Higher Degree by Research Application Portal

This cooperative research project aims to model the immune response to dengue virus and dissect the key drivers of disease protection and pathogenesis. Leveraging a unique longitudinal patient and vaccine cohort in Thailand, experts from Thailand, Japan, and Australia—who have co-published and are part of both the Human Cell Atlas and Asian Immune Diversity Atlas—will develop an integrated platform for single-cell multi-omics profiling of DENV serotype-specific CD8 T cells and B cells with multiplexed DNA barcoded epitopes in the context of natural infection and vaccination. We will integrate gene expression, T/B cell receptor, enhancer analyses from single-cell data, and advanced computational methods to reveal critical regulatory determinants and cell-to-cell communication networks underlying severe dengue and vaccine response. Insights gained will advance understanding of dengue severity and vaccine protection and inform more precise strategies for prognostic prediction, targeted treatment, and vaccine design.

Applications are being sought from high achieving students for this PhD scholarship of up to $38,110pa for 3.5 years, to undertake this collaborative research project. Ideally, students should have a bioinformatics or computational science background.

https://www.uwa.edu.au/study/how-to-apply/higher-degree-by-research

https://www.uwa.edu.au/study/how-to-apply/higher-degree-by-research

Professor Alistair Forrest

Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Centre for Medical Research

QQ Block, QEII Medical Centre, 6 Verdun St, Nedlands WA 6009

Ph: (08) 6151 0780

Email: alistair.forrest@perkins.uwa.edu.au