Understanding infectious respiratory complications after stem cell transplantation

Aspects of this project would be suitable for Honours, Masters, MPhil, MD and PhD students. Email the supervisor to discuss suitability.

Background

Respiratory viral infections are a major global public health problem. RSV-induced bronchiolitis and pneumonia are the leading cause of hospitalization in infants and young children worldwide, while in adult allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients the incidence of progression from upper to lower respiratory tract infection is 40-60%, with mortality rates as high as 80%. With the lack of efficacious antivirals, new treatment options are needed. Given the paucity of mechanistic data to guide clinical studies or define the basis of disease, we established a murine model of RSV infection after SCT using pneumonia virus of mice (PVM), the murine homologue of human RSV, to address the knowledge gaps in the field.

Aim

This project aims to investigate fundamental immunological mechanisms which underlie the RSV-mediated post-transplant complication.

Methods

 This project will involve animal work, high-parameter flow cytometry, single-cell transcriptomics, spatial transcriptomics, proteomics, digital PCR and histopathology; with the validation of findings in clinical samples.

Project Potential

This research will lead to the delineation of critical mechanisms which underpin fatal pneumonitis, and the identification of potential therapeutic targets to ameliorate RSV-driven HSCT transplant mortality.