Research team
Helicobacter pylori infects half of the world’s population and is the proven cause of peptic ulcer and most gastric cancer.
In 1997 Professor Barry Marshall established the Helicobacter pylori Research Laboratory at the QEII Medical Centre Research Laboratory to study this organism.
Research has already been carried out on improving diagnostic methods, and on the bacteria's prevalence within the Australian population and within family groups. At present a study is underway to determine whether a person can be reinfected with their own strain of H. pylori.
Increasing levels of resistance to the antibiotics routinely used to eradicate H. pylori mean that roughly 15% of patients are not cured of their infections with standard ‘over-the-counter’ drug combinations. Such patients are referred to Prof Marshall and, after isolation of their H. pylori strain, they receive a ‘tailor-made’ combination of antibiotics prescribed specifically to eradicate their strain of H. pylori.
Since 2005 work has been carried out on a new vaccine and drug delivery system called the “Helicobacter pylori Platform Technology” via the new biotechnology start-up company Ondek, funded by Western Australian and international investors, and supplemented by an AusIndustry commercial-ready grant from the Federal government.
The Ondek vaccine system will utilise the unique characteristics of a genetically modified H. pylori bacterium, which will act as a live vaccine vector.
School of Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences
University information
CRICOS Code: 00126G
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Last updated:
Tuesday, 23 June, 2009 4:35 PM
