Senior Research Fellow
MSc PhD
Areas of research expertise: immuno-epidemiology, vaccinology, early life immunology, maternal immunization and infectious diseases.
Anita is trained as an immunologist and epidemiologist and has always worked in the fields of immuno-epidemiology (‘applied immunology’), infectious diseases and vaccinology.
Her MSc (1996, with distinction) and PhD (2002, with distinction) were both in the field of immuno-parasitology (helminths), involving field trials in Indonesia and Gabon (Central Africa).
After a 2-year postdoc in the Netherlands where Anita skilled her epidemiology and conducted field studies in Ghana, she joined the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in 2005 where she worked with Professors Patrick Holt, Deborah Lehmann and Peter Richmond, and Dr William Pomat and colleagues from the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (PNG IMR) on a neonatal pneumococcal conjugate vaccination trial. In 2007 Anita was awarded an NHMRC R.D Wright Biomedical Career Development Award to initiate a program of work on early life immune development in adverse versus affluent settings.
Triggered by my interest for vaccines, Anita moved back to the Netherlands late 2010 to work for a biopharmaceutical vaccine company (2011-13) (Crucell; soon acquired by Janssen Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson), where she was appointed Associate Director Bacterial Vaccines Strategy and External Innovation, providing scientific and strategic support to set up and manage a new Bacterial Vaccines R&D Department, in this time acquiring valuable knowledge on vaccine development and developing professional skills.
In February 2014 Anita returned to the Telethon Kids Institute in Perth to establish and run the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines & Infectious Diseases.
She returned to a full-time research position in September 2016 with the aim of establishing a leading transformational research program on maternal and early life infections and immunizations that makes a contribution to reducing the burden and consequences of serious infections in pregnant women and young infants in less-privileged countries and communities in the world.
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Projects
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Publications
January 2021
Optimising a 6-plex tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis fluorescent bead-based immunoassay
Small volume assays are required for large-scale research studies and in particular paediatric trials, where multiple measures are required from a single sample. Fluorescent bead-based technology (Bioplex/Luminex) allows high through-put and simultaneous quantification of multiple analytes in a single test. This technology uses sets of microspheres, each with a unique spectral address that can be coated with a different antigen of interest.
Published research Immunisation Whooping Cough Vaccine Trials Group Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Bacterial Respiratory Infectious Disease GroupFebruary 2021An observational study of antibody responses to a primary or subsequent pertussis booster vaccination in Australian healthcare workers
Adult pertussis vaccination is increasingly recommended to control pertussis in the community. However, there is little data on the duration and kinetics of immunity to pertussis boosters in adults. We compared IgG responses to vaccination with a tetanus, low-dose diphtheria, low-dose acellular pertussis (Tdap) booster at 1 week, 1 month and 1 year post-vaccination in whole-cell (wP)-primed Australian paediatric healthcare workers who had received an adult Tdap booster 5-12 years previously, to those who received their first Tdap booster.
Published research Immunisation Whooping Cough Infectious Diseases Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious DiseasesMarch 2021An observational study of antibody responses to a primary or subsequent pertussis booster vaccination in Australian healthcare workers
Adult pertussis vaccination is increasingly recommended to control pertussis in the community. However, there is little data on the duration and kinetics of immunity to pertussis boosters in adults. We compared IgG responses to vaccination with a tetanus, low-dose diphtheria, low-dose acellular pertussis (Tdap) booster at 1 week, 1 month and 1 year post-vaccination in whole-cell (wP)-primed Australian paediatric healthcare workers who had received an adult Tdap booster 5-12 years previously, to those who received their first Tdap booster. Tdap vaccination was well tolerated in both groups.
Published research Immunisation Whooping Cough Infectious Diseases Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Wet CoughJune 2021PCV10 elicits Protein D IgG responses in Papua New Guinean children but has no impact on NTHi carriage in the first two years of life
Nasopharyngeal colonisation with nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is associated with development of infections including pneumonia and otitis media. The 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) uses NTHi Protein D (PD) as a carrier. Papua New Guinean children have exceptionally early and dense NTHi carriage, and high rates of NTHi-associated disease.
Published research Immunisation Influenza Ear Health Vaccine Trials Group Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious DiseasesAugust 2021Differences in Pneumococcal and Haemophilus influenzae Natural Antibody Development in Papua New Guinean Children in the First Year of Life
Development of vaccines to prevent disease and death from Streptococcus pneumoniae, and nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi), the main pathogens that cause otitis media, pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis, are a global priority.
Published research Infectious Diseases Ear Health Vaccine Trials Group Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious DiseasesNovember 2020An observational study of the reactogenicity and immunogenicity of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in women of childbearing age in Papua New Guinea
Maternal immunization with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) may protect young infants in high-risk settings against the high risk of pneumococcal infections in early life. The aim of this study was to determine the safety and immunogenicity of 13-valent PCV (PCV13) in healthy women of childbearing age in PNG.
Published research Infectious Diseases Ear Health Vaccine Trials Group Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious DiseasesOctober 2020Preparing for Life: Plasma Proteome Changes and Immune System Development During the First Week of Human Life
Neonates have heightened susceptibility to infections. The biological mechanisms are incompletely understood but thought to be related to age-specific adaptations in immunity due to resource constraints during immune system development and growth. We present here an extended analysis of our proteomics study of peripheral blood-plasma from a study of healthy full-term newborns delivered vaginally, collected at the day of birth and on day of life (DOL) 1, 3, or 7, to cover the first week of life. The plasma proteome was characterized by LC-MS using our established 96-well plate format plasma proteomics platform.
Published research Infectious Diseases Allergy & Infectious Diseases Vaccine Trials GroupOctober 2020Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine primes mucosal immune responses to pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine booster in Papua New Guinean children
Invasive pneumococcal disease remains a major cause of hospitalization and death in Papua New Guinean (PNG) children. We assessed mucosal IgA and IgG responses in PNG infants vaccinated with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) followed by a pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV) booster.
Published research Immunisation Infectious Diseases Vaccine Trials Group Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious DiseasesApril 2020Clinical protocol for a longitudinal cohort study to identify markers of vaccine immunogenicity in newborn infants in the gambia and papua New Guinea
Immunity is distinct in early life and greater precision is required in our understanding of mechanisms of early life protection to inform development of new pediatric vaccines
Published research Immunisation Infectious Diseases Vaccine Trials Group Systems VaccinologyFebruary 2019Immunogenicity and Immune Memory after a Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine Booster in a High-Risk Population Primed with Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine
PPV is immunogenic in 9-month-old children at high risk of pneumococcal infections and does not affect the capacity to produce protective immune responses
Published research Academic Biostatistics Immunisation Infectious Diseases Ear Health Vaccine Trials Group Bacterial Respiratory Infectious Disease GroupMarch 2019Dynamic molecular changes during the first week of human life follow a robust developmental trajectory
Systems biology and innovative data integration can provide fresh insights into the molecular ontogeny of the first week of life
Published research Systems VaccinologyApril 2019Safety and immunogenicity of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in a high-risk population: a randomised controlled trial of PCV in Papua New Guinean infants
Infant vaccination with 3 doses of PCV10 or PCV13 is safe and immunogenic in a highly endemic setting
Published research Immunisation Infectious Diseases Ear Health Vaccine Trials Group Bacterial Respiratory Infectious Disease GroupMarch 2017Cord blood Streptococcus pneumoniae-specific cellular immune responses predict early pneumococcal carriage in high-risk infants in Papua New Guinea
We aimed to explore whether newborns in high-risk areas have pre-existing pneumococcal-specific cellular immune responses that effects early acquisition.
Published research Ear Health Vaccine Trials GroupOctober 2017Pneumococcal responses are similar in Papua New Guinean children aged 3-5 years vaccinated in infancy with pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine with or without prior pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, or without pneumococcal vaccination
We studied in a non-randomized follow-up trial the persistence of pneumococcal immunity in children, 3-5 years of age, in community controls of a similar age.
Published research Ear Health Vaccine Trials GroupDecember 2017Rationale and methods of a randomized controlled trial of immunogenicity, safety and impact on carriage of pneumococcal conjugate and polysaccharide vaccines in infants in Papua New Guinea
Vaccination trials in high endemicity areas are needed to provide evidence and guidance on idea strategies to protect children in these areas against infections
Published research Ear Health Vaccine Trials Group Bacterial Respiratory Infectious Disease GroupAugust 2016A longitudinal study of natural antibody development to pneumococcal surface protein A families 1 and 2 in Papua New Guinean Highland children: a cohort study
Pneumococcal surface protein A is immunogenic and natural anti-PspA immune responses are acquired through exposure and develop with age
Published research Academic Biostatistics Allergy & Infectious Diseases Ear Health Vaccine Trials GroupMay 2013Immunization of newborns with bacterial conjugate vaccines
Bacterial conjugate vaccines are based on the principle of coupling immunogenic bacterial capsular polysaccharides to a carrier protein to facilitate the...
Published research Immunisation Influenza Infectious DiseasesJanuary 2013Safety and Immunogenicity of Neonatal Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccination in Papua New Guinean Children: A Randomised Controlled Trial
We conducted an open randomized controlled trial in Papua New Guinea to compare safety, immunogenicity and priming for memory of 7-valent PCV (PCV7) given in...
Published research Immunisation Infectious Diseases Human Immunology Ear Health Vaccine Trials GroupNovember 2012Neonatal antigen-presenting cells are functionally more quiescent in children born under traditional compared with modern environmental conditions
One explanation for the high burden of allergic and autoimmune diseases in industrialized countries is inappropriate immune development under modern...
Published research Experimental Immunology Human Immunology Vaccine Trials Group ORIGINSMay 2012Ontogeny of toll-like and NOD-like receptor-mediated innate immune responses in Papua New Guinean infants
Studies addressing the ontogeny of the innate immune system in early life have reported mainly on Toll-like receptor (TLR) responses in infants living in...
Published research Child Allergy & Immunology Human Immunology ORIGINSMarch 2012Comparison of neonatal T regulatory cell function in Papua New Guinean and Australian newborns
We compared neonatal T reg from children born in western conditions (Australia) with those of neonates born in high microbial conditions (Papua New Guinea)...
Published research Child Allergy & Immunology Human Immunology ORIGINSMarch 2012Effect of early carriage of streptococcus pneumoniae on the development of pneumococcal protein-specific cellular immune responses in infancy
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between nasopharyngeal pneumococcal colonization in early life and the development of T cell responses.
Published research Academic Biostatistics Infectious Diseases Allergy & Infectious Diseases Human Immunology Vaccine Trials GroupFebruary 2012A genomics-based approach to assessment of vaccine safety and immunogenicity in children
This methodology has significant potential to identify covert interactions between inflammatory pathways triggered by vaccination, and as such may be a...
Published research Immunisation Human Immunology Systems Immunology Vaccine Trials GroupJuly 2011Pneumococcal conjugate vaccination at birth in a high-risk setting: No evidence for neonatal T-cell tolerance
Concerns about the risk of inducing immune deviation-associated "neonatal tolerance" as described in mice have restricted the widespread adoption...
Published research Immunisation Human Immunology Systems Immunology Ear Health Vaccine Trials GroupApril 2011An unopposed proinflammatory response is beneficial for survival in the oldest old. Results of the Leiden 85-plus study
The capacity to generate an efficient innate immune response is pivotal for survival.
Published researchFebruary 2011Differences in innate immune function between allergic and nonallergic children: New insights into immune ontogeny
We sought to explore whether allergic children show differences in microbial Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated responses over their first 5 years of life.
Asthma Published researchDecember 2010Neonatal immune function and inflammatory illnesses in later life: lessons to be learnt from the developing world?
With the emergence of allergic and autoimmune diseases in populations that have started to transit to a western lifestyle, there has been an increasing...
Asthma Published researchApril 2010Dahlem Conference
There is increasing evidence that the functional state of the immune system at birth is predictive of the kinetics of immune maturation in early infancy.
Published research Infectious Diseases Human Immunology -
Education and Qualifications
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Active Collaborations