Institute for Immunology and Allergy Research

The Institute for Immunology and Allergy Research (IIAR) was established to advance basic and clinical research in the fields of immunology and allergy.

Researchers are investigating the cellular and genetic basis for major diseases of the immune system, autoimmunity, immune deficiency, chronic viral infection and atopy, especially by dissecting the immunologic genes of the human genome and studying effects of genetic variation on immune function.

The Institute is also working on finding the genes responsible for autoimmune disease including:

• Multiple sclerosis
• diabetes and other allergic disease
• HIV and how genes influence the infection
• Hepatitis C
• allergic disease and the role of immune cells

We are also studying the molecular signals within T-cells in normal function and disease.

Clinical Professor Graeme Stewart AM is the founding head of the Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy at Westmead Hospital and founding Director of the Institute for Immunology and Allergy Research (IIAR).

 

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Research Groups

The Centre has the following Research Groups.

Genetics of Multiple Sclerosis Research Group

Multiple sclerosis is the most common neurological disease in young adults, with millions affected world-wide, and many thousands in Australia. It is largely a genetic disease, and we expect that by finding the genes which cause MS susceptibility and affect its progression we will be able (by looking at the function of the genetic variants associated with disease) to determine the processes important in disease development. These processes could then be the targets for new drugs, provide tools for better patient management, and predict who will respond to which therapies. Our aims are to:

• discover Genes which affect MS susceptibility and progression.

• determine functional significance of SNPs associated with MS.

• devise therapeutic strategies based on genetic associations.

• develop patents associated with therapeutic strategies.

• improve patient management through development of techniques for analysis of drug response, using proteomics and genomics.

• provide a service to measure development of neutralising antibodies (NABs) to protein drugs for multiple sclerosis.

Molecular Genetics of Asthma and Atopic Dermatitis

Most asthmatics are allergic. This means they are highly sensitive to pollens, grasses, house dust mites, pet hair and so on. Collectively, these irritants are known as allergens. Allergy is due to cells of the immune system responding inappropriately to common allergens, triggering an asthma attack. Of course, in addition to the role of the immune system there are also important changes in the airways of asthmatics when compared to non-asthmatic individuals. However, the focus of our research is on the role of the immune system in allergic disorders.

It is well known that allergies can afflict several generations of a single family. This means there must exist a number of genes that are important in the development of allergy. Identifying the genes that are important in controlling the immune response in allergic individuals and understanding how these genes function is the cornerstone of our research program. To do this we study allergy in young children, in particular children with severe dermatitis. We have chosen dermatitis because it appears at a very early age and changes in the immune system associated with dermatitis are very similar to those occurring in asthma.

Using this group of children and their families we have identified several genes that regulate the activity of T-cells, a key cell in the immune response. Small genetic changes in these genes are more common in allergic children than in non-allergic children and we have evidence that these genetic changes affect the way a gene works.

The challenge facing scientists interested in understanding the genetics of allergy is to identify all the genes involved in asthma and other allergic disorders and to catalogue the number and function of genetic changes in these genes that could increase the risk of developing these disorders. In the future this will lead to new diagnostic tools for the earlier treatment of allergy and to the development of new therapies. To achieve all this we need the continued support of families with asthma or dermatitis to continue to expand our DNA database to help find the genetic basis of asthma and allergy.