Developing feasible in situ control of mange disease in wombats. Our goal is the development of feasible in situ control of sarcoptic mange in wombat populations. Globally important, the Sarcoptes scabiei mite infects >100 mammal species and is among the 50 most common human diseases, causing health, welfare and population impacts. This infection is treatable, and we will test a new treatment (fluralaner), develop new models to guide management, and conduct replicated field trials. This will ena ....Developing feasible in situ control of mange disease in wombats. Our goal is the development of feasible in situ control of sarcoptic mange in wombat populations. Globally important, the Sarcoptes scabiei mite infects >100 mammal species and is among the 50 most common human diseases, causing health, welfare and population impacts. This infection is treatable, and we will test a new treatment (fluralaner), develop new models to guide management, and conduct replicated field trials. This will enable science-based guidelines, advancing disease control, local eradication, and regulatory approval for wombats. Our research framework is adaptable to other mange-impacted species, and advance methods and theory for control of treatable disease in wildlife.Read moreRead less
Understanding animals through their movement. This project aims to develop a suite of analytical methods to understand animals' behaviour through their movement patterns. Animal movement patterns encode detailed information about their behavioural state. Collecting and analysing animal movement trajectories can provide us with completely new insights to behaviour. Recent developments in bio-logging technologies have provided an incredible amount of rich data on free-ranging animals. This project ....Understanding animals through their movement. This project aims to develop a suite of analytical methods to understand animals' behaviour through their movement patterns. Animal movement patterns encode detailed information about their behavioural state. Collecting and analysing animal movement trajectories can provide us with completely new insights to behaviour. Recent developments in bio-logging technologies have provided an incredible amount of rich data on free-ranging animals. This project will develop a suite of analytical techniques to interrogate this data through a combination of approaches, from fine scale experiments in the laboratory to tracking animal trajectories from the International Space Station. The findings will deliver major benefits to the broader community by transforming our ability to manage and conserve animal stocks.Read moreRead less
Guiding principles and guardrails for genetic association studies. This project aims to investigate deep connections between genetic structure (population genetic processes, linkage disequilibrium and population structure) and the ability to statistically detect genetic variants responsible for variation in traits. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of statistics, mathematics and biology through an innovative, multidisciplinary approach that synthesises and extends founda ....Guiding principles and guardrails for genetic association studies. This project aims to investigate deep connections between genetic structure (population genetic processes, linkage disequilibrium and population structure) and the ability to statistically detect genetic variants responsible for variation in traits. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of statistics, mathematics and biology through an innovative, multidisciplinary approach that synthesises and extends foundational disciplinary results. Expected outcomes of this project include principles and methodology that underpin future genetic association studies by supplying a framework for interpreting results. This should provide significant benefits by reducing false conclusions and their associated costs.Read moreRead less
The mathematics of stochastic transport and signalling in cells. The project aims to develop new stochastic mathematical models of the dynamics of protein transport and cell signalling. The mathematics will link macro scale biological observations to micro scale molecular movements to characterise the relative role that different components and processes play. Expected outcomes are robust mathematical analyses of the transient dynamics of closed, finite capacity queueing networks and biological ....The mathematics of stochastic transport and signalling in cells. The project aims to develop new stochastic mathematical models of the dynamics of protein transport and cell signalling. The mathematics will link macro scale biological observations to micro scale molecular movements to characterise the relative role that different components and processes play. Expected outcomes are robust mathematical analyses of the transient dynamics of closed, finite capacity queueing networks and biological insight into the major control mechanisms in cellular insulin signalling. The project should provide significant benefits via the delivery of new mathematical tools and analysis for stochastic networks, impacting our understanding of metabolic transport, and providing interdisciplinary research training.Read moreRead less
A complex systems approach to preventing colony failure in honey bees. This project aims to use complex systems science to detect and prevent colony collapse in honey bees while advancing knowledge of tipping points in complex social systems. Understanding the mathematics of colony collapse can help us develop strategies for safeguarding managed bee populations and the valuable pollination services they provide. Expected outcomes include methods for the early detection of stress in colonies, met ....A complex systems approach to preventing colony failure in honey bees. This project aims to use complex systems science to detect and prevent colony collapse in honey bees while advancing knowledge of tipping points in complex social systems. Understanding the mathematics of colony collapse can help us develop strategies for safeguarding managed bee populations and the valuable pollination services they provide. Expected outcomes include methods for the early detection of stress in colonies, methods for reversing declines, and new mathematical techniques for studying tipping points in complex social systems. This will provide significant benefits for Australian agriculture, much of which depends on bee pollination, while building scientific capacity in complex systems science.Read moreRead less
Sinusoidal voltage protocols for characterisation of ion channel kinetics. This project aims to implement an innovative approach to modelling ion channel behaviour that employs short, information-rich datasets and parameter inference. Using the hERG potassium channel as a test case, the project will show that this approach is more efficient than current methods and outperforms all published models in independent validations. The project aims to extend on initial implementation to probe the therm ....Sinusoidal voltage protocols for characterisation of ion channel kinetics. This project aims to implement an innovative approach to modelling ion channel behaviour that employs short, information-rich datasets and parameter inference. Using the hERG potassium channel as a test case, the project will show that this approach is more efficient than current methods and outperforms all published models in independent validations. The project aims to extend on initial implementation to probe the thermodynamics and pharmacology of ion channel gating. The anticipated outcomes are to grow fundamental knowledge of ion channel biophysics and ability to probe ion channel function in silico. The project will build on an emerging collaboration between international leaders in physiology, pharmacology, mathematics and computer modelling. The methodology and fundamental knowledge generated will significantly advance our understanding of the physiology and biophysics of ion channels, while the application of the method will have direct impact in the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory science.Read moreRead less
A new universal mechanism controlling body proportions in animals. This project aims to establish that a recently-discovered mechanism, the inhibitory cascade, determines the basic proportions of appendages and body segments in a diverse range of animal groups, particularly vertebrates and arthropods. The goals of the project are to reveal the molecular mechanisms in mice and insects, and build computer simulations to show how to manipulate the control of development by the inhibitory cascade. T ....A new universal mechanism controlling body proportions in animals. This project aims to establish that a recently-discovered mechanism, the inhibitory cascade, determines the basic proportions of appendages and body segments in a diverse range of animal groups, particularly vertebrates and arthropods. The goals of the project are to reveal the molecular mechanisms in mice and insects, and build computer simulations to show how to manipulate the control of development by the inhibitory cascade. The project should benefit bioengineering by establishing control mechanisms for the manipulation and regeneration of teeth and limbs.Read moreRead less
Root-to-shoot: modeling the salt stress response of a plant vascular system. Salt and drought are the two major abiotic stresses affecting crop plant health, growth and development. We aim to understand salt and water transport in plants and the physiological effects of soil salinity. Using biophysical models, we will quantify the movement of salt through plant organs, tissues and cells, from root to leaf. We aim to answer the question of how salt moves across the different tissues and major org ....Root-to-shoot: modeling the salt stress response of a plant vascular system. Salt and drought are the two major abiotic stresses affecting crop plant health, growth and development. We aim to understand salt and water transport in plants and the physiological effects of soil salinity. Using biophysical models, we will quantify the movement of salt through plant organs, tissues and cells, from root to leaf. We aim to answer the question of how salt moves across the different tissues and major organs, how salt accumulates in root, leaf and shoot cells, and how movement and accumulation is controlled by the diversity of transport mechanisms operating in plants. We aim to quantify tissue tolerance, osmotic tolerance and ionic tolerance and discover new mechanisms by which plants can stave off the effect of salt stress.Read moreRead less
Mathematical modelling unravels the impact of social dynamics on evolution. This project aims to mathematically model human evolution as a dynamical process. The anticipated goal is to quantitatively analyse theories of human origins. The project expects to develop innovative mathematical models, improve our understanding of the evolutionary process, and advance a unique area of interdisciplinary collaboration: applied mathematics and anthropology. Expected outcomes include refined methods fo ....Mathematical modelling unravels the impact of social dynamics on evolution. This project aims to mathematically model human evolution as a dynamical process. The anticipated goal is to quantitatively analyse theories of human origins. The project expects to develop innovative mathematical models, improve our understanding of the evolutionary process, and advance a unique area of interdisciplinary collaboration: applied mathematics and anthropology. Expected outcomes include refined methods for mathematical modelling of human evolution and improved techniques for analysing such models. It should provide benefits, such as increasing research in mathematical biology, an important growth area of science in Australia, and advancing mathematical approaches to engaging questions arising from anthropology.Read moreRead less
Managing infectious disease through partial wildlife social networks. This project aims to investigate the dynamics of the spread of infectious disease in wildlife, derived from incomplete information about contact networks. Infectious diseases in wildlife are difficult to track and control, because it is not feasible to monitor each individual in a population and know the contact network for a population. The project will create ways to best utilise incomplete observational data of contact netw ....Managing infectious disease through partial wildlife social networks. This project aims to investigate the dynamics of the spread of infectious disease in wildlife, derived from incomplete information about contact networks. Infectious diseases in wildlife are difficult to track and control, because it is not feasible to monitor each individual in a population and know the contact network for a population. The project will create ways to best utilise incomplete observational data of contact networks to develop robust predictions of disease spread and population fate, and to reliably predict the outcomes of management interventions. These robust prediction methods will provide better insights for conservation of Australian wildlife.Read moreRead less