From left: Associate Professor Chris Hall and Associate Professor Guy Warman
Congratulations to Associate Professor Chris Hall, Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology on receiving a 2-year AMRF project grant for $156,598 with Associate Professor Guy Warman (School of Medicine). The project is titled ‘Understanding how the immune system uses a molecular timer to anticipate, and fight, infections’.
The immune system has evolved to anticipate and prepare for daily fluctuations in bacterial exposure by coordinating a heightened antibacterial response. This cunning adaptation is believed to be regulated by a molecular timer (or clock) that operates in immune cells and tissues to elevate antibacterial responses when we are active, and exposure to pathogens is greatest. Given genetic or environmental disruption of this molecular timer (e.g. from shift work or jet lag) enhances the risk of infection, pharmacologic targeting of the molecular clock and specific timing of antimicrobial therapies are emerging as exciting new approaches to treat infections.
How the molecular clock operates within different components of the immune system to regulate antibacterial responses is very poorly understood. They have evidence that a molecular clock regulates the activity of a powerful weapon of the immune system, that detects and eliminates bacterial infections, called the complement system. This project will uncover exactly how the molecular clock regulates oscillations in complement antibacterial activity and whether targeting the molecular clock can elevate this antibacterial response. They expect this knowledge will unlock new approaches to fight infections around the clock.