Project: Harnessing the power of RNA technology for vaccines and therapeutics
Villadangos Group
mRNA vaccines are a new category of vaccines that are revolutionizing medicine. They emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the formulations by Pfizer and Moderna playing a central role in the fight against the disease. These advanced vaccines constitute a new frontier in vaccine development against infectious pathogens and cancer. Despite evidence of robust T cell and B cell immunity induced by mRNA vaccines, little is known about the cascade of immune events that lead to the priming of adaptive immunity. This project will investigate which cells capture and express the mRNA following vaccination and how mRNA-encoded antigens are presented to T cells and B cells. It will use a variety of techniques, including mRNA vaccine generation, animal work, gene editing and spectral flow cytometry. Outcomes from this project will provide new insights into the mechanism of action of mRNA vaccines and create opportunities for publications and commercial development.
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Villadangos Group
6 vacancies
The Villadangos group studies the first event that triggers adaptive immune responses: the presentation of pathogen or tumour antigens to T cells by Dendritic Cells, B cells and Macrophages. We are characterizing the development, regulation and impairment of antigen presenting cells by pathogens, inflammatory mediators and tumours. We are also dissecting the biochemical machinery involved in antigen capture, processing, and presentation. We use this knowledge to understand how T cell-dependent immunity is initiated and maintained and apply it to design better vaccines and immunotherapies against infectious agents and cancer.
All our projects are open to Honours/Master of Biomedical Science students and PhD/MPhil graduate researchers
Villadangos Group Current Projects
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Improving the formation of protective immunity against human viruses
PhD/MPhil, Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
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MR1 – a molecular alarm system for bacterial infection
PhD/MPhil, Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
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Regulation of Complement by Membrane Receptor Ubiquitination
PhD/MPhil, Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
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Harnessing the power of RNA technology for vaccines and therapeutics
PhD/MPhil, Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
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Investigating the role of dendritic cell O-GlcNAcylation in adipose tissue homeostasis and immune function
PhD/MPhil, Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
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Understanding the causes of immune paralysis and lethal secondary infections in sepsis and trauma patients
PhD/MPhil, Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
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The immune signature of sepsis
PhD/MPhil, Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
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Regulating macrophage 'eating' for cancer and pathogen control
PhD/MPhil, Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
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Trogocytosis: a novel communication system between cells of the immune system
PhD/MPhil, Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
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A novel link between metabolism and immune function: O-GlcNAc glycosylation
PhD/MPhil, Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
Research degrees at the Doherty Institute are administered by the University of Melbourne.