Student Projects
If you are interested in joining our research group as an Honours, Masters or PhD student, please contact either Dr Shelley Stone or Professor Simon Brown. Listed below are some of the projects currently available to students:
Emergency Department Anaphyalxis (EDA) Project
Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death. The most common causes of anaphylaxis are food (nuts, legumes, seafood), insect venom (bee/wasp/ant stings) and medication (antibiotics). The principal aim of this project is to improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of human anaphylaxis by examining mediators and their relationships to reaction sub-types and outcomes. Patients presenting to ED with symptoms of anaphylaxis have serum and plasma collected at three timepoints: T0 - arrival at ED, T1 - one hour after arrival and T2 - pre-discharge from hospital (between 2-12 hours after arrival). DNA is also being collected. The student choosing this project will investigate the roles of IL-10 and IL-6 (measurement of serum protein levels, polymorphisms in the IL10 and IL6 genes) in mediating the severity and resolution of anaphylaxis.
Venom Anaphylaxis and Immunotherapy
Life-threatening allergy to stings from native ants constitutes an important clinical problem in Australia. Our group has made significant progress by proving the efficacy of venom immunotherapy (VIT) for allergy to the most common of these ants, the jack jumper ant (JJA). VIT desensitises individuals to specific venoms through the subcutaneous injection of gradually increasing doses of venom extract over time until a target maintenance dose is achieved. We are now undertaking a laboratory-based immunology study linked to a large clinical trial of JJA VIT (a prospective multi-centre randomised 2x2 comparison of ultra-rush (rapid increase in venom dose over 1 week) versus semi-rush (gradual increase in venom dose over 3 months) initiation and 50µg versus 100µg target maintenance dose). Serum and heparin-treated blood for PBMC isolation and cryopreservation are collected prior to receiving a first dose of VIT on Day 1 and at various time points up to 5 years after commencing VIT.
Linked to this project we have also just completed a national study of venom allergy and have a large bank of sera from patients allergic to a range of other native Australian ant species. Students interested in our venom allergy research have two options to consider:
- Investigating changes in venom-specific immunoglobulins (IgE, IgG1, IgG4), other serum factors and leukocyte cytokine production (IL-10, IL-4, IFNγ) over the course of JJA VIT and correlate results with clinical outcome and adverse events during therapy.
- Defining the allergens responsible for anaphylaxis to native Australian ants. This would have a significant proteomics focus in collaboration with Proteomics International.
Critical Illness and Shock Study (CISS)
This is a prospective observational study of patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) with critical illnesses or injuries that compromise the cardiovascular and/or respiratory systems. Clinical and laboratory data will be used to better define and correlate clinical features, aetiology, pathophysiology and outcomes. The analysis of plasma, serum, leukocytes and DNA samples will enable us to investigate mechanisms of disease and novel biomarkers that may eventually facilitate improved diagnosis and therapy. The student choosing this project will investigate which leukocyte populations express cytokines and activation markers during the early stages of shock and/or respiratory failure.
Neutralisation of Dugite and Gwardar (Western Brown Snake) Venom Toxins
Preliminary evidence suggests that the brown snake antivenom used clinically in Australia may not fully neutralise the procoagulant toxins in the venoms of the two brown snake species found in Western Australia (Gwardar, Dugite). This study will be in three parts. First, the procoagulant effects of the three venoms (common brown, Dugite and Gwardar) will be characterised using human plasma. Secondly the ability of different antivenoms (CSL brown snake antivenom and polyclonal antivenoms raised against each species) to prevent these in vitro venom effects (simple clotting/turbidity, thrombinoscope, thromboelastograph) and to bind the procoagulant toxins (western blot) will be assessed. Finally, samples from human cases pre and post antivenom treatment will be examined by specific ELISA for evidence of unbound procoagulant toxin post treatment.
