Name: Dr Andreas Kupz
Age: 40
Where and in what position are you working? I am Senior Research Fellow at the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University.
Tell us which grant you received ($5000 or $25,000) and how you are going to use it? I received the $50,000 grant in early 2020. The grant is being used to pay for laboratory reagents, patient incentivisation, travel to study sites and research assistant time
How did you hear about the Foundation’s research grants? JCU newsletter
What is your project about? Understanding the human immune responses to BCG, the vaccine that is used to prevent tuberculosis in children. The results of this study will inform the development of a new vaccine.
How did you come to be studying this particular field? I have worked on different bacterial diseases for the last 14 years. Tuberculosis is one of the most important bacterial diseases globally.
Where are you based? AITHM, Cairns
Where will your research take place? JCU/AITHM Cairns, Cairns Hospital, Thursday Island Hospital and Bamaga Hospital
Why is your research important? Tuberculosis is the leading cause of infectious death globally (annually more people die from TB than from COVID-19). The current vaccine, BCG, has low efficacy in adults and needs to be replaced with an improved vaccine.
How will your research benefit the FNQ community? FNQ is one of the few regions in Australia in which TB still occurs. Developing a better vaccine against TB will potentially benefit many communities in FNQ by reducing the burden of disease and the associated morbidity.
