Ovarian cancer immunotherapy: opportunities, progresses and challenges

Due to the low survival rates from invasive ovarian cancer, new effective treatment modalities are urgently needed. Compelling evidence indicates that the immune response against ovarian cancer may play an important role in controlling this disease. We herein summarize multiple immune-based strategies that have been proposed and tested for potential therapeutic benefit against advanced stage ovarian cancer. We will examine the evidence for the premise that an effective therapeutic vaccine against ovarian cancer is useful not only for inducing remission of the disease but also for preventing disease relapse. We will also highlight the questions and challenges in the development of ovarian cancer vaccines, and critically discuss the limitations of some of the existing immunotherapeutic strategies. Finally, we will summarize our own experience on the use of patient-specific tumor-derived heat shock protein-peptide complex for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer

Prawn Fishery By-catch and Discards: marine ecosystem analysis - population effects

In prawn trawl fisheries, the catch and discard of non-target species (by-catch) can have an impact on the ecosystem and species populations, particularly by the favouring of scavengers and removal of top predators. An understanding of the fished ecosystem, including species composition, abundance, catchability, and survival, is instrumental for the adoption of the principle of ecological sustainability and implementation of ecosystem-based management. The research reported here constitutes three separate studies, a) an ecological assessment of quantitatively dominant by-catch species using a consistent rigorous statistical approach for hypotheses testing applied to data sampled at five selected sites at the Spencer Gulf prawn fishing grounds with a history of different trawling intensities, b) a detailed assessment of physiological stress, and mortality of selected by-catch species during capture and handling, and c) a field and laboratory experimental study of movements and feeding behaviour of Port Jackson sharks during trawl operations

Test of an antifouling treatment on tuna fish-cages in Boston Bay, Port Lincoln, South Australia

Ib Svane, Anthony Cheshire & Jeremy Barnet

Latitudinal variability in spatial genetic structure in the invasive ascidian, Styela plicata

Increases in temperature can shorten planktonic larval durations, so that higher temperatures may reduce dispersal distances for many marine animals. To test this prediction, we first quantified how minimum time to settlement is shortened at higher temperatures for the ascidian Styela plicata. Second, using latitude as a correlate for ocean temperature and spatial genetic structure as a proxy for dispersal, we tested for a negative correlation between latitude and spatial genetic structure within populations, as measured by anonymous DNA markers. Spatial genetic structure was variable among latitudes, with significant structure at low and intermediate latitudes (high and medium temperatures) and there was no genetic structure within high-latitude (low temperature) populations. In addition, we found consistently high genetic diversity across all Australian populations, showing no evidence for recent local bottlenecks associated S. plicata's history as an invasive species. There was, however, significant genetic differentiation between all populations indicating limited ongoing gene flow