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Macrophage control of mammalian growth and development. The immediate postnatal period in mammals is crucial for survival, long term health and productivity. This project is an international collaboration that aims to investigate how cells of the innate immune system called macrophages control somatic growth and development of mature organ function in the early postnatal period. The project aims to build upon investment in new animals models and a novel discovery to generate significant new know ....Macrophage control of mammalian growth and development. The immediate postnatal period in mammals is crucial for survival, long term health and productivity. This project is an international collaboration that aims to investigate how cells of the innate immune system called macrophages control somatic growth and development of mature organ function in the early postnatal period. The project aims to build upon investment in new animals models and a novel discovery to generate significant new knowledge that will challenge current concepts of mammalian growth control. The outcomes will enhance Australia's international reputation in the fields of physiology, immunology and developmental biology. Read moreRead less
Safer gene editing tools for Australian livestock and biotech industries. Editing the genome of an organism in an efficient and safe fashion is critical for the livestock and biotechnology industries. While CRISPR-Cas9 has become the method of choice for genome editing, it is known to introduce unwanted "on-target" and "off-target" mutations, limiting its utility. To address this the CI team created a novel genome editing platform technology termed Crackling-CAST that is almost 100% accurate, w ....Safer gene editing tools for Australian livestock and biotech industries. Editing the genome of an organism in an efficient and safe fashion is critical for the livestock and biotechnology industries. While CRISPR-Cas9 has become the method of choice for genome editing, it is known to introduce unwanted "on-target" and "off-target" mutations, limiting its utility. To address this the CI team created a novel genome editing platform technology termed Crackling-CAST that is almost 100% accurate, while retaining the efficiency of the classical Cas9 system. This project will exemplify the capabilities of the novel gene targeting platform in cell types used by the biotechnology and livestock sectors, ensuring its global uptake by these industries and delivering significant economic benefits for Australia. Read moreRead less
Adapting to climate change: does enhanced metabolism provide heritable protection against ocean acidification and increasing temperature in oysters? By the end of this century, our oceans will have much higher concentrations of carbon dioxide and will be several degrees warmer. We have developed a population of oysters that can survive in these conditions, and the project will examine these oysters at the molecular level to determine whether increased metabolism is responsible for their survival ....Adapting to climate change: does enhanced metabolism provide heritable protection against ocean acidification and increasing temperature in oysters? By the end of this century, our oceans will have much higher concentrations of carbon dioxide and will be several degrees warmer. We have developed a population of oysters that can survive in these conditions, and the project will examine these oysters at the molecular level to determine whether increased metabolism is responsible for their survival.Read moreRead less
Gamete-specific knockout of Fizzy-Related to examine its meiotic role in oocytes and sperm. Fizzy-Related is a gene that appears to be essential in making an ovulated egg, and it may also have an important role to play in making sperm. A mouse knockout will be generated to examine exactly how it functions; because it affects the egg number remaining in the ovary and egg quality Fizzy-Related may be eventually an important therapeutic target.
Saving Nemo: Reducing animal use in toxicity assessments of wastewater. Every day, Australians produce ~5 billion litres of wastewater, which contains a cocktail of chemicals. Industries that discharge wastewater are required to assess chemical risks to the receiving environments by conducting whole animal direct toxicity assessments (DTA), which are expensive and pose an ethical dilemma. Our preliminary research shows that new in vitro bioassays provide an ethical and cost effective alternative ....Saving Nemo: Reducing animal use in toxicity assessments of wastewater. Every day, Australians produce ~5 billion litres of wastewater, which contains a cocktail of chemicals. Industries that discharge wastewater are required to assess chemical risks to the receiving environments by conducting whole animal direct toxicity assessments (DTA), which are expensive and pose an ethical dilemma. Our preliminary research shows that new in vitro bioassays provide an ethical and cost effective alternative that could be incorporated into DTA programs if their ecological relevance can be demonstrated. This project will develop and validate a new and internationally significant suite of in vitro bioassays for incorporation into DTA programs, leading to more ethical, cost effective and improved environmental protection.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE200100181
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,050,000.00
Summary
Crossing the biology meso-nanoscale divide by scanning electron microscopy. This project aims to establish complementary scanning electron microscope (SEM) facilities at The University of Melbourne and LaTrobe University to advance research into crops, disease, neurosciences and coral reefs. SEMs are rapidly evolving instruments that permit high resolution imaging of visible size samples such as parts of plants and animals. The potential innovations, applications and benefits to society are far ....Crossing the biology meso-nanoscale divide by scanning electron microscopy. This project aims to establish complementary scanning electron microscope (SEM) facilities at The University of Melbourne and LaTrobe University to advance research into crops, disease, neurosciences and coral reefs. SEMs are rapidly evolving instruments that permit high resolution imaging of visible size samples such as parts of plants and animals. The potential innovations, applications and benefits to society are far reaching, with the facility expected to impact the development of drought and salinity tolerance in crops, production of fibres by plants, resilience of Great Barrier Reef corals to warming, advances in medicinal agriculture, control of important diseases of livestock and humans, and sensory processing and ocular disease.Read moreRead less
Unravelling the principles of bilateral brain wiring. This project seeks to investigate the molecular principles of brain wiring in mammals and how small changes can generate complex outcomes. Neurons in the mammalian brain must be precisely wired together for the brain to function correctly. The project aims to identify the molecular and cellular rules governing commissural wiring in the mammalian cortex to determine how the largest fibre tract in the human brain, the corpus callosum, evolved. ....Unravelling the principles of bilateral brain wiring. This project seeks to investigate the molecular principles of brain wiring in mammals and how small changes can generate complex outcomes. Neurons in the mammalian brain must be precisely wired together for the brain to function correctly. The project aims to identify the molecular and cellular rules governing commissural wiring in the mammalian cortex to determine how the largest fibre tract in the human brain, the corpus callosum, evolved. This may have involved modifications in mechanisms affecting axon guidance that differ between placentals and marsupials. The project investigates the regulatory gene networks determining commissural neuron fate, the regulation of axon guidance components, and the influence of surrounding brain tissue on the development of commissural connections.Read moreRead less
Defining systems that clear dangerous misfolded proteins from body fluids. The project intends to establish how the human body defends itself against protein-folding related disease and loss of quality of life. Exposure to everyday physical and chemical stresses can cause proteins to lose their normal shape and become misfolded. Misfolded proteins are causally involved in human ageing and serious diseases (for example, Alzheimer's disease). However, the body does have a protective system that cl ....Defining systems that clear dangerous misfolded proteins from body fluids. The project intends to establish how the human body defends itself against protein-folding related disease and loss of quality of life. Exposure to everyday physical and chemical stresses can cause proteins to lose their normal shape and become misfolded. Misfolded proteins are causally involved in human ageing and serious diseases (for example, Alzheimer's disease). However, the body does have a protective system that clears dangerous misfolded proteins from body fluids. Using cutting-edge approaches and a novel animal model, the project aims to establish how this system works. The outcomes are expected to improve understanding of the molecular processes affecting human ageing and disease and strengthen the framework needed to develop better strategies to combat these.Read moreRead less
Combating invading DNA: a process conserved in evolution? Cells of our body defend against foreign genetic material, or DNA, which indicates an infection or invading DNA capable of causing mutation. These defences are so important that several layers have developed during evolution, and this project compares the responses of different organisms to foreign DNA.
Is FGF21 the master regulator of protein intake? The project plans to bring together two major, rapidly growing disciplines – nutritional geometry and metabolic signalling – to address a topic of fundamental biological significance: the regulation of protein intake. A specific capacity to regulate protein intake has been shown for organisms spanning slime moulds to humans, yet the controlling mechanisms remain elusive. The project aims to test the hypothesis that fibroblast growth factor 21, rel ....Is FGF21 the master regulator of protein intake? The project plans to bring together two major, rapidly growing disciplines – nutritional geometry and metabolic signalling – to address a topic of fundamental biological significance: the regulation of protein intake. A specific capacity to regulate protein intake has been shown for organisms spanning slime moulds to humans, yet the controlling mechanisms remain elusive. The project aims to test the hypothesis that fibroblast growth factor 21, released from the liver under low protein nutrition, is a master regulator of protein intake. Understanding the mechanisms of protein appetite may have implications for organismal biology, understanding social interactions, the structure of food webs and the health and welfare of food and companion animals and humans.Read moreRead less