Annual progress reports

An integrated platform for the early diagnosis and treatment of biotoxin-related illnesses in Australia like Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (2015197)

  • Dr Seong Beom Ahn (Chief Investigator A)
  • Macquarie University
  • Budget: $1,063,797
  • Funding period: 2022 to 2025

Project Synopsis

While many studies now suggest that living in dampness and mould can adversely affect the immune system in some people, few studies define tests that doctors could use to diagnose and treat affected individuals.

This research project will study both affected individuals and healthy controls, examining their blood, stool, and saliva along with other tests such as brain scans and environmental testing in their homes, in order to identify appropriate diagnostic tests that doctors can use.

The project intends to achieve the following 4 aims:

  1. Use a case-control study design to collect longitudinal samples to identify biomarkers for screening, diagnostic, and prognostic purposes as well as monitoring response to treatment, along with environmental markers and direct biotoxin detection.
  2. Initiate the first biobank for Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) with QLD- and NSW-based patients. Once established, extend the biobank Australia-wide and make it accessible to international collaborators.
  3. Use all databases in the registry — symptomatic, immunological, pro-inflammatory, genomic, brain imaging, ophthalmologic, and environmental — together with the causative biotoxins identified (in patients and their environment) to deliver a more effective, personalised treatment regimen adapted to each patient with CIRS and a more cost-effective public-health outcome.
  4. Use all the above to confirm and improve upon the existing case definition for CIRS. 

Progress Report as of 30 April 2024

Since the previous reporting period, there was a focus on conducting a battery of examinations of the biospecimens collected in the previous year, including:

  • Examining 14 CIRS diagnostic hormone/protein biomarkers. We found that the expression levels of α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (αMSH) were strongly associated with the patients' clinical features.
  • Examining 19 inflammatory protein/cytokine biomarkers, most notably showing Interleukin 6 (IL-6) to be highly expressed in the patient's group.
  • Conducting immune cell profiling to assess the immunological effects on study participants' immune cells.
  • Assessing mould exposure by measuring mycotoxins (for example, Aflatoxin B1, Ochratoxin A, Deoxynivalenol, T-2 Toxin) in study participants’ blood.
  • Performing metatranscriptomic analysis to identify mould-related organisms in study participants’ stool, saliva, and environmental samples
  • Conducting Mass Spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics and Kynurenine Pathway assays to discover novel protein and metabolite biomarkers.
  • Conducting Brain MRI Volumetry on selected study participants, and data analysis is ongoing.
  • Conducting a comprehensive analysis of symptom and environmental questionnaires collected from study participants, in conjunction with potential biomarker measurements, to develop questionnaires specifically tailored to Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS).