Targeting TLR7 to limit auto-immunity

Research area

| immunology, inflammation

Keywords

| immunology, inflammation, DNA, Lupus

Research group

| Nucleic Acids and Innate Immunity, Centre for Innate Immunity and Infectious Diseases

Suitability

| PhD/Doctorate, Honours, Masters

Contact supervisors at any time

Professor Michael Gantier
e: michael.gantier@hudson.org.au

Dr Sunil Sapkota

Project description

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and related autoimmune diseases remain incurable, with therapies largely directed at suppressing downstream inflammation rather than targeting disease‑maintaining mechanisms. Our pioneering studies have recently identified TLR7 as a key modulator of SLE (Brown et al. 2022 Nature; Alharbi et al. 2026 Nature Immunology). In this project we are exploring how aberrant TLR7 function can be targeted by short RNA fragments to limit auto-immunity, beyond the case of SLE. The successful candidate will gain cutting edge practical knowledge in molecular, cellular and animal biology, working on a project with a strong translational angle.

All student research projects All Professor Michael Gantier's projects