Using transgenic plant-based production and delivery systems to develop an avian influenza vaccine. This project aims to provide proof-of-concept for the rapid production of plant-made vaccines of high strategic value to the poultry industry. Plant-made AI vaccines would help safeguard primary industries in Australia from exotic influenza strains and shield rural communities from the impact of stock losses. This collaboration will also contribute to the Molecular Farming industry by ensuring tha ....Using transgenic plant-based production and delivery systems to develop an avian influenza vaccine. This project aims to provide proof-of-concept for the rapid production of plant-made vaccines of high strategic value to the poultry industry. Plant-made AI vaccines would help safeguard primary industries in Australia from exotic influenza strains and shield rural communities from the impact of stock losses. This collaboration will also contribute to the Molecular Farming industry by ensuring that Australian interests are considered as this frontier technology tackles the challenges of turning academic research into marketable products. The key features of an oral plant-made AI vaccine, including rapid and non-egg based production, also make this an attractive technology for the future development of swine and human influenza vaccines.Read moreRead less
A “Goldilocks” live attenuated poultry vaccine for Infectious Coryza. This project aims to develop a safe and effective vaccine for Infectious Coryza using a live-attenuated vaccine approach. Infectious coryza is an acute respiratory disease of chickens and is caused by the bacterial pathogen, Avibacterium paragallinarum. Infectious Coryza can be controlled by appropriate biosecurity practises and this has been successful in the Australian context to date. However, in the USA, Europe and other e ....A “Goldilocks” live attenuated poultry vaccine for Infectious Coryza. This project aims to develop a safe and effective vaccine for Infectious Coryza using a live-attenuated vaccine approach. Infectious coryza is an acute respiratory disease of chickens and is caused by the bacterial pathogen, Avibacterium paragallinarum. Infectious Coryza can be controlled by appropriate biosecurity practises and this has been successful in the Australian context to date. However, in the USA, Europe and other equatorial regions, infectious Coryza remains an unsolved problem. The expected outcome of this project is a cross-serovar protective vaccine to prevent infectious coryza for use in endemic countries and to act as a biosecurity measure to protect Australia's poultry industry against an incursion of this disease.Read moreRead less
Developing technologies that support the genetic modification of rats. Rats and the mouse play critical roles in medical research. Until recently, the targeted genetic modification of a mammal was limited to the mouse. This was due to a technology that was unique to the mouse: embryonic stem (ES) cells. These cells have not been isolated from any other species. The recent development of animal cloning allows for an alternate strategy for targeting genes. We propose to develop cloning strate ....Developing technologies that support the genetic modification of rats. Rats and the mouse play critical roles in medical research. Until recently, the targeted genetic modification of a mammal was limited to the mouse. This was due to a technology that was unique to the mouse: embryonic stem (ES) cells. These cells have not been isolated from any other species. The recent development of animal cloning allows for an alternate strategy for targeting genes. We propose to develop cloning strategies in the rat that supports the genetic modification of this animal. The development of this technology will bring considerable benefits to the areas of physiological research and drug design.Read moreRead less
Engineering safer pastures for livestock. This project aims to develop subterranean clover with elevated condensed tannins in leaves. This important pasture legume is currently a bloat risk for cattle and sheep due to low condensed tannins and high soluble proteins. Bloat is a health issue that costs the Australian and New Zealand livestock industries over $200 million per annum. Condensed tannins can reduce bloat, decrease methane production and improve efficiency of production. A novel approac ....Engineering safer pastures for livestock. This project aims to develop subterranean clover with elevated condensed tannins in leaves. This important pasture legume is currently a bloat risk for cattle and sheep due to low condensed tannins and high soluble proteins. Bloat is a health issue that costs the Australian and New Zealand livestock industries over $200 million per annum. Condensed tannins can reduce bloat, decrease methane production and improve efficiency of production. A novel approach using CRISPR and other innovative molecular techniques will generate breeding lines high in condensed tannins and deliver knowledge applicable to other pasture legumes. Expected outcomes for livestock producers include improved animal welfare, reduced carbon emissions and enhanced profits.Read moreRead less
Enhancement of Novel Flower Colours. The demand for novel colours and varieties of cutflowers is the most important driver for the floriculture industry. This project will increase the understanding of the factors that regulate flower colour and produce flowers with novel colours. This novelty is a consumer trait, and is likely to translate into increased sales and revenue to the Industry Partner, with income from these worldwide sales translating directly into the employment of research and dev ....Enhancement of Novel Flower Colours. The demand for novel colours and varieties of cutflowers is the most important driver for the floriculture industry. This project will increase the understanding of the factors that regulate flower colour and produce flowers with novel colours. This novelty is a consumer trait, and is likely to translate into increased sales and revenue to the Industry Partner, with income from these worldwide sales translating directly into the employment of research and development staff in Australia. This project will maintain Australian expertise in the production of horticultural commodities and provide research training to a post-graduate student with industry experience.Read moreRead less
Expression of value added product in wheat. Wheat is an important food crop due to nutritional value of its seeds. Advances in development of reliable methods for plant genetic transformation now make it possible to apply genetic engineering to the improvement of this important crop. In this linkage application, we aim to introduce a gene for a value added nutraceutical product in elite cultivars of wheat. The successful outcome of the proposed project will lead to the development of value ad ....Expression of value added product in wheat. Wheat is an important food crop due to nutritional value of its seeds. Advances in development of reliable methods for plant genetic transformation now make it possible to apply genetic engineering to the improvement of this important crop. In this linkage application, we aim to introduce a gene for a value added nutraceutical product in elite cultivars of wheat. The successful outcome of the proposed project will lead to the development of value added wheat varieties that cannot be achieved through conventional breeding and will provide Australian industry competitive advantage in rapidly growing world wide market for new health promoting foods.Read moreRead less
Engineering of anti-platelet antibodies for the diagnosis and therapy of infants with bleeding disorders. Foeto-maternal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FMAIT) is a serious clinical condition where infants suffer potentially fatal bleeding disorders from 14 weeks gestation to 1-2 weeks post delivery. The cause of the disease is through maternal antibodies destroying foetal platelets. Our aim is to produce human antibodies, which will be used as diagnostic agents to screen for the condition in preg ....Engineering of anti-platelet antibodies for the diagnosis and therapy of infants with bleeding disorders. Foeto-maternal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FMAIT) is a serious clinical condition where infants suffer potentially fatal bleeding disorders from 14 weeks gestation to 1-2 weeks post delivery. The cause of the disease is through maternal antibodies destroying foetal platelets. Our aim is to produce human antibodies, which will be used as diagnostic agents to screen for the condition in pregnant women, and to further develop such antibodies for therapy. Identification of mothers at risk of FMAIT and the development of a specific therapy are vital to the management and prevention of this serious condition.Read moreRead less