Genetics and evolution of Shigella O antigens. We use genome scale sequencing techniques to sequence 26 O-antigen gene clusters from Shigella. With the seven already known, this will give sequences for every O-antigen of Shigella. This will be the first time that such set is fully sequenced. Shigella are human specific pathogens, have emerged with the evolution of humans. O-antigens are important for their life and pathogenicity. This project will greatly extend our knowledge of the genetic basi ....Genetics and evolution of Shigella O antigens. We use genome scale sequencing techniques to sequence 26 O-antigen gene clusters from Shigella. With the seven already known, this will give sequences for every O-antigen of Shigella. This will be the first time that such set is fully sequenced. Shigella are human specific pathogens, have emerged with the evolution of humans. O-antigens are important for their life and pathogenicity. This project will greatly extend our knowledge of the genetic basis and evolution of this important polymorphism. O-antigens are used for typing Shigella and also elicit strong immunity. The molecular data will help establish DNA based typing and vaccine development.Read moreRead less
Young Heterosexual Men's Sexual Relations: Contributions to sexual and reproductive health. Young people face a disproportionate burden of Australia's sexual and reproductive health problems. Young heterosexual men's sexual behaviour places both themselves and women at risk, as a wealth of quantitative data has documented. Yet we know little about how young heterosexual men themselves understand their sexual and social relations with women, nor about the social factors shaping such involvements. ....Young Heterosexual Men's Sexual Relations: Contributions to sexual and reproductive health. Young people face a disproportionate burden of Australia's sexual and reproductive health problems. Young heterosexual men's sexual behaviour places both themselves and women at risk, as a wealth of quantitative data has documented. Yet we know little about how young heterosexual men themselves understand their sexual and social relations with women, nor about the social factors shaping such involvements. In providing such data, this project will enrich the effective promotion of sexual and reproductive health, particularly among Australia's youth. This research will make a significant contribution to the booming international scholarship on men's sexual and reproductive health, and will complement similar studies in the US and UK.Read moreRead less
Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development - Grant ID: DI0989521
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
A Qualitative Study of Barriers to Effective Infectious and Parasitic Disease Interventions in Aboriginal Communities. This project is significant and innovative as it will enhance current understandings of the experience Indigenous communities have with infectious diseases. To date there have been no significant qualitative studies that examine the perceptions Indigenous communities have about infectious disease treatment interventions that draw on their current knowledge, experiences and on he ....A Qualitative Study of Barriers to Effective Infectious and Parasitic Disease Interventions in Aboriginal Communities. This project is significant and innovative as it will enhance current understandings of the experience Indigenous communities have with infectious diseases. To date there have been no significant qualitative studies that examine the perceptions Indigenous communities have about infectious disease treatment interventions that draw on their current knowledge, experiences and on health, functionality and well-being. This study will develop a model that Indigenous communities, clinicians, policy makers and researchers can use to guide the implementation of sustainable infectious disease interventions. The outcomes of this project will help guide, inform and improve future infectious disease intervention strategies and programs.Read moreRead less
Regulation of MHC-I and ICAM-1 by flavivirus, West Nile. This project investigates the intracellular signalling pathway responsible for the expression of genes which are critical to our immune response. We have demonstrated in a mouse model that high levels of expression of two of these genes in flavivirus encephalitis are associated with a survival advantage. We would expect this project to provide basic new information about the mechanisms of expression of these genes as well as information ab ....Regulation of MHC-I and ICAM-1 by flavivirus, West Nile. This project investigates the intracellular signalling pathway responsible for the expression of genes which are critical to our immune response. We have demonstrated in a mouse model that high levels of expression of two of these genes in flavivirus encephalitis are associated with a survival advantage. We would expect this project to provide basic new information about the mechanisms of expression of these genes as well as information about the interaction of this family of viruses, flavivirus with the host.Read moreRead less
Bacterial Proteomics: From Cell Division to Novel Antibiotic Targets. When a cell divides it is essential that each newborn cell gets a complete copy of the DNA. To ensure that this happens, cell division must be tightly controlled. It is not known how this occurs in bacteria. However, if we knew what molecules were involved in this control, we could target them to kill harmful bacteria. This project aims to identify such regulatory molecules as candidate targets for antimicrobial agents, with a ....Bacterial Proteomics: From Cell Division to Novel Antibiotic Targets. When a cell divides it is essential that each newborn cell gets a complete copy of the DNA. To ensure that this happens, cell division must be tightly controlled. It is not known how this occurs in bacteria. However, if we knew what molecules were involved in this control, we could target them to kill harmful bacteria. This project aims to identify such regulatory molecules as candidate targets for antimicrobial agents, with a view to developing powerful, novel antibiotics to protect us from the imminent threat of bioterrorism and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
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Production and application of novel diagnostic and therapeutic reagents using transgenic mice. The project will be a collaboration between the University of Queensland and PanBio Ltd. We intend to use humanized transgenic mice to produce fully human monoclonal antibodies. Fully human antibodies have great advantages over murine antibodies as diagnostics and therapeutics. These reagents will be used to 1)replace human sera , 2)replace antigens from infectious organisms in a range of diagnostic ....Production and application of novel diagnostic and therapeutic reagents using transgenic mice. The project will be a collaboration between the University of Queensland and PanBio Ltd. We intend to use humanized transgenic mice to produce fully human monoclonal antibodies. Fully human antibodies have great advantages over murine antibodies as diagnostics and therapeutics. These reagents will be used to 1)replace human sera , 2)replace antigens from infectious organisms in a range of diagnostic kits for animal and human infectious disease and 3) as therapeutic leads and 4)to discover vaccine leads. The project will allow production of diagnostic kits where this was previously not feasible or not economically viable (eg. uncommon and/or dangerous animal or human diseases) and will lead to development of novel infectious disease diagnostics and therapeutics.Read moreRead less
The effect of age on regulatory T cell control of the innate and adaptive antiviral immune responses. Viral pathogens are a lead cause of infant mortality in the world. This project will define how T regulatory cells limit protective antiviral immune responses in the young. This information is critical for the development of potent antiviral vaccines that are effective from the newborn period without inducing autoimmunity. It will also provide novel insight into the way T regulatory cells can b ....The effect of age on regulatory T cell control of the innate and adaptive antiviral immune responses. Viral pathogens are a lead cause of infant mortality in the world. This project will define how T regulatory cells limit protective antiviral immune responses in the young. This information is critical for the development of potent antiviral vaccines that are effective from the newborn period without inducing autoimmunity. It will also provide novel insight into the way T regulatory cells can be manipulated both to dampen immunity, which can be used to develop strategies to reduce immune mediated disease and limit transplant rejection. Read moreRead less
Biological probes for understanding mammalian cellular transport mechanisms. Cellular components are moved around within cells by molecular motors. This fundamental transport mechanism depends on a network of tracks. Blocks in this cellular transport can result in a number of mammalian diseases, particularly within nerve cells. This project will increase our understanding of the mechanisms of cellular transport and, in particular, how molecular motors engage their cargo. This is essential ground ....Biological probes for understanding mammalian cellular transport mechanisms. Cellular components are moved around within cells by molecular motors. This fundamental transport mechanism depends on a network of tracks. Blocks in this cellular transport can result in a number of mammalian diseases, particularly within nerve cells. This project will increase our understanding of the mechanisms of cellular transport and, in particular, how molecular motors engage their cargo. This is essential groundwork for the development of drugs that target this transport mechanism.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0567493
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$99,146.00
Summary
E-Services for Comparative Studies in Molecular Biology. The central challenge of post-genomic biology is to exploit the range of sequence and microarray data to yield greater understanding of biological processes. Large comparative studies are hamstrung by the inaccessibility of specialist comparative tools and the problem of managing large-scale disparate data. This project will provide portal and web services facilities to remove these obstacles, relying on robust and scalable business techno ....E-Services for Comparative Studies in Molecular Biology. The central challenge of post-genomic biology is to exploit the range of sequence and microarray data to yield greater understanding of biological processes. Large comparative studies are hamstrung by the inaccessibility of specialist comparative tools and the problem of managing large-scale disparate data. This project will provide portal and web services facilities to remove these obstacles, relying on robust and scalable business technologies to be made freely available. Our work will be driven by specific applications in bacterial genomics and cancer research, and will support research into prostate cancer and the pathogens Chlamydia and Bacillus anthracis.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0561013
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$220,000.00
Summary
X-ray diffraction System for Protein Crystallography and Structural Biology. Knowledge of protein structures enables researchers to explain cellular function at a molecular level. In particular, it provides essential information to understand the mechanism of diseases, such as cancer or AIDS, and it ultimately leads to the design of better drugs.
An in-house X-ray protein crystallography facility will allow us to determine the structures of key proteins effectively and competitively, opening up ....X-ray diffraction System for Protein Crystallography and Structural Biology. Knowledge of protein structures enables researchers to explain cellular function at a molecular level. In particular, it provides essential information to understand the mechanism of diseases, such as cancer or AIDS, and it ultimately leads to the design of better drugs.
An in-house X-ray protein crystallography facility will allow us to determine the structures of key proteins effectively and competitively, opening up extensive possibilities for multi-disciplinary ground-breaking research.
The University research portfolio has evolved to embrace the revolution in structural biology with numerous projects and collaborations focusing on proteins involved in bacterial infections, degenerative disorders and biotechnological applications.Read moreRead less