PODCAST · science
Infection and Immunity
by Doherty Institute
Welcome to Infection and Immunity - Evidence Explained, a Doherty Institute podcast. Each fortnight we bring you the latest news and information on all things infectious diseases and immunology from the Doherty Institute and our collaborators.Join us as we talk with world-leading experts to discuss the latest scientific and public health evidence around emerging and endemic diseases, from COVID-19 and Buruli ulcer, to HIV and the flu.
Episodes
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Bonus Episode: Where Are We Now On Global Pandemic Preparedness?
In this bonus episode of Off Script, we examine the evolving state of global pandemic preparedness. In 2025, World Health Organization Member States adopted the first-ever Pandemic Agreement. However, a critical component — the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system — remains…
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The Future We Could Have
Off Script Episode 5: The Future We Could Have Off Script is brought to you by the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics. Episode Summary In the final episode of this five-part series, we imagine the pandemic future we could have if we start preparing now. With therapeutic drugs ready...
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Global Health Equity
Off Script Episode 4: Global Health Equity Off Script is brought to you by the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics. Episode Summary The COVID-19 pandemic hit many developing countries especially hard, overwhelming already stretched health systems while devastating tourism-dependent...
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The mRNA Revolution
Off Script Episode 3: The mRNA Revolution Off Script is brought to you by the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics. Episode Summary mRNA technology isn't just about vaccines – it's a platform that could revolutionise pandemic therapeutics. Discover how Melbourne has become a global...
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Australia's Moonshot
Off Script Episode 2: Australia's Moonshot Off Script is brought to you by the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics. Episode Summary Australia has a history of punching above its weight in medical research – from the cervical cancer vaccine to the bionic ear. Now we’re on the brink of...
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The Missing Piece
Off Script Episode 1 – The Missing Piece Off Script is brought to you by the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics. Episode Summary: While Australia's COVID-19 response was among the world's best, there was one critical gap in our pandemic toolkit: therapeutics. In this eye-opening…
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Coming soon: A podcast from the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics with Dr Matt Agnew
Off Script is a podcast hosted by science communicator Dr. Matt Agnew and produced by the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics, part of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute). The five-part series explores one of the most important questions in…
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The A to E of Hepatitis - what you need to know
World Hepatitis Day, observed annually on 28 July, is just around the corner and aims to raise awareness of the virus that’s responsible for more than one million deaths a year. But what is hepatitis and what’s the difference between strains A-E? What are researchers doing to find a cure for the...
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Diagnosis and treatment of Long COVID
Post infection disease is a term that has become more familiar to many more of us following the COVID-19 pandemic. How do we diagnose and treat post infection disease, like Long COVID? And how to we add this aspect to our future pandemic preparedness? Learn more about common symptoms, at-risk...
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When should I get my COVID-19 booster?
With COVID-19 being described as an endemic infection, we are now very much living with the virus. As we approach the Winter months in Australia, where are we at with case numbers? When is the correct time to get a your booster vaccination for COVID-19? And how effective are antiviral treatments?...
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Why clinical trials are vital for developing new vaccines and therapeutics
Monday, 20 May marked International Clinical Trials Day, which recognises the anniversary of the first controlled clinical trial conducted back in 1747. So why are clinical trials important when it comes to advancing therapeutics and vaccines? Are clinical trials safe? What's involved if you...
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Influenza B breakthrough: promising targets for vaccine development
Influenza B viruses are often overlooked but can cause significant illness and mortality, especially in children. Little is known about how the immune system interacts with these viruses, however a recent breakthrough by researchers at the Doherty Institute may revolutionise how we are protected...
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How the immune system works with Peter Doherty
Does your immune system remember viruses you've previously been infected with? Do your genetics play a role in your immune system? Can you boost immunity with certain foods or vitamins? Ahead of the International Day of Immunology (April 29) we chat with Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Doherty to...
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Here’s what you need to know about flu season 2024
We’re just a couple of weeks away from May, which marks the official start of the influenza season in Australia. So what can we expect from the upcoming flu season and when is the best time to get your annual flu vaccine? Learn more about flu vaccination, virus variants and current influenza...
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Australia's first volunteer infection study facility
This week Doherty Clinical Trials Ltd, Australia’s first purpose-built facility specifically commissioned to deliver volunteer infection studies, was officially opened by the Victorian Minister for Medical Research, The Honourable Ben Carroll MP. Doherty Clinical Trials has been established by…
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A brief history of vaccine development
From protecting local communities to safeguarding global health, vaccines have been transforming public health for over 200 years. According to the World Health Organization, between 3.5 and 5 million lives are saved every year thanks to vaccines, which help protect us from diseases such...
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Measles cases are on the rise globally. Should we be concerned?
Despite being vaccine-preventable, outbreaks of measles are currently occurring in every region of the world, with many countries reporting their first case in years. In Australia, the disease was considered eliminated in 2014, but a series of imported case alerts begs the question – do we need…
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How machine learning pinpoints origin of Legionnaires’ disease
Legionnaires’ disease made headlines in Australia at the beginning of the year due to an outbreak of the lung infection in Sydney’s city centre. Fundamental to effective Legionnaires’ disease outbreak control is the ability to rapidly identify the environmental sources of the causative bacteria,...
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Buruli ulcer part two: a diagnosis and advocating for change
Numbers of Buruli ulcer cases have been increasing to between 200-340 cases per year since 2017, with 363 cases diagnosed in Victoria during 2023 alone. Mornington Peninsula resident, Ella Crofts, who contracted a Buruli ulcer at age 13 back in 2017 joins the episode with a unique story to tell....
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Buruli ulcer part one: 80 year-long transmission mystery solved
The debilitating ‘flesh-eating’ infection that is Buruli ulcer has captivated Victorians in particular over the last 10 years or so, due to its increasing incidence in the state. Mosquitoes have been considered likely to be involved in transmission of the bacteria, Mycobacterium ulcerans,...
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Avian influenza (H5N1): why are experts concerned about the virus reaching Antarctica?
While much of our attention has been on COVID-19 over the last few years, another pandemic has reeked havoc on more than 200 species of wild birds. The spread of H5N1 or bird flu as its more commonly known, to migrating birds has seen substantial outbreaks occur in Europe, Asia, Africa, North...
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Life As We Knew It: the extraordinary story of Australia’s pandemic
We're joined by multi-award winning journalists, Aisha Dow and Melissa Cunningham, to chat about their new book Life As We Knew It. The book tells the gripping inside account of Australia’s extraordinary pandemic story. It has been described by our very own Peter Doherty as a “Terrific account of...
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Melbourne-made covid vaccines show robust potential for boosters
In a major coup for the Doherty Institute and the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, our two COVID-19 vaccines went head to head in a Phase 1 clinical trial in 2022. The interim results have just been published in the Lancet’s eBioMedicine journal and found that both have strong…
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Autoimmune skin conditions could be treated by targeting t cells
Our immune system is made up of many types of cells. Many people will have heard of T cells that fight infection, but did you know there are many different subsets of T cells? In this episode we're talking all things tissue-resident memory T cells with the author of a new study that has found new...
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What is antimicrobial resistance and how can we help prevent it?
Antimicrobial resistance has consistently been named by the World Health Organization as one of the top 10 global health threats, with current estimates of over 700,000 deaths per year due to antimicrobial resistance, expecting to reach 10 million by 2050. Antimicrobials refer to a category of...
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Is the COVID-19 pandemic over?
As 2023 draws to a close, almost four years on since the first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed, we continue to see cases and have adjusted to living with COVID-19. So, is the COVID-19 pandemic officially over? In this episode, Infectious diseases expert and Director of the Doherty Institute,...
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BONUS EPISODE: Lessons from HIV: strengths and weaknesses in the response to COVID-19
Laureate Professor Francoise Barre-Sinoussi shares her insight and experience of the HIV pandemic, reflects on the strengths and weaknesses of the response and the lessons that can be applied to COVID and pandemics of the future. Françoise was the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
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BONUS EPISODE: What is the evidence telling us about Omicron?
How severe is Omicron? How is easily is it transmitted? How do our vaccines fair against this new variant? In this bonus episode of Doherty Institute Director Professor Sharon Lewin explains what the evidence is telling us about the Omicron variant.Infection and Immunity - Evidence Explained…
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What did we learn from another year of COVID-19?
What does the Director of the Doherty Institute have to say after another year of battling COVID-19? In our final episode of the season we are joined by Professor Sharon Lewin to unpack the scientific evidence after another 12 months of riding out the ever-changing landscape of COVID-19. We talk...
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World AIDS Day: Where are we at 40 years after the first clinical diagnosis?
Wednesday, 1 December is Worlds AIDS Day, with the 2021 edition marking 40 years since the first cases of AIDS-defining illnesses were first clinically documented. So how far has the science progressed when it comes to treating HIV? What is it like today for people living with HIV? Is a cure on…
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BONUS EP: Latest Doherty Institute modelling explained
Last Friday the Doherty-led modelling consortium presented their final report to National Cabinet. What does the latest report tell us? And what have we learned from the previous reports released? To help unpack the data and findings, we’re joined by Professor Jodie McVernon, Director of...
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What does the evidence tell us about COVID-19 vaccine boosters?
As of Monday, 8 November, Australians over 18 who have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine at least six months ago, are now eligible for a third dose. So why do we need booster shots? What does it mean for Australia as we transition to living with the virus? And when should we be rolling up...
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Growing and sharing the virus that changed the world
COVID-19 research has come a long way since the beginning of 2020, but what initial steps where taken to prepare for the emergence of this new virus? In late January 2020, the team in the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL) announced they had grown the SARS-CoV-2 virus from...
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BONUS EP: Kids, COVID-19 and vaccines
In late September, we held an event online called COVID-19 vaccines – your questions answered Part 2with the aim of getting our experts to answer as many questions about COVID-19 vaccines from the audience as possible within an hour and a half. As with our first event of the same name back in...
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Working on Victoria's COVID wards
Have you wondered what it must be like working on the frontline in Victoria's COVID wards during the pandemic? In this episode of , we're taken on that journey behind the scenes with Associate Professor Steve Tong and Dr Janine Trevillyan, two very hard-working infectious diseases physicians...
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BONUS EP: Doherty Institute modelling sensitivity analysis
Following the release of the Technical Report and Addendum to National Cabinet on 10 August, the Doherty Institute-led modelling consortium was asked to provide “sensitivity analyses” of the scenarios represented in the Report. They were asked to test the robustness of the recommendation to...
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Optimise Study: vaccination knowledge, attitudes and beliefs
Australians are now coming out in droves to get their COVID-19 vaccines as we strive towards the double dose targets that will allow us more freedoms according to the National Plan to transition Australia’s National COVID Response. This is supported by new research conducted in July as part of…
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Global vaccine equity
The Global Dashboard for Vaccine Equity developed by the United Nations Development Programme has Australia on par with high income countries, with 56.35 per cent of people having received a first dose. But what about low income countries? Just 2.14 per cent have received a first dose. That’s…
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What does the evidence tell us about COVID-19 rapid antigen tests?
The use of antigen tests has been publicly debated since the beginning of the pandemic. But what is the latest official advise for their use in Australia? In this episode in our series on COVID-19 the virus, variants and vaccines we are chatting with Professor Deborah Williamson, Clinical...
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BONUS EP: Doherty Institute modelling
Last week, Doherty Institute Director of Epidemiology, Professor Jodie McVernon joined Prime Minister Scott Morrison in presenting the modelling that underpinned the phases of the Federal Government's COVID Response Plan. Since the beginning of 2020 Jodie has been advising the Commonwealth...
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Peter Doherty - An Insider's Plague Year
We welcome back the Patron and Namesake of the Doherty Institute, Laureate Professor Peter Doherty. It’s been a big week for Peter with the launch of his seventh lay book, , published by Melbourne University Press. As the title suggests, Peter recounts his experience and inner workings of the...
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Exploring airborne COVID-19 transmission in hospital
In this episode in our series on COVID-19 the virus, variants and vaccines we are chatting with Professor Kirsty Buising, Royal Melbourne Hospital Infectious Diseases Physician and co-lead of the Antimicrobial Resistance and Hospital Acquired Infections Theme at the Doherty Institute. Last year,...
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2020 - A year like no other
This week, we published the Doherty Institute’s 2020 Impact Report, which highlights our research, clinical, public health and teaching successes throughout the year and provides insight into the experiences of some of our staff, in their own words. The Doherty Institute was, and continues to be,...
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The power of science communication during a pandemic
Sonya Pemberton is my guest. Sonya is an Emmy-award winning filmmaker - she won an Emmy Award in 2012 and has won the Eureka Award for Science Journalist a record five times. Her films include Jabbed – love, fear and vaccines, Vaccine – Calling the Shots, Catching Cancer and Immortal, which won…
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Diving into wastewater testing for disease surveillance
We’re going to take a deep dive into wastewater testing for COVID-19 surveillance – it’s origins, why it’s used and exactly what it can tell us. Associate Professor Bruce Thorley is our guest – he is the Head of the National Enterovirus Reference Laboratory and the W-H-O Polio Regional Reference...
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Melbourne Knowledge Week Pandemic proofing the future
How could Australia be better prepared to respond to future pandemics? Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the strongest and most effective in the world. And yet, there are still plenty of lessons to be learned. The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity was...
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Checking in with Laureate Professor Peter Doherty
We check in with Laureate Professor Peter Doherty to find out how he's doing through Melbourne's lockdown, whether he made it to Dan Murphy's before it began, what he's binge watching on Netflix, his experience of getting the Astra Zeneca vaccine and participating in clinical trials and a release...
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Getting back to zero - analysing Melbourne's outbreak
We speak with Dr Katherine Gibney, infectious diseases clinician, public health physician and medical epidemiologist about the decision to extend Victoria's lockdown, the latest evidence of the transmissibility and infectiousness of current circulating strains, issues around mandating vaccines in...
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COVID-19 vaccine immunity
In this episode, we chat with Dr Jennifer Juno, a Senior Research fellow at the Doherty Institute about what happens to your immune system when vaccinated and when you have recovered from COVID-19. We want to hear from you! Help us shape future episodes of our podcast by telling us a little about...
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COVID-19 vaccines: Mixed schedules, booster shots and the Australian rollout
We speak with Professor Terry Nolan, Head of the Vaccine and Immunisation Research Group at the Doherty Institute and Murdoch Children's Research Institute. Terry was also the Head of the Australian Technical Advisory Group for Immunisation for 10 years - so knows vaccines! We discuss the latest...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Welcome to Infection and Immunity - Evidence Explained, a Doherty Institute podcast. Each fortnight we bring you the latest news and information on all things infectious diseases and immunology from the Doherty Institute and our collaborators.Join us as we talk with world-leading experts to discuss the latest scientific and public health evidence around emerging and endemic diseases, from COVID-19 and Buruli ulcer, to HIV and the flu.
HOSTED BY
Doherty Institute
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Infection and Immunity have?
Infection and Immunity currently has 55 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Infection and Immunity about?
Welcome to Infection and Immunity - Evidence Explained, a Doherty Institute podcast. Each fortnight we bring you the latest news and information on all things infectious diseases and immunology from the Doherty Institute and our collaborators.Join us as we talk with world-leading experts to discuss...
How often does Infection and Immunity release new episodes?
Infection and Immunity has 55 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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You can listen to Infection and Immunity on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Infection and Immunity?
Infection and Immunity is created and hosted by Doherty Institute.
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