Understanding the impact of asplenia and hyposplenism on immune responses to respiratory viral infections and vaccinations.

The spleen is an important organ of the immune system and it is often removed for the treatment of different medical conditions, to perform surgery on nearby organs and removed as a consequence of physical trauma (asplenia). In addition, some people are born without a spleen (congenital asplenia) or their spleen does not function due to haematological and autoimmune diseases (hyposplenism). Living without a functioning spleen increases a person’s risk of infection with encapsulated bacteria that can cause pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis. People living without a spleen need to monitor for signs of infection and are often required to take lifelong preventative antibiotics. Whilst they are recommended to have the seasonal influenza vaccination to prevent the risk of secondary bacterial infection, less is understood on how living without a functioning spleen impacts a person’s antiviral immune responses to viral infections and vaccination. The aim of this project is to profile the immune response to circulating respiratory viral infections including SARS-CoV-2, Influenza viruses and RSV. The student/s will characterise immunodeficiencies within people who live without a functioning spleen including those who have had their spleen removed and people who live with hyposplenism (malfunctioning spleen). They will also contribute to a COVID-19 vaccine longitudinal study to assess the immune responses to COVID-19 vaccines. Students will learn an array of immunological and virological techniques, including cellular and serological responses before and after vaccination using flow cytometric based assays, ELISA and neutralising antibody assays. Students will work within a multidisciplinary team of virologists, immunologists, clinicians, and nurses across Monash Health and Alfred Health. There will be opportunities to gain experience in coordinating clinical studies, performing clinical research and collaborating with consumer health organisation Spleen Australia. Top-up scholarships are available.