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What Heterogeneities in Individual-level Mobility Are Lost During Aggregation? Leveraging GPS Logger Data to Understand Fine-scale and Aggregated Patterns of MobilityHuman movement drives spatial transmission patterns of infectious diseases. Population-level mobility patterns are often quantified using aggregated data sets, such as census migration surveys or mobile phone data. These data are often unable to quantify individual-level travel patterns and lack the information needed to discern how mobility varies by demographic groups. Individual-level datasets can capture additional, more precise, aspects of mobility that may impact disease risk or transmission patterns and determine how mobility differs across cohorts; however, these data are rare, particularly in locations such as sub-Saharan Africa.
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Systemic lupus erythematosus in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia: addressing disparities and barriers to optimising patient careThe first inhabitants of Australia and the traditional owners of Australian lands are the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are two to four times more likely to have systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) than the general Australian population.
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Estimating measures to reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Australia to guide a ‘National Plan’ to reopeningThe availability of COVID-19 vaccines promised a reduction in the severity of disease and relief from the strict public health and social measures (PHSMs) imposed in many countries to limit spread and burden of COVID-19. We were asked to define vaccine coverage thresholds for Australia's transition to easing restrictions and reopening international borders.
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Spatio-temporal spread of artemisinin resistance in Southeast AsiaCurrent malaria elimination targets must withstand a colossal challenge-resistance to the current gold standard antimalarial drug, namely artemisinin derivatives. If artemisinin resistance significantly expands to Africa or India, cases and malaria-related deaths are set to increase substantially.
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The mark of success: The role of vaccine-induced skin scar formation for BCG and smallpox vaccine-associated clinical benefitsSkin scar formation following Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) or smallpox (Vaccinia) vaccination is an established marker of successful vaccination and 'vaccine take'. Potent pathogen-specific (tuberculosis; smallpox) and pathogen-agnostic (protection from diseases unrelated to the intentionally targeted pathogen) effects of BCG and smallpox vaccines hold significant translational potential.
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Bringing optimised COVID-19 vaccine schedules to immunocompromised populations (BOOST-IC): study protocol for an adaptive randomised controlled clinical trialImmunocompromised hosts experience more breakthrough infections and worse clinical outcomes following infection with COVID-19 than immunocompetent people. Prophylactic monoclonal antibody therapies can be challenging to access, and escape variants emerge rapidly. Immunity conferred through vaccination remains a central prevention strategy for COVID-19.
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Statistical modeling based on structured surveys of Australian native possum excreta harboring Mycobacterium ulcerans predicts Buruli ulcer occurrence in humansBuruli ulcer (BU) is a neglected tropical disease caused by infection of subcutaneous tissue with Mycobacterium ulcerans. BU is commonly reported across rural regions of Central and West Africa but has been increasing dramatically in temperate southeast Australia around the major metropolitan city of Melbourne, with most disease transmission occurring in the summer months.
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Prognostication of treatment non-compliance among patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in the course of their follow-up: a logistic regression–based machine learning algorithmDrug compliance is the act of taking medication on schedule or taking medication as prescribed and obeying other medical instructions. It is the most crucial aspect in the treatment of chronic diseases particularly for patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Drug non-compliance is the main reason for causing drug resistance and poor treatment outcomes.
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Histo-blood group antigen profile of Australian Aboriginal children and seropositivity following oral rotavirus vaccinationHisto-blood group antigens (HBGAs) may influence immune responses to rotavirus vaccination.
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Genetic variants of TLR4, including the novel variant, rs5030719, and related genes are associated with susceptibility to clinical malaria in African childrenMalaria is a deadly disease caused by Plasmodium spp. Several blood phenotypes have been associated with malarial resistance, which suggests a genetic component to immune protection.