Infection and Immunity Doherty Institute

Influenza B viruses are often overlooked but can cause significant illness and mortality, especially in children. Little is known about how the immune system interacts with these viruses, however a recent breakthrough by researchers at the Doherty Institute may revolutionise how we are protected against influenza B and for longer periods.

Tejas Menon, co-author of the recent discovery and PhD Candidate at the Doherty Institute, explains how the immune system consistently recognises fragments of influenza B viruses, which opens up potential new targets for vaccine development.

Show notes:

News story: New frontiers in influenza B research: Breakthrough unveils promising targets for vaccine development

Peer review: Menon T, Illing P, Chaurasia P, et al. CD8+ T-cell responses towards conserved influenza B virus epitopes across anatomical sites and age. Nature Communications (2024). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47576-y  

Check out our previous episode: Here’s what you need to know about flu season 2024

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Have a question or topic you'd like us to explore in a future episode? Contact us via email doherty-media@unimelb.edu.au
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Does your immune system remember viruses you've previously been infected with? Do your genetics play a role in your immune system? Can you boost immunity with certain foods or vitamins?

Ahead of the International Day of Immunology (April 29) we chat with Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Doherty to answer these questions and more, unravelling the complexities and exploring the wonders of our body's line of defence against disease; our immune system.

Show notes:

An Insider's Plague Year written by Peter Doherty 

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1996 was awarded jointly to Peter C. Doherty and Rolf M. Zinkernagel "for their discoveries concerning the specificity of the cell mediated immune defence"

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Have a question or topic you'd like us to explore in a future episode? Contact us via email doherty-media@unimelb.edu.au
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We’re just a couple of weeks away from May, which marks the official start of the influenza season in Australia. So what can we expect from the upcoming flu season and when is the best time to get your annual flu vaccine? 

Learn more about flu vaccination, virus variants and current influenza surveillance from Virologist and Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, Professor Kanta Subbarao.

Show notes:

Learn more about Influenza vaccination and the National Immunisation Program via the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care website.

Interested in the work of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza at the Doherty Institute? Visit the Centre website.

Check out our episode on avian influenza: Avian influenza (H5N1): why are experts concerned about the virus reaching Antarctica?

Find out about recent announcement of funding from the Novo Nordisk Foundation to develop a novel antiviral drug to counter influenza.

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Have a question or topic you'd like us to explore in a future episode? Contact us via email doherty-media@unimelb.edu.au
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Doherty Clinical Trials Ltd, Australia’s first purpose-built facility specifically commissioned to deliver volunteer infection studies, was officially opened by the Victorian Minister for Medical Research, The Honourable Ben Carroll MP.

Doherty Clinical Trials has been established by the Doherty Institute to accelerate the development of novel medicines and vaccines through bespoke early phase clinical trials.

So, what is a volunteer infection study? How is it different to other clinical trial facilities? Find out more from Doherty Clinical Trials Chief Medical Officer, Professor James McCarthy and Director of the Doherty Institute, Professor Sharon Lewin.

Shownotes:

Doherty Clinical Trials website

Media release: Australia’s first purpose-built facility to deliver human challenge trials launches in Melbourne

The Age: Virus volunteers to help Melbourne’s new human trials clinic prepare for the next pandemic

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Have a question or topic you'd like us to explore in a future episode? Contact us via email doherty-media@unimelb.edu.au
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From protecting local communities to safeguarding global health, vaccines have been transforming public health for over 200 years. According to the World Health Organization, between 3.5 and 5 million lives are saved every year thanks to vaccines, which help protect us from diseases such diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, influenza and measles.

Professor Arup Chakraborty, a luminary from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology joins the podcast ahead of the Miegunyah Distinguished Fellowship Public Lecture 'Vaccination through the ages' on Monday, 25 March at the Doherty Institute.

We take a dive into the fascinating world of vaccines; from their historical roots to the cutting-edge science shaping our future.

Shownotes:

Register to attend the Miegunyah Distinguished Fellowship Public LectureHybrid event - online tickets still available.

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Have a question or topic you'd like us to explore in a future episode? Contact us via email doherty-media@unimelb.edu.au

 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite being vaccine-preventable, outbreaks of measles are currently occurring in every region of the world, with many countries reporting their first case in years. In Australia, the disease was considered eliminated in 2014, but a series of imported case alerts begs the question – do we need to be concerned?

To shed some light on the situation where we're seeing cases of measles on the rise globally, we speak with The Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Dr Katherine Gibney, an infectious diseases and public health physician, and medical epidemiologist at the Doherty Institute. 

Shownotes

A 30-fold rise of measles cases in 2023 in the WHO European Region warrants urgent action

Victorian Department of Health measles alerts

Get in touch

Have a question or topic you'd like us to explore in a future episode? Contact us via email doherty-media@unimelb.edu.au
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.