Molecular control of postnatal heart development. This project aims to improve our understanding of how the heart develops after birth and the molecules that control this process. Recent advances in tissue engineering have opened up opportunities for the generation of synthetic tissues but these studies have also highlighted a fundamental knowledge gap in our understanding of how complex tissues mature to prepare for life as an adult. Much is known about the molecules that control early embryoni ....Molecular control of postnatal heart development. This project aims to improve our understanding of how the heart develops after birth and the molecules that control this process. Recent advances in tissue engineering have opened up opportunities for the generation of synthetic tissues but these studies have also highlighted a fundamental knowledge gap in our understanding of how complex tissues mature to prepare for life as an adult. Much is known about the molecules that control early embryonic development but little is known about the molecules that control maturation after birth. This project aims to build new knowledge that is expected to improve our ability to generate mature heart muscle cells for stem cell applications, tissue repair and regeneration.Read moreRead less
Characterisation of bone and bone marrow resident tissue macrophages. This project aims to elucidate the identities of tissue macrophages involved in bone and blood system (bone marrow) homeostasis and function, and the molecular signatures underpinning their functional specialisation. It will then investigate whether decline in the function of these specialised macrophages occurs during skeletal and blood system ageing. Both skeletal and blood system decline contribute to age-associated loss of ....Characterisation of bone and bone marrow resident tissue macrophages. This project aims to elucidate the identities of tissue macrophages involved in bone and blood system (bone marrow) homeostasis and function, and the molecular signatures underpinning their functional specialisation. It will then investigate whether decline in the function of these specialised macrophages occurs during skeletal and blood system ageing. Both skeletal and blood system decline contribute to age-associated loss of productivity, and paralleled decline in the resident macrophages in these organs may be a common ageing mechanism. Demonstration that altered macrophage biology unpins decline in blood and bone may prolong peak health and increase productivity in the ageing population.Read moreRead less
Sarcoplasmic reticulum-mitochondrial functional interactions in muscle. Muscle in the body of animals and human has the ability to adapt to stress placed on it, to improve performance. This allows new physical tasks that have been unfamiliar to become easier. One form of stress on the muscle is the demand to work longer without fatigue. This can be important for animal survival or athletes training for sport. A single session of intense muscle contractions can lead to the muscle increasing its c ....Sarcoplasmic reticulum-mitochondrial functional interactions in muscle. Muscle in the body of animals and human has the ability to adapt to stress placed on it, to improve performance. This allows new physical tasks that have been unfamiliar to become easier. One form of stress on the muscle is the demand to work longer without fatigue. This can be important for animal survival or athletes training for sport. A single session of intense muscle contractions can lead to the muscle increasing its capacity for endurance within 24 hrs. This project aims to examine this phenomenon in animals and human to decipher the mechanism involved in the beneficial muscle changes experienced in such a brief time. It will provide benefits such as the potential to manipulate human muscle condition and animal muscle (meat) quality.Read moreRead less
Physiological activation and targets of calcium signaling in muscle. The skeletal muscle fibre is a highly specialised cell for the rapid delivery of calcium to elicit contraction, required for posture, movement and thus one's independence. Calcium is also a signal for other purposes, such as triggering other processes within the muscle for its own maintenance. These calcium signals are poorly understood. This project aims to determine when the calcium signals are turned on during normal muscle ....Physiological activation and targets of calcium signaling in muscle. The skeletal muscle fibre is a highly specialised cell for the rapid delivery of calcium to elicit contraction, required for posture, movement and thus one's independence. Calcium is also a signal for other purposes, such as triggering other processes within the muscle for its own maintenance. These calcium signals are poorly understood. This project aims to determine when the calcium signals are turned on during normal muscle activity and what the end result of the signals is for the muscle.Read moreRead less
Regulated muscle-based thermogenesis for body temperature regulation. Mammals maintain a constant core body temperature by generating heat in resting muscles in response to changes in the environmental temperatures. This project aims to show how the skeletal muscles that are closer to the body core contribute the majority of heat, how the muscles of the limbs have their heat generation curtailed as necessary, and how this is coordinated by the body in response to ambient temperature. Project out ....Regulated muscle-based thermogenesis for body temperature regulation. Mammals maintain a constant core body temperature by generating heat in resting muscles in response to changes in the environmental temperatures. This project aims to show how the skeletal muscles that are closer to the body core contribute the majority of heat, how the muscles of the limbs have their heat generation curtailed as necessary, and how this is coordinated by the body in response to ambient temperature. Project outcomes include defining, for the first time, how heat generation in the muscles of the body is regulated. This should provide critical knowledge of mammalian evolution and ways to manipulate metabolism, which may provide ways to assist the production of meat by managing hypothermia and hyperthermia risk in agriculture.Read moreRead less
Defining how serotonin regulates gut motility. This project aims to deepen knowledge of gastrointestinal physiology, and reveal the mechanisms by which the major gastrointestinal signalling molecule, serotonin, regulates gut peristalsis. Almost all of the serotonin in our body is made in the gastrointestinal tract where it controls many functions, including how our gut wall contracts during peristalsis. Proper control of gut peristalsis and the transit of material through our bowel is important ....Defining how serotonin regulates gut motility. This project aims to deepen knowledge of gastrointestinal physiology, and reveal the mechanisms by which the major gastrointestinal signalling molecule, serotonin, regulates gut peristalsis. Almost all of the serotonin in our body is made in the gastrointestinal tract where it controls many functions, including how our gut wall contracts during peristalsis. Proper control of gut peristalsis and the transit of material through our bowel is important for our health. This project expects to define how serotonin controls peristalsis, where in the bowel this serotonin comes from, how serotonin communicates with the nervous system in our gastrointestinal tract, and how the cells that synthesise gut serotonin respond to contraction to trigger the secretion of serotonin.Read moreRead less
Single vesicle dynamics and the control of secretion. This project investigates secretion and tests a new model for secretory control. Its outcomes will further our knowledge in this important area and may be significant in the longer term for the treatment of secretory diseases.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100538
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$342,000.00
Summary
Understanding the role of miRNAs in the biology of ageing muscle. Skeletal muscle is the largest organ in the body and plays a vital role in maintaining independent living and social interaction. As it ages, skeletal muscle loses its ability to build up new muscle proteins. However, the principles underlying the biology of skeletal muscle ageing are not well understood. MicroRNAs (MiRNAs) are essential regulators of skeletal muscle biology. Whether they play a role in the ageing process and how ....Understanding the role of miRNAs in the biology of ageing muscle. Skeletal muscle is the largest organ in the body and plays a vital role in maintaining independent living and social interaction. As it ages, skeletal muscle loses its ability to build up new muscle proteins. However, the principles underlying the biology of skeletal muscle ageing are not well understood. MicroRNAs (MiRNAs) are essential regulators of skeletal muscle biology. Whether they play a role in the ageing process and how they regulate muscle protein synthesis as we age has not been investigated. This project aims to identify the MiRNA species involved in muscle protein synthesis and will provide a better understanding of the biology of ageing skeletal muscle.Read moreRead less
A thermodynamic pathway to intracellular delivery. Cells transmit information through molecules. By delivering foreign molecules into cells, such as DNA and proteins, it is possible to engineer and reprogram cells just like a computer. This proposal aims to develop a novel microfluidic device for intracellular delivery. The device will work by exposing cells to rapid thermal shock to generate transient disruptions in cell membranes and thereby enable influx of foreign molecules into cells. To un ....A thermodynamic pathway to intracellular delivery. Cells transmit information through molecules. By delivering foreign molecules into cells, such as DNA and proteins, it is possible to engineer and reprogram cells just like a computer. This proposal aims to develop a novel microfluidic device for intracellular delivery. The device will work by exposing cells to rapid thermal shock to generate transient disruptions in cell membranes and thereby enable influx of foreign molecules into cells. To understand how the method can be optimized, the thermodynamic pathway of membrane disruption will be investigated at a single cell level. The methods and insights arising from this project could eventually lead to novel, patentable and lower-cost health technologies.Read moreRead less
Muscling in on the brain. This project investigates an enzyme that 'matures' neurotransmitters in the brain that regulate food intake, energy expenditure and blood pressure by the brain; these neurotransmitters arise from the same precursor molecule. This project will show the physiological relevance of this enzyme in obesity.