Infection and Immunity | The Westmead Institute for Medical Research

Critical Infection / BARRD Group

Fighting infection costs the health system billions of dollars every year, so treating infection is one of the most cost-effective interventions in modern medicine.

Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases Group

Our research aims to understand and find better ways of controlling new and re-emerging infectious diseases such as tuberculosis.

Fungal Pathogenesis Group

We are one of a few groups in Australia researching the molecular and cell biology of pathogenic fungi to determine how they cause life threatening infections in immune suppressed patients, particular those with HIV.

Herpes Neuropathogenesis Group

We study how the virus invades and replicates in nerve cells. We have developed techniques to visualise the virus in nerve cells using fluorescence imaging and electron microscopy. This is helping us to understand how the virus enters and travels along nerve cells and then exits the tip of the nerve to invade skin cells.

HIV and Mucosal Immunity Group

There is still no vaccine or cure for HIV/AIDS and the only available treatment involves taking multiple drugs for the duration of the patient’s life. Therefore there is a critical need to develop strategies to block transmission of this virus, which occurs via sexual intercourse in by far the majority of cases.

HIV Pathogenesis Group

Our group studies interactions of HIV with dendritic cells and macrophages. These cells are two of the three key target cells for HIV.

Immunogenetics Group

Our aim is to find tools to personalise therapy, and to develop new therapeutic approaches to treat autoimmune and other diseases.

Infectious Diseases Group

Our group has a strong track record over 20 years in research into the pathogenesis, epidemiology, risk factors, clinical features and outcomes of invasive disease due to the serious fungal pathogens Cryptococcus and Candida.

Kidney Injury Repair and Fibrosis Study Group

We are researching a new way of targeting kidney fibrosis and preventing kidney failure. Fibrosis is caused by the growth factor TGF-β, which is also anti-inflammatory. We have identified a unique way of preventing TGF-β from causing fibrosis, while maintaining its important anti-inflammatory properties.

Liver Immunology Group

Our research is leading to better understanding of the role of a patient’s genetics and immune response in the development of chronic liver inflammation, fibrosis and ultimately cirrhosis in people with viral and non-viral liver disease.

Molecular Mycology Research Group

Our research group is one of the world leading molecular epidemiology groups investigating fungal disease outbreaks.

Molecular Viral Transport & Assembly Group

We research the basic biology of viruses, aiming not only to develop new antiviral drugs, but to exploit the properties of viruses to engineer new ways of delivering drugs to specific targets, such as cancer cells.

Neurodegenerative & Neuromuscular Diseases Group

We research the underlying mechanisms behind neurodegenerative disorders such as motor neuron disease, frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), as well as neuromuscular diseases like multiple sclerosis.

Polycystic Kidney Disease Group

Our research aims to develop new drugs and treatments that prevent kidney failure in these patients.

Preclinical Studies of Islet Transplantation Group

It is now possible to cure type 1 diabetes in some patients by transplanting donor islets, the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. However, this revolutionary technique, pioneered at Westmead Hospital, is only suitable for a small group of patients who have a specific form of diabetes.

Renal Inflammation & Immunology Group

Our research aims are to understand the mechanisms underlying renal inflammation and develop novel therapeutic strategies to reverse or delay progression of chronic kidney disease to renal failure.

The HIV Reservoir Group

Eradication of the virus is now a tangible possibility in the fight against the HIV epidemic, offering hope to millions of patients for whom combined anti-retroviral therapy remains costly, challenging and carries significant side effects.

Translational Public Health Bacterial Genomics Group

We study the genetic profile of pathogens with epidemic potential to understand the transmission patterns and dynamics of outbreaks. Our work improves the efficiency of epidemic investigation and disease monitoring, and is improving understanding of drug resistance.

Viral Hepatitis Pathogenesis Group

Our research aims to understand the biological mechanisms underlying viral hepatitis so that we can develop new therapies to cure the infection and reduce its complications.

Neuroinflammation research group

Our research investigates the immune component in some psychiatric diseases, including how to identify these patients and provide them with treatment.

Autoinflammatory Diseases Group

The autoinflammatory group brings together immunologists, gastrointestinal specialists, and colorectal surgeons, to investigate why autoinflammatory diseases occur and design novel ways to prevent and treat these debilitating diseases.

Kidney Injury Group

Our team is investigating the mechanisms of acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, and improving patient outcomes following kidney and islet transplantation.

Precision Genomics in Intensive Care Medicine Group

Our aim is to apply state-of-the-art genomics technology to improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from critical illness conditions, e.g. sepsis, severe pneumonia and influenza infection.

Autoimmunity & Amyloidosis Group

Our research uses genomic and proteomic technologies to investigate the underlying cause of autoimmune and amyloid diseases to improve diagnostic and precision medicine approaches.

Vaccines and Adjuvants Group

Understanding the mechanisms of action of vaccines and adjuvants (immune stimulants) in humans is essential for ongoing development, however, this is often studied in animal models and poorly characterised in humans.

Herpes Immunology Group

Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) causes genital herpes and debilitating conditions in the immune suppressed There is currently no licensed vaccine, although a single protein/adjuvant vaccine was partially successfully in women and its modified successor, Recombinant Zoster Vaccine, was 90% efficacious.

Infection & Immunity