Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100502
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$424,875.00
Summary
Building Molecular Complexity Through Enzyme-Enabled Synthesis. Many valuable natural molecules are too complex to be commercially synthesised by current technologies. Despite advances in synthetic chemistry there is great need to adopt the elegant biocatalytic strategies for complex molecule synthesis found in nature, employing sophisticated enzyme catalysts. This interdisciplinary research program aims to address the shortcomings of traditional synthetic methods through the development of enzy ....Building Molecular Complexity Through Enzyme-Enabled Synthesis. Many valuable natural molecules are too complex to be commercially synthesised by current technologies. Despite advances in synthetic chemistry there is great need to adopt the elegant biocatalytic strategies for complex molecule synthesis found in nature, employing sophisticated enzyme catalysts. This interdisciplinary research program aims to address the shortcomings of traditional synthetic methods through the development of enzyme catalysts to rapidly generate complex molecular structures. These novel molecules can be readily converted into pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals leading to advancements in the bio-enabled production and application of organic molecules in these vital fields. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100634
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$410,140.00
Summary
Phos-Ligation: A powerful new tool for chemoselective protein modification. The project aims to develop a powerful new method for the generation of pure modified proteins. Tools for modification of proteins are integral to the study of protein structure and function as well as the commercial production of biopharmaceuticals. The extremely cost effective and operationally simple chemistry that will be developed in this project will overcome a number of pitfalls of currently available methods for ....Phos-Ligation: A powerful new tool for chemoselective protein modification. The project aims to develop a powerful new method for the generation of pure modified proteins. Tools for modification of proteins are integral to the study of protein structure and function as well as the commercial production of biopharmaceuticals. The extremely cost effective and operationally simple chemistry that will be developed in this project will overcome a number of pitfalls of currently available methods for protein modification, and will therefore deliver substantial technological innovation to both academia and industry. Through domestic and international collaboration, this new technology will be applied to study proteins involved in the defence of wheat against fungal rust disease and in inflammatory signalling in humans.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE240100147
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$900,000.00
Summary
Revitalising NMR facilities in South Australia - Stage 2. The determination of molecular structure using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a fundamental and powerful technique that is utilised by researchers across numerous disciplines. We are proposing to upgrade NMR facilities within South Australia in a carefully staged process so as to provide researchers access to state of the art experiments on modern instrumentation. In this proposal we aim to replace end of life components as well as p ....Revitalising NMR facilities in South Australia - Stage 2. The determination of molecular structure using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a fundamental and powerful technique that is utilised by researchers across numerous disciplines. We are proposing to upgrade NMR facilities within South Australia in a carefully staged process so as to provide researchers access to state of the art experiments on modern instrumentation. In this proposal we aim to replace end of life components as well as provide increased sensitivity and capability by installing new probes. We aim to minimise duplication and maximise capability by undertaking a coordinated approach to NMR upgrades.Read moreRead less
Finding the targets of natural products in complex botanical extracts. Many plants are used for nutritional and traditional medicine purposes and have demonstrated, evidence based effects. However, standard methods to identify single chemical compounds responsible for the observed effects fail as they rely on a single compound having a single target and ignore the overall effects of many interacting compounds on many targets. In this application we propose a new method to simultaneously identify ....Finding the targets of natural products in complex botanical extracts. Many plants are used for nutritional and traditional medicine purposes and have demonstrated, evidence based effects. However, standard methods to identify single chemical compounds responsible for the observed effects fail as they rely on a single compound having a single target and ignore the overall effects of many interacting compounds on many targets. In this application we propose a new method to simultaneously identify the molecular targets of many compounds in complex plant extracts, along with their subsequent validation by responses in gene expression to the plant extract. This research will revolutionise understanding of the nutritional and medicinal effects of plants and will allow our partners to accelerate commercialisation. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100449
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$426,600.00
Summary
Diversity Oriented Clicking - Streamlined Synthesis of Molecular Frameworks. Innovation in synthetic chemistry drives the discovery of new life-changing drugs, agrochemicals and functional materials. This project aims to use a novel chemical concept, termed Diversity Oriented Clicking, for new sustainable and streamlined synthetic transformations. The new chemical processes are expected to deliver improved economy, efficiency and precision in the synthesis of bioactive molecules and functional m ....Diversity Oriented Clicking - Streamlined Synthesis of Molecular Frameworks. Innovation in synthetic chemistry drives the discovery of new life-changing drugs, agrochemicals and functional materials. This project aims to use a novel chemical concept, termed Diversity Oriented Clicking, for new sustainable and streamlined synthetic transformations. The new chemical processes are expected to deliver improved economy, efficiency and precision in the synthesis of bioactive molecules and functional materials that are inaccessible or challenging to prepare with existing technologies. The conceptual and practical outcomes of this project are expected to benefit both academia and industry as the synthetic routes to diverse complex molecules can be greatly streamlined, and reducing chemical waste and required purification.Read moreRead less
New Horizons in Quinonedimethide Chemistry. Quinonedimethides (QDMs) are organic molecules with a notorious reputation for instability, hence they are poorly understood and an underexploited resource. This project will unite the ideally suited computational and experimental skills of the CIs to perform the first thorough investigation into fundamental QDM chemistry. It aims to map structure-reactivity in QDMs, investigate their ability to rapidly generate complex structures, and demonstrate thei ....New Horizons in Quinonedimethide Chemistry. Quinonedimethides (QDMs) are organic molecules with a notorious reputation for instability, hence they are poorly understood and an underexploited resource. This project will unite the ideally suited computational and experimental skills of the CIs to perform the first thorough investigation into fundamental QDM chemistry. It aims to map structure-reactivity in QDMs, investigate their ability to rapidly generate complex structures, and demonstrate their potential in spintronics and other applications. Anticipated outcomes include powerful and general new synthetic concepts, methods, strategies and tactics. This should provide significant benefits, such as better ways to manufacture important medicines and other materials.Read moreRead less
AI Assisted Continuous Flow Electrochemistry for Pharmaceutical Manufacture. This project aims to develop new chemical manufacturing processes for pharmaceutical products. In collaboration with Sun Pharma, it will tackle the challenge of replacing expensive and toxic chemicals in industrial reactions, to lower cost of manufacturing and improve its sustainability profile. Central to the realisation of this ambition is the use of electrocatalysis, machine learning and implementation of advanced co ....AI Assisted Continuous Flow Electrochemistry for Pharmaceutical Manufacture. This project aims to develop new chemical manufacturing processes for pharmaceutical products. In collaboration with Sun Pharma, it will tackle the challenge of replacing expensive and toxic chemicals in industrial reactions, to lower cost of manufacturing and improve its sustainability profile. Central to the realisation of this ambition is the use of electrocatalysis, machine learning and implementation of advanced continuous flow methods. These electricity- and technology-driven reactions will develop new strategies for the generation of important classes of molecules relevant to the Australia’s pharmaceutical sector, as well as their manufacture at industrially relevant scales.Read moreRead less
How are plants responding to damage by oxidizing air pollutants? This project aims to obtain detailed understanding of the chemical processes by which the air pollutants ozone and nitrogen dioxide damage plants. Through an interdisciplinary approach involving physical organic chemistry and analytical biochemistry, this project intends to discover important reactions between plant biomolecules and air pollutants, identify biochemical mechanisms for pollution damage in crop model plants and reveal ....How are plants responding to damage by oxidizing air pollutants? This project aims to obtain detailed understanding of the chemical processes by which the air pollutants ozone and nitrogen dioxide damage plants. Through an interdisciplinary approach involving physical organic chemistry and analytical biochemistry, this project intends to discover important reactions between plant biomolecules and air pollutants, identify biochemical mechanisms for pollution damage in crop model plants and reveal the plant defence mechanism at the molecular level. Expected outcomes include the much-needed scientific foundations to support the development of more pollution-resilient crops in the future, ultimately enabling a breakthrough for the triple challenge of environmental pollution, climate change and food security.Read moreRead less
Solar-Driven C-H Functionalization Reactions. This project aims to investigate the functionalization reaction of unreactive C-H bonds using light as the source of energy. Light is a transformative change to synthesis as thermal activation is exchanged to solar activation. The latter gives access to excited state chemistry and enables reaction steps that are thermally inaccessible. It is a key strategy to leverage synthesis to the demands of the 21st century and to minimise its ecologic footprint ....Solar-Driven C-H Functionalization Reactions. This project aims to investigate the functionalization reaction of unreactive C-H bonds using light as the source of energy. Light is a transformative change to synthesis as thermal activation is exchanged to solar activation. The latter gives access to excited state chemistry and enables reaction steps that are thermally inaccessible. It is a key strategy to leverage synthesis to the demands of the 21st century and to minimise its ecologic footprint. At the same time this strategy provides a lever to profoundly impact and drive new concepts in synthesis. Significant benefits are expected, such as increase in fundamental knowledge on photochemical processes, but also the access to new materials for applications as drugs or OLEDs.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100664
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$451,847.00
Summary
Pushing the limits of electronic delocalization in organic molecules. This project aims to uncover the factors which control how molecules delocalize electrons in 1, 2, and 3 dimensions. Electronic delocalization is essential for many applications of molecular materials, such as light-harvesting and energy storage, but it remains poorly understood. The expected outcomes of this project include new highly-conductive molecules, transferrable knowledge about aromaticity, and design principles for f ....Pushing the limits of electronic delocalization in organic molecules. This project aims to uncover the factors which control how molecules delocalize electrons in 1, 2, and 3 dimensions. Electronic delocalization is essential for many applications of molecular materials, such as light-harvesting and energy storage, but it remains poorly understood. The expected outcomes of this project include new highly-conductive molecules, transferrable knowledge about aromaticity, and design principles for future organic materials. The expected benefits flow from the foundational nature of this research: pi-conjugated organic molecules have many potential uses, including: sensors (e.g. for environmental monitoring), solar cells, and OLED screens, and this project is expected to improve these technologies and industries.Read moreRead less