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Research

Type 1 interferons (T1IFNs) are typically expressed in low concentrations under homeostatic conditions, but upon pathogenic insult or perturbation of the pathway, these critical immune signaling molecules can become either protectors from or drivers of pathology. While essential for initiating antiviral defense and modulating inflammation, dysregulation of T1IFN signaling can contribute to immunopathology, making it and its associated pathways prime targets for immune evasion and disruption by pathogens. 

Research

Tools that can be used to collect behavioural data during pandemics are needed to inform policy and practice. The objective of this project was to develop the Your COVID-19 Risk tool in response to the global spread of COVID-19, aiming to promote health behaviour change. We developed an online resource based on key behavioural evidence-based risk factors related to contracting and spreading COVID-19. This tool allows for assessing risk and provides instant support to protect individuals from infection.

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The relationship between ethnicity and mortality of patients critically ill with COVID-19 in Australia has not been described. Defining those communities at the highest risk of severe COVID-19 may assist with formulating effective public health policy and may improve the equitable delivery of health care in Australia.

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Quantifying the extent to which previous infections and vaccinations confer protection against future infection or disease outcomes is critical to managing the transmission and consequences of infectious diseases. We present a general statistical model for predicting the strength of protection conferred by different immunising exposures (numbers, types, and strains of both vaccines and infections), against multiple outcomes of interest, whilst accounting for immune waning. 

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Personal protective equipment is essential to protect healthcare workers when exposed to aerosol-generating procedures in patients with airborne respiratory pathogens.

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Community perception of vaccine safety influences vaccine uptake. Our objective was to assess current vaccine safety monitoring by examining factors that may influence the availability of post-vaccination survey data, and thereby the specificity and sensitivity of existing signal detection methods.

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Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) is the most common cause of sepsis, contributing to paediatric intensive care unit admission in Australia and New Zealand. While deep venous thrombosis (DVT) has been reported in children with invasive S. aureus infections, the actual frequency and possible effects of thrombosis on disease severity and outcome in paediatric SAB remain unknown. Moreover, guidance regarding imaging for paediatric SAB management are poorly defined. 

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Persistent bacterial lung infections in children lead to significant morbidity and mortality due to antibiotic resistance. In this paper, we describe how phage therapy has shown remarkable efficacy in preclinical and clinical studies, demonstrating significant therapeutic benefits through various administration routes. 

Research

Vaccination scholarship focuses on how privilege, individualized choice and ‘intensive’ and ‘natural’ parenthood – often motherhood – lead people to delay or not vaccinate their children. Recently, examining parents’ vaccination responsibilities – and the inequalities in paid employment and unpaid care work underpinning them – has become important to understand COVID-19.

Research

Australia commenced administration of the Spikevax (Moderna mRNA-1273) COVID-19 vaccine in August 2021 and Nuvaxovid (Novavax NVX-CoV2373) in January 2022. This study describes the short-term safety profile of priming doses of the Spikevax and Nuvaxovid vaccines given between September 2021 and September 2023.