Preterm infants are at a high risk of developing late-onset sepsis (LOS). Lactoferrin is one of the most abundant endogenous antimicrobial proteins expressed in breast milk, stools, and blood, and a candidate for preventive intervention. Large clinical trials have recently investigated whether enteral supplementation with bovine lactoferrin reduces LOS. ...

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

BCG vaccination modulates immune responses to unrelated pathogens. This off-target effect could reduce the impact of emerging pathogens. As a readily available, inexpensive intervention that has a well-established safety profile, BCG is a good candidate for protecting healthcare workers (HCWs) and other vulnerable groups against COVID-19. ...

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

Accumulating evidence indicates that an early, robust type 1 interferon (IFN) response to SARS-CoV-2 is important in determining COVID-19 outcomes, with an inadequate IFN response associated with disease severity. Our objective was to examine the prophylactic potential of IFN administration to limit viral transmission. ...

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

Implementation of lifelong ART of all HIV-infected women has the potential to improve maternal determinants of protective immunity in the young infant ...

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

Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the most commonly administered vaccine in human history. The medical application of BCG extends far beyond the fight against tuberculosis. Despite its stellar medical record over 100 years, insight into how BCG provides this vast range of benefits is largely limited, both for its pathogen-specific (tuberculosis) as well as pathogen-agnostic (other infections, autoimmunity, allergies, and cancer) effects. ...

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

The bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine has immunomodulatory "off-target" effects that have been hypothesized to protect against coronavirus disease 2019.  ...

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

Stephen Tobias Stick Kollmann SM TK MB BChir PhD MRCP FRACP PhD, M.D., SFUW Head, P4 Respiratory Health for Kids Honorary Research Associate 08 6319 1050 Tobias.Kollmann@telethonkids.org.au Head, P4 Respiratory Health for Kids Honorary Research ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Projects

Tobias Strunk TS MD, PhD, FRACP Head, Neonatal Health tobias.strunk@telethonkids.org.au Head, Neonatal Health Clinical Professor Tobias Strunk is a Consultant Neonatologist with a clinical research focus on infection and inflammation in newborn ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Past teams
• Neonatal Neurodevelopment, Gut Health and Nutrition

The gut microbiome is a well-recognized modulator of host immunity, and its compositions differ between geographically separated human populations. Systemic innate immune responses to microbial derivatives also differ between geographically distinct human populations. However, the potential role of the microbiome in mediating geographically varied immune responses is unexplored. We here applied 16S amplicon sequencing to profile the stool microbiome and, in parallel, measured whole-blood innate immune cytokine responses to several pattern recognition receptor (PRR) agonists among 2-year-old children across biogeographically diverse settings. Microbiomes differed mainly between high- and low-resource environments and were not strongly associated with other demographic factors. We found strong correlations between responses to Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and relative abundances of Bacteroides and Prevotella populations, shared among Canadian and Ecuadorean children. ...

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

Conventional vaccine design has been based on trial-and-error approaches, which have been generally successful. However, there have been some major failures in vaccine development and we still do not have highly effective licensed vaccines for tuberculosis, HIV, respiratory syncytial virus, and other major infections of global significance. Approaches at rational vaccine design have been limited by our understanding of the immune response to vaccination at the molecular level. Tools now exist to undertake in-depth analysis using systems biology approaches, but to be fully realized, studies are required in humans with intensive blood and tissue sampling. ...

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

The current framework for testing and regulating vaccines was established before the realization that vaccines, in addition to their effect against the vaccine-specific disease, may also have "non-specific effects" affecting the risk of unrelated diseases. Accumulating evidence from epidemiological studies shows that vaccines in some situations can affect all-cause mortality and morbidity in ways that are not explained by the prevention of the vaccine-targeted disease. ...

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

Jonathan Michael Tobias Carapetis AM Serralha Kollmann JR MS TK AM MBBS FRACP FAFPHM PhD FAHMS PhD, M.D., SFUW Executive Director; Head, Strep A Translation; Co-Founder of REACH Research Assistant Honorary Research Associate 08 6319 1000 08 6319 ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Projects