Project: How does ageing affect antibody responses?
Chung group
Antibodies are a vital component of the immune response required for protection and control of infectious diseases. However, large changes can occur to the quality of an antibody response as a person grows older. One of the reasons for this change is glycosylation, where sugar structures are added to the antibody. Different glycan structures can determine how well the antibody activates surrounding innate immune cells to attack and eliminate invading pathogens. Intriguingly, within humans, large antibody glycan changes are observed within infants and elderly, which may contribute to why they are more susceptible to infection. This project aims to further understand the effect of ageing upon antibody responses using non-human primate models.
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Chung group
3 vacancies
The Chung group has an interest in understanding how an antibody can instruct the innate immune system to attack and protect against a range of infectious diseases including HIV, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and malaria through engagement with their Fc regions. Ultimately, our research aims to understand the mechanisms behind these antibodies in order to guide the development of more effective antibody therapeutics and vaccines.
Chung group Current Projects
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Investigating the role of functional antibodies against Mycobacterium tuberculosis
PhD/MPhil, Master of Biomedical Science
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The importance of IgA in the protection and control of infectious diseases
PhD/MPhil, Master of Biomedical Science
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How does ageing affect antibody responses?
Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
Research degrees at the Doherty Institute are administered by the University of Melbourne.