Dr Bob Anderson | Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Email: banderson@wehi.edu.au
Division: Immunology
Research Overview
Our long-term objective is to ensure that people with coeliac disease are diagnosed with the least delay and treated effectively with minimal inconvenience.
The aim of our research is to understand how gluten stimulates the immune system to cause coeliac disease.
Our hypothesis is that the T cells stimulated by gluten peptides causing coeliac disease can be tolerized through controlled, repeated administration of the most important T-cell stimulatory gluten peptides.
Through detailed mapping of the gluten peptides recognized by antibodies and T cells from patients with coeliac disease we are developing new experimental diagnostics and therapeutics. Through close relations with the Coeliac Society, health professionals, pharmaceutical development experts and commercialization we not only discover and develop valuable new diagnostics and therapeutics, we also test our discoveries in patients and translate these to patient care.
Research Interests
Dr Bob Anderson of the Autoimmunity and Transplantation division has characterized the specific parts of the gluten that cause coeliac disease. This discovery has enable design of a therapeutic vaccine that may be able to protect patients from the damaging effects of gluten, and allow their return to a normal diet. To enable the drug development program to proceed Dr Anderson founded the biotech startup company, Nexpep. Nexpep and WEHI have a collaborative research agreement that has supported the drug development programme. Nexpep is commencing the first Phase 1 clinical trial of Nexvax2 April 2009. Forty coeliac disease patients will be given the vaccine to determine its safety and an appropriate dosing regime. The double-blind clinical trial will be undertaken at the specialist Phase 1 unit, Nucleus Network in Melbourne. Volunteers with biopsy proven celiac disease who possess HLA DQ2 but not HLA DQ8 and have followed a strict gluten free diet will be recruited. Five dose levels of Nexvax2 will be assessed. Volunteers will receive three doses of Nexvax2 over three weeks administered by intradermal injection. The trial will be complete by early 2010
The outcome of the Phase 1 trial will dictate if Nexpep will proceed with a Phase 2 trial, which would focus on ascertaining the clinical effectiveness of the treatment. The longterm goal is to have produced a safe, clinically effective treatment with minimal side effects that could be distributed worldwide to patients suffering from this debilitating ailment.
Dr Anderson is the CEO, CSO, Director and substantial shareholder in Nexpep Pty Ltd. Selected Publications
Email: banderson@wehi.edu.au
Division: Immunology
Research Overview
Our long-term objective is to ensure that people with coeliac disease are diagnosed with the least delay and treated effectively with minimal inconvenience.
The aim of our research is to understand how gluten stimulates the immune system to cause coeliac disease.
Our hypothesis is that the T cells stimulated by gluten peptides causing coeliac disease can be tolerized through controlled, repeated administration of the most important T-cell stimulatory gluten peptides.
Through detailed mapping of the gluten peptides recognized by antibodies and T cells from patients with coeliac disease we are developing new experimental diagnostics and therapeutics. Through close relations with the Coeliac Society, health professionals, pharmaceutical development experts and commercialization we not only discover and develop valuable new diagnostics and therapeutics, we also test our discoveries in patients and translate these to patient care.
Research Interests
- Development of a vaccine for coeliac disease
- People, porridge, and peptides: Avenin toxicity in coeliac disease
Dr Bob Anderson of the Autoimmunity and Transplantation division has characterized the specific parts of the gluten that cause coeliac disease. This discovery has enable design of a therapeutic vaccine that may be able to protect patients from the damaging effects of gluten, and allow their return to a normal diet. To enable the drug development program to proceed Dr Anderson founded the biotech startup company, Nexpep. Nexpep and WEHI have a collaborative research agreement that has supported the drug development programme. Nexpep is commencing the first Phase 1 clinical trial of Nexvax2 April 2009. Forty coeliac disease patients will be given the vaccine to determine its safety and an appropriate dosing regime. The double-blind clinical trial will be undertaken at the specialist Phase 1 unit, Nucleus Network in Melbourne. Volunteers with biopsy proven celiac disease who possess HLA DQ2 but not HLA DQ8 and have followed a strict gluten free diet will be recruited. Five dose levels of Nexvax2 will be assessed. Volunteers will receive three doses of Nexvax2 over three weeks administered by intradermal injection. The trial will be complete by early 2010
The outcome of the Phase 1 trial will dictate if Nexpep will proceed with a Phase 2 trial, which would focus on ascertaining the clinical effectiveness of the treatment. The longterm goal is to have produced a safe, clinically effective treatment with minimal side effects that could be distributed worldwide to patients suffering from this debilitating ailment.
Dr Anderson is the CEO, CSO, Director and substantial shareholder in Nexpep Pty Ltd. Selected Publications
- Tye-Din JA, Stewart JA, Dromey JA, Beissbarth T, van Heel DA, Tatham
A, Henderson K, Mannering SI, Gianfrani C, Jewell DP, Hill AV,
McCluskey J, Rossjohn J, Anderson RP. Comprehensive, quantitative
mapping of T cell epitopes in gluten in celiac disease. Sci Transl Med. 2010 Jul 21;2(41):41ra51. PMID: 20650871 [PubMed - in process] - Henderson KN, Reid HH, Borg NA, Broughton SE, Huyton T, Anderson RP, McCluskey J, Rossjohn J.
The production and crystallization of the human leukocyte antigen class II
molecules HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 complexed with deamidated gliadin peptides
implicated in coeliac disease.
Acta Crystallogr Sect F Struct Biol Cryst Commun. 2007 Dec 1;63(Pt 12):1021-5 PMID: 18084083 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] - Henderson KN, Tye-Din JA, Reid HH, Chen Z, Borg NA, Beissbarth T,
Tatham A, Mannering SI, Purcell AW, Dudek NL, van Heel DA, McCluskey J,
Rossjohn J, Anderson RP.
A structural and immunological basis for the role of human leukocyte antigen DQ8 in celiac disease.
Immunity. 2007 Jul;27(1):23-34 PMID: 17629515 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] - Anderson RP, van Heel DA, Tye-Din JA, Jewell DP, Hill AV.
Antagonists and non-toxic variants of the dominant wheat gliadin T cell epitope in coeliac disease.
Gut. 2006 Apr;55(4):485-91 PMID: 16299041 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] - Anderson RP. Coeliac disease. Aust Fam Physician. 2005 Apr;34(4):239-42 PMID: 15861743 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
- Anderson RP, van Heel DA, Tye-Din JA, Barnardo M, Salio M, Jewell
DP, Hill AV. T cells in peripheral blood after gluten challenge in
coeliac disease.
Gut. 2005 Sep;54(9):1217-23 PMID: 16099789 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] - Beissbarth T, Tye-Din JA, Smyth GK, Speed TP, Anderson RP. A
systematic approach for comprehensive T-cell epitope discovery using
peptide libraries.
Bioinformatics. 2005 Jun;21 Suppl 1:i29-37 PMID: 15961469 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] - Bateman EA, Ferry BL, Hall A, Misbah SA, Anderson R, Kelleher P. IgA
antibodies of coeliac disease patients recognise a dominant T cell
epitope of A-gliadin.
Gut. 2004 Sep;53(9):1274-8 PMID: 15306584 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
