Artificial Self-Replication of Peptide Nanocapsules. Replication is key to the operation of biology, but how molecular replicators arose spontaneously on early Earth remains an open question. The ability of molecules to self-replicate must have come before the development of the highly evolved enzymes that biology currently employs. The aim of this Future Fellowship is to develop a peptide nanocapsule capable of replicating itself nonenzymatically by self-templated ligation, thus offering a plat ....Artificial Self-Replication of Peptide Nanocapsules. Replication is key to the operation of biology, but how molecular replicators arose spontaneously on early Earth remains an open question. The ability of molecules to self-replicate must have come before the development of the highly evolved enzymes that biology currently employs. The aim of this Future Fellowship is to develop a peptide nanocapsule capable of replicating itself nonenzymatically by self-templated ligation, thus offering a platform that possesses the traits needed for Darwinian evolution to emerge. By obtaining a better understanding of the design and function of self-replicating systems, this project is expected to transform our understanding of some of the key chemical principles needed for life's emergence.Read moreRead less
Responsive Metal-organic Framework Glass Membranes for Molecular Sieving. Metal-organic frameworks are an important category of microporous materials, showing extraordinary structural and chemical diversities. The recent discovery of their melting behaviours endows these materials with high processability, enabling the transformation of crystal powders into mechanically durable microporous bulk glasses for device assembly. This project aims to understand the melting and modification mechanism, a ....Responsive Metal-organic Framework Glass Membranes for Molecular Sieving. Metal-organic frameworks are an important category of microporous materials, showing extraordinary structural and chemical diversities. The recent discovery of their melting behaviours endows these materials with high processability, enabling the transformation of crystal powders into mechanically durable microporous bulk glasses for device assembly. This project aims to understand the melting and modification mechanism, and to incorporate responsive moieties to the glass. It further aims to realise switchable membrane separation for gas mixtures. This project is expected to enhance the understanding and application of these emerging glass materials and promote Australia’s capability in value-added manufacturing of metal minerals.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100684
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$433,654.00
Summary
Building a synthetic chemical synapse through harnessed stochasticity. At the molecular level, biology is noisy, and life has evolved a plethora of mechanisms to harness this noise for useful output. If we want to construct de novo living systems to learn more about biology and the origin of life, then we must not ignore noise. This project aims to apply a design philosophy that embraces randomness to construct an artificial chemical synapse. Expected outcomes include creating a blueprint for th ....Building a synthetic chemical synapse through harnessed stochasticity. At the molecular level, biology is noisy, and life has evolved a plethora of mechanisms to harness this noise for useful output. If we want to construct de novo living systems to learn more about biology and the origin of life, then we must not ignore noise. This project aims to apply a design philosophy that embraces randomness to construct an artificial chemical synapse. Expected outcomes include creating a blueprint for the next generation of more dynamic artificial cells, developing vital tools for the elucidation of principles in biophysics and systems biology, and deepening our understanding of how noisy molecular level events have downstream effects on macro-scale behaviours. Several international collaborations are involved.
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