MitoGenomics of Key Pathogens - An International Research Co-operative. The national/community benefits are: (1) to develop a long-term, high quality scientific and technological program contributing to national objectives, including the maintenance of a strong capability in basic research, the development of new scientific concepts and the enhancement of international collaborative links; (2) to strengthen the links between basic and applied research; (3) to develop excellence in research by pr ....MitoGenomics of Key Pathogens - An International Research Co-operative. The national/community benefits are: (1) to develop a long-term, high quality scientific and technological program contributing to national objectives, including the maintenance of a strong capability in basic research, the development of new scientific concepts and the enhancement of international collaborative links; (2) to strengthen the links between basic and applied research; (3) to develop excellence in research by promoting collaborative research, resulting in a more efficient use of resources in a national and international context; (4) to enhance the skills-base in biology and biotechnology; (5) to substantially increase global visibility through quality research, leading to an increased investment in Australian science.Read moreRead less
Insect age: an ecological genomics approach to understanding host-parasite interactions. The importance of insect age (or the age structure of a population of insects) in understanding relationships between insects and their abiotic and biotic environment has been stressed in many theoretical studies but seldom directly tested. This is because few tools exist that can accurately measure the age of a wild-caught insect with any accuracy. In this proposal we plan to use a genomics approach to deve ....Insect age: an ecological genomics approach to understanding host-parasite interactions. The importance of insect age (or the age structure of a population of insects) in understanding relationships between insects and their abiotic and biotic environment has been stressed in many theoretical studies but seldom directly tested. This is because few tools exist that can accurately measure the age of a wild-caught insect with any accuracy. In this proposal we plan to use a genomics approach to develop tools that can be used to efficiently determine the age of an insect and then apply these tools to better understand the relationship between insect age and the ability of an insect to transmit pathogens to humans, livestock or plants. These tools will also have future applicability in developing new approaches to control insect transmitted disease as well as provide methodology to determine the effectiveness of current control programs that seek to kill pest insect populations of agricultural or public health significance.Read moreRead less
Genetic and epigenetic control of developmental competence. Development is an important biological process of life and understanding development has important medical and economic benefits for Australia. This research aims to study development using a simple, easily manipulated and well established experimental organism, a fungus, as a model for development in other organisms, including humans. In addition, fungi directly impact on life at many levels. Fungi can be pathogens of humans, other ani ....Genetic and epigenetic control of developmental competence. Development is an important biological process of life and understanding development has important medical and economic benefits for Australia. This research aims to study development using a simple, easily manipulated and well established experimental organism, a fungus, as a model for development in other organisms, including humans. In addition, fungi directly impact on life at many levels. Fungi can be pathogens of humans, other animals or plants significantly affecting our health, agriculture and industry. Fungi are also beneficial to other organisms, especially to many plants, and are used to manufacture pharmaceuticals and enzymes used in the health and biotechnology industries.Read moreRead less
Discovery of pathways to embryogenesis in pathogenic flatworm parasites using microdissection and transcriptomic technologies. The cost to Australia of flatworm parasites to animal production and human health is substantial (hundreds of millions of dollars per year). This research will give new insights into how flatworms reproduce and equip their progeny for survival, providing impetus for new vaccine or drug therapies to be developed. As these pathogens are more significant in Australia's ne ....Discovery of pathways to embryogenesis in pathogenic flatworm parasites using microdissection and transcriptomic technologies. The cost to Australia of flatworm parasites to animal production and human health is substantial (hundreds of millions of dollars per year). This research will give new insights into how flatworms reproduce and equip their progeny for survival, providing impetus for new vaccine or drug therapies to be developed. As these pathogens are more significant in Australia's near neighbours, this project will strengthen Australia's international leadership in this field. Our study will provide, for the first time for any helminth parasite, a freely available genetic database that profiles the gene expression repertoire of individual parasite tissues, a development likely to enhance the international effort in controlling these harmful diseases.Read moreRead less
Mathematical models and bioinformatic analyses of bacterial genome evolution. Bacteria are vital agents in earth's biosphere, breaking down and synthesising a wide variety of compounds. Some bacteria cause disease; others are exploited for a range of biotechnological applications. Bacteria have a remarkable ability to survive and thrive in changing conditions. For example, pathogenic bacteria confronted by antibiotics easily evolve resistance to them. With the reality of climate change, we expec ....Mathematical models and bioinformatic analyses of bacterial genome evolution. Bacteria are vital agents in earth's biosphere, breaking down and synthesising a wide variety of compounds. Some bacteria cause disease; others are exploited for a range of biotechnological applications. Bacteria have a remarkable ability to survive and thrive in changing conditions. For example, pathogenic bacteria confronted by antibiotics easily evolve resistance to them. With the reality of climate change, we expect more rapid shifts in the structure of bacterial communities, possibly leading to the emergence of new pathogens. The benefits of this project are to discover how the genetic structure of bacteria confer this flexibility, and to help keep Australia at the forefront of research in bioinformatics and mathematical biology.
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Disulfide Bonds and Protein Folding. This work will advance our understanding of protein folding, which has important implications in biotechnology, impacting on commercial production of recombinant proteins (for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications) and on 1000s of research laboratories worldwide that use recombinant technologies. This research could also contribute to medicine (new treatments for diseases of protein misfolding like Alzheimer's), and to membrane protein structural biology ....Disulfide Bonds and Protein Folding. This work will advance our understanding of protein folding, which has important implications in biotechnology, impacting on commercial production of recombinant proteins (for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications) and on 1000s of research laboratories worldwide that use recombinant technologies. This research could also contribute to medicine (new treatments for diseases of protein misfolding like Alzheimer's), and to membrane protein structural biology. This work could yield economic benefits in the long-term through patentable outcomes and will benefit the community by producing high impact research papers, providing training to Australians and forging links with renowned international scientists.Read moreRead less
Genomic and molecular characterisation of a novel Australian leishmania pathogen. Leishmaniasis is the second most serious protozoal disease after malaria. This project will help characterise the first Leishmania species identified in Australia providing molecular tools to monitor the pathogen and a detailed assessment of any potential risk to human health. Comparative analysis with more pathogenic species will help identify genes and mechanisms that determine the progression of human disease le ....Genomic and molecular characterisation of a novel Australian leishmania pathogen. Leishmaniasis is the second most serious protozoal disease after malaria. This project will help characterise the first Leishmania species identified in Australia providing molecular tools to monitor the pathogen and a detailed assessment of any potential risk to human health. Comparative analysis with more pathogenic species will help identify genes and mechanisms that determine the progression of human disease leading to the potential identification of new drug and vaccine targets. The methodologies and expertise developed will be used will be available to other research groups working on infectious diseases.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
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL0992138
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,100,000.00
Summary
Towards antibacterials without resistance. Innovative automation technologies will be used to create and investigate a revolutionary new approach to disable pathogenic superbugs, bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics. The chemicals created and proteins evaluated in this research program will advance fundamental knowledge about the molecular weapons that bacteria produce to cause disease; deliver social and economic benefits to Australia through the development of potential new antibacterial ....Towards antibacterials without resistance. Innovative automation technologies will be used to create and investigate a revolutionary new approach to disable pathogenic superbugs, bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics. The chemicals created and proteins evaluated in this research program will advance fundamental knowledge about the molecular weapons that bacteria produce to cause disease; deliver social and economic benefits to Australia through the development of potential new antibacterial treatments; contribute to Australia's continued international leading role in drug discovery research; enhance international links and attract industry investment in Australia; and provide a stimulating research training environment to inspire and motivate the next generation of scientists.Read moreRead less
New approaches to inhibition of activity of HIV integrase. This project aims to assist in the development of novel anti-HIV drugs that will benefit the 17000 Australians and more than 33 million people worldwide who are currently suffering with this terrible disease. The project will utilise state-of-the-art approaches in structure-based drug design to identify and synthesise compounds as leads for the development of anti-HIV drugs. Furthermore, the project will provide invaluable training for t ....New approaches to inhibition of activity of HIV integrase. This project aims to assist in the development of novel anti-HIV drugs that will benefit the 17000 Australians and more than 33 million people worldwide who are currently suffering with this terrible disease. The project will utilise state-of-the-art approaches in structure-based drug design to identify and synthesise compounds as leads for the development of anti-HIV drugs. Furthermore, the project will provide invaluable training for the researchers involved and enhance the relationship between the academic and commercial collaborators.Read moreRead less