focus on managing symptoms and halting inflammation. Knowing what triggers psoriasis means researchers could target very early immune responses that may be more beneficial than treating ongoing inflammation, he said.
Professor Purcell is Principal Chief Investigator with Dr Asolina Braun.
Professor Purcell, an NHMRC Fellow whose lab has been supported by the NHMRC, has been supported by a range of other sources, including by Cancer Australia, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US, several industry partners, and UK-based funding agencies including the Medical Research Council and Cancer Research UK.
“With changes to our major national funding bodies, it is now more important than ever to reach out to these key research foundations to allow us to continue this critical research,” he said.
About the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Committed to making the discoveries that will relieve the future burden of disease, the newly established Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University brings together more than 120 internationally-renowned research teams. Our researchers are supported by world-class technology and infrastructure, and partner with industry, clinicians and researchers internationally to enhance lives through discovery.