Respiratory syncytial virus contributes to significant global infant morbidity and mortality. We applied a previously developed statistical prediction model incorporating pre-pandemic RSV testing data and hospital admission data to estimate infant RSV-hospitalizations by birth month and prematurity, focused on infants aged <1 year. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• July 2023

There are well-described sex-based differences in how the immune system operates. In particular, cisgender (cis) females have a more easily activated immune system; associated with an increased prevalence of autoimmune diseases and adverse events following vaccinations. Conversely, cis males have a higher threshold for immune activation, and are more prone to certain infectious diseases, such as coronavirus disease (COVID-19). ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• December 2022

Results from recent clinical studies suggest potential efficacy of immune training (IT)-based approaches for protection against severe lower respiratory tract infections in infants, but underlying mechanisms are unclear. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• July 2022

Excessive production, secretion, and retention of abnormal mucus is a pathological feature of many obstructive airways diseases including asthma. Azithromycin is an antibiotic that also possesses immunomodulatory and mucoregulatory activities, which may contribute to the clinical effectiveness of azithromycin in asthma. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• May 2022

The emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria is recognised today as one of the greatest challenges to public health. As traditional antimicrobials are becoming ineffective and research into new antibiotics is diminishing, a number of alternative treatments for MDR bacteria have been receiving greater attention. Bacteriophage therapies are being revisited and present a promising opportunity to reduce the burden of bacterial infection in this post-antibiotic era. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2021
• September 2021

Three outstanding young researchers from the Telethon Kids Institute have been named Raine Fellows and received valuable Raine Priming Grants to support their child health research. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• News & Events
• News & Events at Telethon Kids
• 2021
• November

Because of its beneficial off-target effects against non-mycobacterial infectious diseases, bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination might be an accessible early intervention to boost protection against novel pathogens. Multiple epidemiological studies and randomised controlled trials are investigating the protective effect of BCG against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• April 2022

WA researchers hope to gain new insights into the way immune cells in the body trigger attacks of multiple sclerosis (MS), thanks to new funding from MS Australia. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• News & Events
• News & Events at Telethon Kids
• 2024
• February

The lack of a consensus definition of neonatal sepsis and a core outcome set proves a substantial impediment to research that influences policy and practice relevant to key stakeholders, patients and parents. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• March 2022

Rhinoviruses (RVs) can cause severe wheezing illnesses in young children and patients with asthma. Vaccine development has been hampered by the multitude of RV types with little information about cross-neutralization. We previously showed that neutralizing antibody (nAb) responses to RV-C are detected twofold to threefold more often than those to RV-A throughout childhood. Based on those findings, we hypothesized that RV-C infections are more likely to induce either cross-neutralizing or longer-lasting antibody responses compared with RV-A infections. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• August 2023