There remains a general misconception that the immune status of the fetus and neonate is immature or insufficient. However, emerging research in immune ontogeny prompts reconsideration of this orthodoxy, reframing this period instead as one of unique opportunity. Vaccine responses (qualitative and quantitative) vary between individuals, and across demographic cohorts. Elements of baseline immune status and function predict vaccine response - some of these factors are well described, others remain a subject of ongoing research, especially with the rapidly expanding field of 'omics' research, enabled by development of highly granular immune profiling techniques and increasing computational capacity. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2021
• April 2021

Microperimetry measures differential light sensitivity (DLS) at specific retinal locations. The aim of this study is to examine the variation in DLS across the macula and the contribution to this variation of cone distribution metrics and retinal eccentricity. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2021
• May 2021

Rhinovirus (RV) C can cause asymptomatic infection and respiratory illnesses ranging from the common cold to severe wheezing. The aim was to identify how age and other individual-level factors are associated with susceptibility to RV-C illnesses. Longitudinal data from the COAST (Childhood Origins of Asthma) birth cohort study were analyzed to determine relationships between age and RV-C infections. Neutralizing antibodies specific for RV-A and RV-C (three types each) were determined using a novel PCR-based assay. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2021
• April 2021

The bone marrow microenvironment plays a key role in leukemia progression, but its molecular complexity in pre-B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), the most common cancer in children, remains poorly understood. To gain further insight, we used single-cell RNA sequencing to characterize the kinetics of the murine BMM during B-ALL progression. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2021
• November 2021

We sought to investigate the association between food-outlet availability near Australian secondary schools and frequency of Australian students’ discretionary food purchases. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2021
• September 2021

Vaccination to prevent infectious disease is one of the most successful public health interventions ever developed. And yet, variability in individual vaccine effectiveness suggests that a better mechanistic understanding of vaccine-induced immune responses could improve vaccine design and efficacy. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2021
• October 2021

Recent preclinical data show that sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are able to reduce weight gain and induce beiging in white adipose tissue (WAT). We have previously shown that in neurogenic hypertensive Schlager (BPH/2J) mice, treatment with the SGLT2 inhibitor, Dapagliflozin, reduced blood pressure and prevented weight gain. Here we show that chemical sympathetic denervation achieved by systemic administration of 6-hydroxy-dopamine (6-OHDA) reduces body weight and the heightened sympathetic nervous system (SNS) innervation in WAT. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2020
• November 2020

Previous studies have shown that there is overlap between victimization and the perpetration of bullying, and social and motivational variables are known to mediate this relationship. However, the effects of different moral disengagement strategies have not been studied, despite the fact that they exert a major influence on aggressive behavior. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2020
• November 2020

Taking folic acid containing supplements prior to and during early pregnancy reduces the risk of neural tube defects. Neural tube defects occur prior to 28 days postconception, after which, there is no proven benefit of continuing to take folic acid. However, many women continue to take folic acid containing supplements throughout the pregnancy. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2020
• November 2020

There is a paucity of data on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Malawi. Here we present a study of AMR of extended-spectrum β-lactamases-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) isolated from hospital and community settings in Blantyre, Malawi. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2021
• December 2021

A diagnosis of an autism spectrum condition (autism) provides limited information regarding an individual’s level of functioning, information key in determining support and funding needs. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• October 2022

Flow cytometry (FCM) and transcription profiling are the two widely used assays in translational immunology research. However, there is no data integration pipeline for analyzing these two types of assays together with experiment variables for biomarker inference. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• October 2022