The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) invites you to participate in a short survey about your
interaction with the ARDC and use of our national research infrastructure and services. The survey will take
approximately 5 minutes and is anonymous. It’s open to anyone who uses our digital research infrastructure
services including Reasearch Link Australia.
We will use the information you provide to improve the national research infrastructure and services we
deliver and to report on user satisfaction to the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research
Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) program.
Please take a few minutes to provide your input. The survey closes COB Friday 29 May 2026.
Complete the 5 min survey now by clicking on the link below.
Oxytocin receptor PET ligands: imaging the love receptor’s engagement. This project aims to develop a positron emission tomography (PET) ligand for the oxytocin receptor. This novel platform is significant as it will allow the scientific community to answer questions about the role of the oxytocin receptor in the important process of social behaviour which underlies quality of life. This knowledge gap has remained unanswered for decades due to the lack of specific techniques to measure oxytocin ....Oxytocin receptor PET ligands: imaging the love receptor’s engagement. This project aims to develop a positron emission tomography (PET) ligand for the oxytocin receptor. This novel platform is significant as it will allow the scientific community to answer questions about the role of the oxytocin receptor in the important process of social behaviour which underlies quality of life. This knowledge gap has remained unanswered for decades due to the lack of specific techniques to measure oxytocin receptor engagement. It is also significant as it will equip Australian startup Kinoxis Therapeutics to progress their molecules to market, a process enabled by measuring oxytocin receptor engagement. Our dual expertise on the oxytocin receptor and PET ligand development uniquely situate us to generate this technology.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100356
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,241.00
Summary
Bacterial membrane remodelling and the interaction with peptides. This project aims to elucidate the fundamental mechanism of lipid remodelling in Gram-negative outer membrane, which is critical both in preventing noxious compounds and evading host immune defence. For the first time, the complex interplays between bacterial cellular metabolism and membrane remodelling will be defined through systems pharmacology, and the precise membrane-peptide interaction will be examined by computational and ....Bacterial membrane remodelling and the interaction with peptides. This project aims to elucidate the fundamental mechanism of lipid remodelling in Gram-negative outer membrane, which is critical both in preventing noxious compounds and evading host immune defence. For the first time, the complex interplays between bacterial cellular metabolism and membrane remodelling will be defined through systems pharmacology, and the precise membrane-peptide interaction will be examined by computational and biophysical approaches. Novel knowledge will be generated to improve our understanding on how bacteria remodel their outer membrane in response to environmental stress. This will benefit the future design of much-needed antimicrobial strategies including products and technologies to target bacterial membrane. Read moreRead less
How lipid binding proteins shape the activity of nuclear hormone receptors. This project aims to explore how a family of lipid binding proteins control organ specific activation of nuclear receptors – receptors that play a key role in generating energy and are critical for life. The project will employ chemical, molecular, cell biology approaches to generate new knowledge about lipid binding protein-receptor interactions and how these complexes dictate receptor activation. The outcomes could pro ....How lipid binding proteins shape the activity of nuclear hormone receptors. This project aims to explore how a family of lipid binding proteins control organ specific activation of nuclear receptors – receptors that play a key role in generating energy and are critical for life. The project will employ chemical, molecular, cell biology approaches to generate new knowledge about lipid binding protein-receptor interactions and how these complexes dictate receptor activation. The outcomes could provide a roadmap to design drugs that interact with the right protein in the right tissue and in doing so dramatically enhance drug specificity. This will benefit the success of drug treatments which require stimulation of a therapeutic response at a target site, and avoidance of potentially toxic activity at other locations.Read moreRead less
Understanding and controlling neuropeptide GPCR-transducer coupling. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are physiologically essential, yet the spatiotemporal complexity of receptor function has limited our understanding of their function and success in drug development. Using a multi-disciplinary approach integrating GPCR signalling, trafficking and drug delivery, this research program aims to understand, and control, the molecular mechanisms that enable a single receptor to respond to differen ....Understanding and controlling neuropeptide GPCR-transducer coupling. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are physiologically essential, yet the spatiotemporal complexity of receptor function has limited our understanding of their function and success in drug development. Using a multi-disciplinary approach integrating GPCR signalling, trafficking and drug delivery, this research program aims to understand, and control, the molecular mechanisms that enable a single receptor to respond to different ligands to promote unique cellular processes. The anticipated outcomes include an enhanced capacity for understanding fundamental biology, and stronger national and international collaborations. It will provide significant benefits including expanded basic knowledge and advancement of drug delivery technology.Read moreRead less
The physiological importance of GLP-1R and GIPR dimerisation. Cell surface receptors are vital for relaying information from hormones to the cell to influence cell function, and ultimately physiological responses. Receptors can form oligomers with other receptors, but whether this can influence cellular and physiological responses is not yet defined. This biology-based project aims to bridge this knowledge gap by studying the dimerisation between two related receptors involved in whole body meta ....The physiological importance of GLP-1R and GIPR dimerisation. Cell surface receptors are vital for relaying information from hormones to the cell to influence cell function, and ultimately physiological responses. Receptors can form oligomers with other receptors, but whether this can influence cellular and physiological responses is not yet defined. This biology-based project aims to bridge this knowledge gap by studying the dimerisation between two related receptors involved in whole body metabolic homeostasis. Our team will deliver new knowledge into the disciplines of pharmacology, cellular biology, metabolism and physiology, and provide interdisciplinary research training to students and junior scientists, and strengthen research collaboration within and outside of Australia.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100931
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$453,237.00
Summary
Molecular insights into the allosteric regulation of opioid receptors. Allosteric regulation is the biological process by which molecules bind to proteins someplace other than their active site, regulating their activity. Proteins on the cell surface called membrane receptors can be allosterically regulated to fine-tune the response of cells to the environment. This project aims to investigate how small molecules regulate receptor activity at a molecular level, using opioid receptors as an exemp ....Molecular insights into the allosteric regulation of opioid receptors. Allosteric regulation is the biological process by which molecules bind to proteins someplace other than their active site, regulating their activity. Proteins on the cell surface called membrane receptors can be allosterically regulated to fine-tune the response of cells to the environment. This project aims to investigate how small molecules regulate receptor activity at a molecular level, using opioid receptors as an exemplar system. I will use an interdisciplinary approach that combines structural biology, medicinal chemistry, analytical pharmacology, and cell biology. The knowledge gained from these studies will advance fundamental understanding of receptor function and can lay the foundation for future drug discovery efforts.Read moreRead less
Structure and dynamics of class B1 G protein coupled receptors . Cells within our body require cell surface proteins (receptors) to convert extracellular stimuli into an appropriate biological response. G protein-coupled receptors are the largest group of cell surface receptors. This project focuses on a subset of these receptors that have diverse and important functions in the central nervous system and the periphery, however there are many unanswered questions regarding the structure of these ....Structure and dynamics of class B1 G protein coupled receptors . Cells within our body require cell surface proteins (receptors) to convert extracellular stimuli into an appropriate biological response. G protein-coupled receptors are the largest group of cell surface receptors. This project focuses on a subset of these receptors that have diverse and important functions in the central nervous system and the periphery, however there are many unanswered questions regarding the structure of these proteins, and how they regulate cellular signalling. The primary outcomes of this project will provide detailed mechanistic insights on how receptors bind their stimuli and how this results in in their activation to mediate fundamental signalling that is important for all living organisms.Read moreRead less