Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354494
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
BRAINnet:
Brain Research And Integrative Neuroscience Network. The brain is the ultimate frontier of science, and its complexity requires an integrative approach to neuroscience. This initiative will facilitate a unique integration of disciplines (biological, physical, computational) and scales of focus (single neurons to networks to whole-brain), within a high profile Network of Australian and international players. The Network will be harnessed by a centralized hub for sharing of data and tec ....BRAINnet:
Brain Research And Integrative Neuroscience Network. The brain is the ultimate frontier of science, and its complexity requires an integrative approach to neuroscience. This initiative will facilitate a unique integration of disciplines (biological, physical, computational) and scales of focus (single neurons to networks to whole-brain), within a high profile Network of Australian and international players. The Network will be harnessed by a centralized hub for sharing of data and techniques, and mentoring of early career researchers. The principal socio-economic and discovery outcomes will flow from the exceptionally strong foundations in fundamental and applied science, established collaboration, and demonstrated capacity for development and commercialization of frontier biotechnologies.Read moreRead less
From structures to systems: A hierachical approach to understanding sub-cellular components. This program will dramatically extend the range of biomolecular systems that can be modelled with near atomistic precision. It will provide a better understanding of the structure and function of proteins involved in the regulation of membrane fusion and fission as well as shedding light on the assembly of large-scale protein-protein and protein-membrane complexes in general. The work will help place Au ....From structures to systems: A hierachical approach to understanding sub-cellular components. This program will dramatically extend the range of biomolecular systems that can be modelled with near atomistic precision. It will provide a better understanding of the structure and function of proteins involved in the regulation of membrane fusion and fission as well as shedding light on the assembly of large-scale protein-protein and protein-membrane complexes in general. The work will help place Australia at the forefront of developing simulation techniques in biomolecular systems, which are widely used within the chemical and pharmaceutical industries for modelling processes ranging from protein-drug interactions to the phase behaviour of lipids and surfactants. Read moreRead less
Self organization in (bio)molecular systems: Simulating the folding and aggregation of peptides, proteins and lipids. Molecular self-assembly is a basic property of living systems. Most proteins fold spontaneously and then further self-organize into functional complexes, effectively biological machines. Understanding how this occurs is a fundamental theoretical challenge with widespread application. Work will focus on developing methodology to simulate, computationally, the folding and aggrega ....Self organization in (bio)molecular systems: Simulating the folding and aggregation of peptides, proteins and lipids. Molecular self-assembly is a basic property of living systems. Most proteins fold spontaneously and then further self-organize into functional complexes, effectively biological machines. Understanding how this occurs is a fundamental theoretical challenge with widespread application. Work will focus on developing methodology to simulate, computationally, the folding and aggregation of peptides, proteins, and lipids. The aim is to accurately predict the structures of small peptides in solution and to refine crude models of larger molecules (complexes). This will facilitate the development of peptide based therapeutics and is essential in exploiting the growing volume of genetic information in biology and medicine.Read moreRead less
Advanced optical tweezers technologies for biophysical measurements. While much is understood about the fundamental unit of life, the living cell, such as their behaviour and their biochemistry and genetics, the interface between these two is only poorly known. We will use optical tweezers, which can trap and move microscopic objects without physical contact, to measure forces on the molecular and cellular scale to study the mechanical properties of cells and biomolecules, including molecular mo ....Advanced optical tweezers technologies for biophysical measurements. While much is understood about the fundamental unit of life, the living cell, such as their behaviour and their biochemistry and genetics, the interface between these two is only poorly known. We will use optical tweezers, which can trap and move microscopic objects without physical contact, to measure forces on the molecular and cellular scale to study the mechanical properties of cells and biomolecules, including molecular motors, which are Nature's own nanomachines, advanced our knowledge of the fundamental machinery of life.Read moreRead less
Dynamic modelling of biomolecular systems: Going beyond classical empirical force fields. The ability to accurately model the structural and functional aspects of biomolecular systems at an atomic level is of fundamental importance in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries. By developing new approaches for treating dispersion terms and transition metals we aim to improve our understanding of critical biomolecular systems such as how novel anti-cancer metal complexes interact with DNA ....Dynamic modelling of biomolecular systems: Going beyond classical empirical force fields. The ability to accurately model the structural and functional aspects of biomolecular systems at an atomic level is of fundamental importance in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries. By developing new approaches for treating dispersion terms and transition metals we aim to improve our understanding of critical biomolecular systems such as how novel anti-cancer metal complexes interact with DNA and block transcription and the role various transition metals such as Cu(II) and Zn(II) stabilize the conformations of peptides involved in Alzheimer's disease. In addition by greatly expanding the range of systems that can be modeled efficiently the work will have widespread benefits in academic research as well as for industry.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775613
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$467,000.00
Summary
Automated Patch Clamp System. Ion channels are membrane proteins that underlie cell function and are therefore important drug targets. The patch clamp technique is the most powerful tool available to study the function of single ion channels. The recent automation of this technology represents a quantum leap in our ability to perform high throughput screening of novel natural and synthetic compounds as drug leads. This will lead to an urgently needed increase in capacity, increasing the volume o ....Automated Patch Clamp System. Ion channels are membrane proteins that underlie cell function and are therefore important drug targets. The patch clamp technique is the most powerful tool available to study the function of single ion channels. The recent automation of this technology represents a quantum leap in our ability to perform high throughput screening of novel natural and synthetic compounds as drug leads. This will lead to an urgently needed increase in capacity, increasing the volume of research and its outcomes, which will benefit the Australian pharmaceutical industry and biosciences research community.
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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560657
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$740,000.00
Summary
Ultra-High Resolution NMR Imaging System for Nanotechnology including Nanobiotechnology. The ultra-high resolution imaging NMR spectrometer at the centre of this application is a generation ahead of comparable facilities in Australia and will extend the research capacity of numerous research groups comprising in excess of 50 academics and postgraduate students. The aims and significance of this infrastructure lie in it being one of the centrepieces of the partner institutions' aspirations to tak ....Ultra-High Resolution NMR Imaging System for Nanotechnology including Nanobiotechnology. The ultra-high resolution imaging NMR spectrometer at the centre of this application is a generation ahead of comparable facilities in Australia and will extend the research capacity of numerous research groups comprising in excess of 50 academics and postgraduate students. The aims and significance of this infrastructure lie in it being one of the centrepieces of the partner institutions' aspirations to take Australia to the cutting edge of nanotechnology and cognate disciplines many of which are areas of national priority. The expected manifold outcomes include research of the highest rank into fundamental problems of drug development through to applied outcomes such as new nanomaterials and improved horticulture/fruit preservation.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0344441
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,000.00
Summary
New Generation Metalloenzyme Magnetic Circular Dichroism Spectrometer Systems. Funding is sought to enhance the existing collaborations between UQ, ANU, Sydney and other universities in the study of metal-centred molecules of biological interest through the construction of advanced magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectrometers. These facilities will be the best instruments of their kind, and will enable researchers at Australian institutions to enhance the quality of their research and remain ....New Generation Metalloenzyme Magnetic Circular Dichroism Spectrometer Systems. Funding is sought to enhance the existing collaborations between UQ, ANU, Sydney and other universities in the study of metal-centred molecules of biological interest through the construction of advanced magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectrometers. These facilities will be the best instruments of their kind, and will enable researchers at Australian institutions to enhance the quality of their research and remain internationally competitive through the application of modern MCD spectroscopic techniques to the study of metal-centred biomolecules. These facilities will drive a number of programs in the area of metalloenzyme and photosystem II research.Read moreRead less
Light scattering in complex mesoscale systems. The aim of the proposed project is to develop tested theoretic models of, and test applications of, the scattering of light in complex mesoscale systems. This will include: light scattering by biological cells, including optical cancer detection, remote sensing of cell populations, flow cytometry and optical tweezers; optically driven micromachines, and nano- and micro-structured materials. These applications are of considerable technological, socia ....Light scattering in complex mesoscale systems. The aim of the proposed project is to develop tested theoretic models of, and test applications of, the scattering of light in complex mesoscale systems. This will include: light scattering by biological cells, including optical cancer detection, remote sensing of cell populations, flow cytometry and optical tweezers; optically driven micromachines, and nano- and micro-structured materials. These applications are of considerable technological, social, and economic importance, and significant advances are possible. Methods developed during this project will allow accurate theoretical calculations to be performed where only inadequate approximations have previously been possible.Read moreRead less
High throughput engineering of genetically encodable fluorescent sensors of intracellular signalling networks. Understanding of biochemical processes in living organisms is central to biological research and drug discovery. At present, the field suffers from a chronic paucity of adequate observation methods. The proposed project represents an interdisciplinary effort to create approaches for real-time monitoring of complex cellular chemistries. This work will deliver novel technologies for use i ....High throughput engineering of genetically encodable fluorescent sensors of intracellular signalling networks. Understanding of biochemical processes in living organisms is central to biological research and drug discovery. At present, the field suffers from a chronic paucity of adequate observation methods. The proposed project represents an interdisciplinary effort to create approaches for real-time monitoring of complex cellular chemistries. This work will deliver novel technologies for use in diagnostics and drug development. It will provide vital information on the changes in cellular processes induced by malignant transformation, viral infection and aging. This work will generate both health and economic benefits for the community and have a positive impact on the international visibility of Australian biomedical research.Read moreRead less