Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre (AID)

AID is a multidisciplinary network based at the University of Queensland and QIMR Berghorfer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane, Australia. Established in 2011, AID utilizes leading technologies to identify, understand and prevent infectious disease, including new therapeutics and vaccines to treat and prevent antibiotic-resistant infections.

AID Mission and Goals

AID is expanding collaboration in infectious disease research using cell biology, nanotechnology, protein biochemisty, and molecular and structural biology. Ongoing projects study diagnostics, vaccine development, design and application of new antimicrobials, including those designed to inhibit microbial virulence determinants. AID also serves as a resource for rapid response to emergent epidemic threats.

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AID Faculty Investigators

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AID has > 100 investigators from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and the University of Queensland's Faculties of Science and Health Sciences, Centre for Clinical Research, Children Health Research Centre, Institute for Molecular Biosciences, and Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology. Collaborative research spans 8 scientific themes: Antimicrobial Resistance, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Host-Pathogen Interactions, Clinical Genomics, Therapeutic Development, Respiratory Polymicrobial Infections, Diagnostics and Vaccine Development.

CHARM Collaboration Contact:  Mark Walker, PhD  (Director of AID)

CHARM  AID Collaborations

Ongoing collaborations of CHARM and AID Faculty Investigators include studies to elucidate virulence mechanisms of respiratory tract pathogens, efforts to develop a group A Streptococcus vaccine to decrease global antibiotic usage (~600 million cases of strep throat per year), exploration of bacterial metal uptake systems as a new antibiotic target, and novel specific inhibitors of inflammasome/IL-1β signaling to limit inflammatory injury during pneumonia and sepsis.

 

Octapeptins kill superbugs

Resistance of Gram-negative pathogens to the last-resort antibiotic colistin is now widespread and new options are urgently required. AID Investigators achieved the first total chemical synthesis of octapeptins, a class of lipopeptides active extensively drug-resistant strains. They showed efficacy in mouse model of Pseudomonas blood infection.

Read at Cell Chemical Biology