QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, in collaboration with St. John’s Research Institute (SJRI) in Bengaluru, India, has secured an Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF) grant. This funding aims to advance research on a pioneering cellular immunotherapy designed to combat life-threatening viral infections in immunocompromised transplant recipients.
The Australian federal government’s contribution will enable Professor Rajiv Khanna and his team at QIMR Berghofer to expand their innovative adoptive T cell therapy to India. This initiative addresses a critical clinical need among transplant recipients and other vulnerable groups across the country. SJRI will receive equivalent funding from the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, to support this collaborative effort.
Enhancing Global Treatment Options
Professor Khanna emphasized the significance of this collaboration with SJRI, stating that it will improve treatment options in both India and Australia. He remarked,
“This collaboration with St. John’s Research Institute will enhance access to these breakthrough therapies in India and in Australia, and enable us to gather more diverse research data from Australians of South Asian descent and Indian nationals.”
The expansion of this therapy is crucial for global research, as it addresses the need for broader focus in treatment development, considering diverse ethnic and genetic backgrounds. Professor Khanna noted that this initiative lays important groundwork for future industry investment in cellular immunotherapy across both countries.
History of Innovation in T Cell Therapies
For over 15 years, Professor Khanna and his team have been at the forefront of developing novel T cell therapies aimed at combating life-threatening viral infections. These include infections caused by common viruses such as the Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, and adenovirus. The team has already completed multiple clinical trials of their T cell therapy, which is currently available to patients throughout Australia under the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s (TGA) Special Access Scheme.
As a Distinguished Scientist and Head of the Tumour Immunology Laboratory at QIMR Berghofer, Professor Khanna leads internationally recognized research on human immune regulation. His work focuses on strengthening immune responses to viral infections and cancer, translating these insights into effective therapies.
Leadership and Expertise in India
The Indian segment of this collaboration will be spearheaded by Professor Alok Srivastava, Head of the Haematology Research Unit at SJRI, alongside Professor Annapurna Vyakarnam, Adjunct Professor and Scientific Lead of the Human Immunology Laboratory in SJRI’s Department of Infectious Diseases. They will work closely with transplant colleagues from St. John’s Medical College Hospital.
Professor Srivastava is a Distinguished Clinician Scientist and a global authority in translational haematology and cell and gene therapies. He notably led the world’s first lentiviral vector gene therapy for haemophilia clinical trial in India. Complementing his expertise, Professor Vyakarnam, Professor of Microbial Immunology at King’s College London, has established a state-of-the-art human immunology laboratory at SJRI. Her work focuses on training the next generation of immunologists to understand T cell immunity across various diseases.
Strategic Research Collaboration
The AISRF supports scientific collaboration between India and Australia in priority research areas. The latest round of grants was announced in late February by Dr. Andrew Charlton, Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy. This strategic partnership aims to leverage the strengths of both nations in advancing scientific research and addressing critical healthcare challenges.
As this collaboration progresses, it holds the potential to transform treatment landscapes in both countries, offering hope to patients facing severe viral infections and paving the way for future breakthroughs in cellular immunotherapy.
