The Univeristy of Melbourne The Royal Melbourne Hopspital

A joint venture between The University of Melbourne and The Royal Melbourne Hospital

EDUCATION

Research Projects

Project: How does ageing affect antibody responses?

Chung group

Antibodies are a vital component of the immune response required for protection and control of infectious diseases. However, large changes can occur to the quality of an antibody response as a person grows older. One of the reasons for this change is glycosylation, where sugar structures are added to the antibody. Different glycan structures can determine how well the antibody activates surrounding innate immune cells to attack and eliminate invading pathogens. Intriguingly, within humans, large antibody glycan changes are observed within infants and elderly, which may contribute to why they are more susceptible to infection. This project aims to further understand the effect of aging upon antibody responses using non-human primate models.

Contact project supervisor for further
information and application enquiries

Project Supervisor

Dr Amy Chung

Project Co-supervisor

Ms Ester Lopez

Project availability
Master of Biomedical Science
Honours

Chung group

awchung@unimelb.edu.au

2 vacancies

Themes
Immunology
Viral Infectious Diseases
Cross Cutting Disciplines
Discovery Research

The Chung group has an interest in understanding how an antibody can instruct the innate immune system to attack and protect against a range of infectious diseases including HIV, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and malaria through engagement with their Fc regions. Ultimately, our research aims to understand the mechanisms behind these antibodies in order to guide the development of more effective antibody therapeutics and vaccines.


Chung group Current Projects