Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE180100001
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$345,475.00
Summary
Pushing the limits of fluorescence microscopy with adaptive optics. This project aims to establish an adaptive optics, super-resolution optical microscopy facility to image cellular events with the highest possible spatial resolution, in a whole cell or tissue context. Sophisticated computer-controlled deformable mirrors will be used to correct the way light is distorted as it passes through specimens, thereby overcoming aberrations found in thick and complex samples. This adaptive optics system ....Pushing the limits of fluorescence microscopy with adaptive optics. This project aims to establish an adaptive optics, super-resolution optical microscopy facility to image cellular events with the highest possible spatial resolution, in a whole cell or tissue context. Sophisticated computer-controlled deformable mirrors will be used to correct the way light is distorted as it passes through specimens, thereby overcoming aberrations found in thick and complex samples. This adaptive optics system will enable researchers to study complex behaviour of biological specimens, at the optical resolution limit in plant and animal tissues, leading to basic biology and biotechnology outcomes in biofuels, biomaterials and biomedicines.Read moreRead less
Novel methodology advancing applied Bayesian statistics and applications. Bayesian statistical inference has become the dominant statistical method in significant areas of application. The project aims to develop and apply novel Bayesian computational algorithms. Outcomes will advance scientific understanding in significant multi-disciplinary areas such as infectious diseases, neurological disease and human behaviour.
Developing novel chemistries for removing environmental surface biofilms to reduce hospital acquired infections. This project will develop new detergents that more efficiently clean hospitals. This will increase hospital safety by decreasing infections, thus saving lives and healthcare costs.
Investigating the molecular basis of T-cell receptor cross-reactivity. This project will explore the basis of unexpected immune reactions whereby the immune system mistakes one molecular structure for another, a phenomenon known as cross-reactivity. This project will examine how often this is due to molecular mimicry, potentially explaining why immune T cells sometimes react inappropriately to different agents.
Revealing molecular detail of DNA triplexes to underpin antigene technology. Variations from the classic DNA double helix structure are proposed to play key roles in a range of cellular processes, particularly gene regulation. However, the biological function and therapeutic potential of these unusual DNA structures are poorly explored, since the fundamental molecular details which govern their formation and interactions with cellular machinery are not well described. This project aims to develo ....Revealing molecular detail of DNA triplexes to underpin antigene technology. Variations from the classic DNA double helix structure are proposed to play key roles in a range of cellular processes, particularly gene regulation. However, the biological function and therapeutic potential of these unusual DNA structures are poorly explored, since the fundamental molecular details which govern their formation and interactions with cellular machinery are not well described. This project aims to develop innovative methods to investigate, and importantly modulate, DNA and RNA triple helix assembly, specificity and molecular interactions. Resulting insights will underpin novel approaches to gene regulation, principally in the context of designing new antibacterial agents to address the antibacterial resistance problem.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100172
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$330,000.00
Summary
Comprehensive cell imaging facility. This facility will provide Australian biological science researchers with equipment for in-depth analyses of cell function in vitro and in vivo. It will enable innovative research targeted at important questions in fields including cancer, immunology, stem cell biology, infectious disease and tissue regeneration.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102166
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Identification and characterisation of anti-viral immune response genes in mosquitoes. Emerging viral diseases, transmitted by mosquito bite, present an increasing public health risk globally. Most research to date has neglected the infection dynamic in the insect vector. This project aims to characterise the defensive response of mosquitoes to viral infection, a potentially crucial factor in the epidemiology of vector-borne disease.
The protein O-glycosylation pathway of Neisseria: a model system for O-glycosylation of bacterial proteins with potential use in biotechnology. Proteins can be modified by the addition of sugar molecules. This process, called glycosylation, has been studied for some time in humans and other higher organisms, but is relatively new in the field of bacteria. This study will use the bacterium Neisseria as a model system for this process and work to harness the system for use in biotechnology.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130101169
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Understanding how bacteria become sticky. This study will investigate the machinery used by bacteria to build specialised sticky fibres which allow them to attach to surfaces. The outcomes will significantly advance our understanding of how bacteria generate molecular weapons enabling them to survive and to infect humans and animals.
Convergence of biomaterials and immunology: a technology platform for delayed burst release of vaccines. A large challenge in vaccination, particularly in wildlife such as for the growing problem of Chlamydia in koalas, is to provide the necessary booster shots. This project will develop implants that will be inserted under the skin at the time of the first shot, and will spontaneously burst later to release the booster shot to provide protection.