Characterising a novel stress-sensing signalling factor. Aim: To understand how phosphorylation regulates signalling pathways to allow metabolic adaptations in response to energetic stress. Significance: A fundamental understanding of the activation of signalling pathways via phosphorylation is vital for our knowledge of homeostasis and the mechanisms controlling cell survival. Expected outcomes: To generate new systems biology and physiology data to understand how the stress response is regulat ....Characterising a novel stress-sensing signalling factor. Aim: To understand how phosphorylation regulates signalling pathways to allow metabolic adaptations in response to energetic stress. Significance: A fundamental understanding of the activation of signalling pathways via phosphorylation is vital for our knowledge of homeostasis and the mechanisms controlling cell survival. Expected outcomes: To generate new systems biology and physiology data to understand how the stress response is regulated and characterise new stress-sensing pathways. Benefits: A greater understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling metabolism in response to stress has extremely broad applications to improve metabolic efficiency in fields ranging from exercise- and life-sciences to agriculture.Read moreRead less
Unravelling the maternal gut microbiome as a driver of fetal development . This project aims to experimentally determine how changes in the maternal gut microbiota impact the phenotype of the offspring. This innovative project uses an interdisciplinary approach combined with novel models and the latest generation technology for genome sequencing. Expected outcomes include extensive new knowledge of how the gut microbiota communicates with the host during pregnancy and the impact this has on the ....Unravelling the maternal gut microbiome as a driver of fetal development . This project aims to experimentally determine how changes in the maternal gut microbiota impact the phenotype of the offspring. This innovative project uses an interdisciplinary approach combined with novel models and the latest generation technology for genome sequencing. Expected outcomes include extensive new knowledge of how the gut microbiota communicates with the host during pregnancy and the impact this has on the gastrointestinal, immune, cardiovascular and reproductive systems. Our findings should yield information that may ultimately be translated into products that augment agricultural production, providing significant benefits.Read moreRead less
Interrogating the extremes of skeletal muscle plasticity in vertebrates. This project aims to interrogate how muscles adapt to growth and endurance stimuli at different stages of life, relevant to addressing challenges facing the world’s ageing population. Using innovative gene technologies and molecular physiology in zebrafish and mice, this project will answer important, unresolved questions in muscle biology. The project will generate knowledge needed to develop interventions to improve quali ....Interrogating the extremes of skeletal muscle plasticity in vertebrates. This project aims to interrogate how muscles adapt to growth and endurance stimuli at different stages of life, relevant to addressing challenges facing the world’s ageing population. Using innovative gene technologies and molecular physiology in zebrafish and mice, this project will answer important, unresolved questions in muscle biology. The project will generate knowledge needed to develop interventions to improve quality of life for older Australians and address the physical realities of an ageing workforce. Benefits extend to enhancing workplace safety and productivity, improving farming efficiencies for livestock and aquaculture industries, and training emerging leaders in the biological sciences.Read moreRead less
Transcriptional and translational regulation of the neuronal protein tau. The microtubule-associated protein tau is important for brain development and performance. To perform these functions, tau levels and its variants are tightly controlled in brain cells. However, the factors that regulate tau remain largely unknown. This project will employ latest gene technologies to identify the molecular regulators of tau, for each step of the process from DNA to the protein. The outcome of this study wi ....Transcriptional and translational regulation of the neuronal protein tau. The microtubule-associated protein tau is important for brain development and performance. To perform these functions, tau levels and its variants are tightly controlled in brain cells. However, the factors that regulate tau remain largely unknown. This project will employ latest gene technologies to identify the molecular regulators of tau, for each step of the process from DNA to the protein. The outcome of this study will significantly advance our understanding of gene regulation and mechanisms for controlling protein levels and contribute to a deeper understanding of brain function during development and aging.Read moreRead less