Immunodeficiency resources
ORGANISATIONS
Allergy and Immunology Foundation of Australasia
The Allergy and Immunology Foundation of Australasia (AIFA) is a charity that aims to improve the health of people with allergy and other immune diseases by funding medical research and raising public awareness. They are striving for earlier diagnosis, strategies for prevention, better treatments and potential cures.
Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy
ASCIA (Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy Limited) was established in 1990 as the peak professional body of clinical immunology and allergy in Australia and New Zealand.
Immune Deficiencies Foundation Australia
The Immune Deficiencies Foundation Australia is a not-for-profit organisation and registered charity caring for people who have Primary Immune Deficiencies (PID) and Secondary Immune Deficiencies.
AusPIPS
AusPIPS Inc. is a collective of people who have had a Primary Immune Deficiency (PID) diagnosis along with parents and grandparents of children who have had the same.
VIDEOS
Introduction to immunodeficiency
Garvan's Dr Alisa Kane gives an introduction to immunodeficiency
Introduction to Immunology by Professor Stuart Tangye
Prof Stuart Tangye, Head of Garvan's Immunology Division, give an introduction to Immunology. It includes the history of immunology, what the immune system is, diseases related to the immune system and some detailed information about the research his Division, and Lab, are focused on.
The Immune System in Health and Disease
Full video of Garvan's Immunology public seminar, featuring Prof Rob Brink, A/Prof Shane Grey, Carol O'Carroll, A/Prof Sheryl van Nunen and A/Prof Stuart Tangye.
Making antibodies and putting them to work
Public Seminar with Associate Professor Robert Brink - Making antibodies and putting them to work. How the body makes antibodies to fight infection and how this power has been harnessed to produce new drugs.
NEWS
Rogue cells and more: 19 Garvan projects attract NHMRC funding
A project to track down ‘rogue’ cells in the blood of people with autoimmune disease is one of 19 Garvan research projects to be funded by NHMRC in its latest funding round.
Insight into how we protect ourselves from certain bacteria and fungi
Australian scientists have shown that a specific gene determines the development and function of important cells that bridge the gap between our fast-acting ‘innate’, and slower-acting ‘adaptive’, immune systems.
Understanding immune system memory - in a roundabout way
While the principle of immune memory has been known for decades, the exact molecular mechanisms underpinning it have remained a mystery. Garvan scientists have now unraveled part of that mystery, identifying the role of a gene called STAT3, which directs chemical messenger molecules to various destinations.
Potential gene therapy for patients with rare disease
Australian scientists have discovered that a biological phenomenon known as ‘somatic reversion’, when an abnormal gene spontaneously becomes normal again, explains why some patients with a rare genetic disorder live much longer than they should.
Understanding kiss of death for some improves outlook for others
Although we don’t realise it, almost all of us are exposed to Epstein Barr Virus (EBV), often through kissing. Around 10-20% of those exposed will develop glandular fever, known colloquially as “kissing disease”.
Promising step towards controlling autoimmune diseases
Australian scientists believe they may have identified a master regulator that tips our bodies into autoimmunity when our immune systems overreact, and into immunodeficiency when they underreact.
Unravelling the complexity of human immune disease gene by gene: clues from genetic immunodeficiencies
In a series of recent studies, researchers from Garvan’s Immunology Division have shed light on the underlying biology disease in individuals suffering primary immunodeficiencies. Their findings have implications for patients with rare and severe conditions as well as for those of us suffering with more common infectious diseases.
How a single molecule gives our immune systems their memory
By studying the blood cells of people with an immunodeficiency disorder, scientists at Garvan have been able to identify the molecular mechanisms that lead to the production of antibodies in human B cells.
A piece in the puzzle of primary immunodeficiency
Research by Associate Professor Stuart Tangye and Dr Elissa Deenick, of Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research, has shed light on why some children are unusually susceptible to infectious disease.
Molecular interplay explains many immunodeficiencies
Garvan scientists have described an exquisitely balanced interplay of four molecules that trigger and govern antibody production in immune cells. As well as being an important basic science discovery, it helps explain why people with mutations in any one of the associated genes cannot fight infection effectively.
International Fellow Symposium 2017: Immunogenomics on the agenda
Immune disorders, and the genomic changes that underpin them, were explored in detail at Garvan’s 2017 International Fellow Symposium – the highlight of the Institute’s annual scientific calendar.
Sheep cells provide clues to immunity
Garvan researchers have shed new light on the ‘danger signals’ that spur the immune system to attack invaders. The findings open the door to further research into improving vaccination methods and understanding and reducing autoimmunity.