The McCusker Charitable Foundation has chosen to support research at the Doherty Institute to investigate how the immune system interacts with the microbiome in the gut. Specifically the donation will fund three projects under the umbrella title: Harnessing the microbiome, tissue immunity and innate immunity for improved patient outcomes.
The University of Melbourne’s Melbourne Laureate Professor Sharon Lewin, Director of the Doherty Institute, thanked the Foundation and said funding discovery research reflects a visionary commitment to shaping the future, not just reacting to it. “All the products we have available to us today to prevent and treat infectious diseases started with discovery research and I am exceptionally grateful to the McCusker Charitable Foundation for the foresight they have shown in funding this fundamental research pertaining to the microbiome,” Professor Lewin said. “These projects will significantly enhance our knowledge of how the microbiome affects the immune system and the factors that mediate this intriguing interplay.”
Tonya McCusker of the McCusker Charitable Foundation said a concerning rise in the number of young people with inflammatory bowel disease inspired the donation. “Through learning about the research at the Doherty Institute, we were interested in the program of work that’s trying to understand the relationship between the immune system and the microbiome, particularly in relation to autoimmune disease,” said Ms McCusker. “By funding this work, we hope the team will be able to unravel some fundamental insights that will allow for new therapies to be devised and ultimately help people who are suffering.”
The three projects are: Reprogramming immunity through the microbiome – Professor Sammy Bedoui
Utilising a high-throughput, robotics-based screening program, Sammy and his group will identify novel microbiome-derived metabolites that regulate immune cells to better understand why they promote health in some individuals and contribute to disease in others. The long-term aim is to use these insights to develop personalised therapeutics to more efficiently treat diseases with fewer side effects.
Immunity in context: unlocking the tissue microenvironment – Professor Laura Mackay
Laura and her group will map how immune responses are shaped within tissues, particularly at barrier sites like the gut, rather than in circulating blood. By studying the influence of factors such as hormones, sex, and the microbiome, they aim to uncover new therapeutic targets to aid the development of personalised, tissue-specific immunotherapies for immune-driven diseases.
Restoring immune protection in critical illness – Professor Jose Villadangos
Jose and his group will develop a rapid, blood-based immune function test for patients admitted to the ICU to better understand their individual immune response. By integrating diagnostics and therapeutics, the samples will lead to better precision-guided immune support in intensive care and allow for new treatments to be tested in clinical settings.