Current approaches to staging chronic liver diseases have limited utility for predicting liver cancer risk. Here, we employed single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) to characterize the cellular microenvironment of healthy and pre-malignant livers using two distinct mouse models. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• May 2023

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza are important causes of disease in children and adults. In Australia, information on the burden of RSV in adults is particularly limited. ...

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

We aimed to assess the direct protective effect of 13 valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (13vPCV) against invasive pneumococcal pneumonia (IPP; including pneumonia and empyema) in children using a nation-wide case-control study across 11 paediatric tertiary hospitals in Australia. ...

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

The need for coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination in different age groups and populations is a subject of great uncertainty and an ongoing global debate. Critical knowledge gaps regarding COVID-19 vaccination include the duration of protection offered by different priming and booster vaccination regimens in different populations, including homologous or heterologous schedules. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• March 2023

The prevalence of scar formation following Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination varies globally. The beneficial off-target effects of BCG are proposed to be stronger amongst children who develop a BCG scar. Within an international randomised trial ('BCG vaccination to reduce the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in healthcare workers'; BRACE Trial), this nested prospective cohort study assessed the prevalence of and factors influencing scar formation, as well as participant perception of BCG scarring 12 months following vaccination. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• April 2023

Histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) may influence immune responses to rotavirus vaccination. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• May 2023

Children with chronic medical conditions are at higher risk of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), but little is known about the effectiveness of the primary course of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in these children. ...

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

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of acute lower respiratory infection in young children. We previously estimated that in 2015, 33·1 million episodes of RSV-associated acute lower respiratory infection occurred in children aged 0-60 months, resulting in a total of 118 200 deaths worldwide. ...

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

Family planning counselling at different contact points of maternal health services has been recommended for increasing the uptake of modern contraceptive methods. However, studies from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) demonstrated inconsistent findings. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesise the available current evidence for the association between family planning counselling and postpartum modern contraceptive uptake in SSA. ...

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

Atopic diseases are the most common chronic conditions of childhood. The apparent rise in food anaphylaxis in young children over the past three decades is of particular concern, owing to the lack of proven prevention strategies other than the timely introduction of peanut and egg. ...

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

Vaccination is the most effective method of protecting people from invasive meningococcal disease (IMD). Of all the capsular groups, B is the most common cause of invasive meningococcal disease in many parts of the world. Despite this, adolescent meningococcal B vaccine programs have not been implemented globally, partly due to the lack of evidence for herd immunity afforded by meningococcal B vaccines. ...

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

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation and New Zealand Ministry of Health recommend all children aged ≥ 5 years receive either of the two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines: Comirnaty (Pfizer), available in both Australia and New Zealand, or Spikevax (Moderna), available in Australia only. Both vaccines are efficacious and safe in the general population, including children. Children and adolescents undergoing treatment for cancer and immunosuppressive therapy for non-malignant haematological conditions are particularly vulnerable, with an increased risk of severe or fatal COVID-19. ...

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