Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0883096
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$600,000.00
Summary
Analytical and Preparative Enantioselective Chromatography. Enantiomers are forms of the same molecule that are non-superimposable mirror images of one another, like a left hand and a right hand. Because they are so similar they are very difficult to separate. However, they have very different biological properties, such as when used as drugs. One enantiomer may be beneficial while the other has no effect or sometimes is even toxic. Therefore it is important to be able to tell how much of ea ....Analytical and Preparative Enantioselective Chromatography. Enantiomers are forms of the same molecule that are non-superimposable mirror images of one another, like a left hand and a right hand. Because they are so similar they are very difficult to separate. However, they have very different biological properties, such as when used as drugs. One enantiomer may be beneficial while the other has no effect or sometimes is even toxic. Therefore it is important to be able to tell how much of each enantiomer is present in a sample and to be able to separate them. This facility will allow us to do both of these things.Read moreRead less
ARC Research Network for Understanding and Managing Australian Biodiversity. Biodiversity research is strong in Australia but is highly uncoordinated and, along with recent major breakthroughs in both theory and techniques, has highlighted the need for a Network to properly integrate research and focus it on the most appropriate scale. This Network aims to bring together a diverse spectrum of highly experienced and early career researchers to pool their ideas and expertise to allow them to deter ....ARC Research Network for Understanding and Managing Australian Biodiversity. Biodiversity research is strong in Australia but is highly uncoordinated and, along with recent major breakthroughs in both theory and techniques, has highlighted the need for a Network to properly integrate research and focus it on the most appropriate scale. This Network aims to bring together a diverse spectrum of highly experienced and early career researchers to pool their ideas and expertise to allow them to determine how best to describe Australia's current biodiversity and the biological and environmental history leading up to the present. A major outcome will be the ability to predict the impacts of environmental change on biodiversity to assist management decisions across Australia, with lessons of global importance.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560940
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$229,326.00
Summary
Stable Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry Facility. This application for a Stable Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer Facility provides a focus for research collaboration and training in northern Australia. The Facility will enhance strong collaboration between organisations committed to increasing understanding of unique northern environments, and will include the Arafura Timor Research Facility, a Major National Research Facility. The Facility will contribute to studies of conservation biology, nat ....Stable Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry Facility. This application for a Stable Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer Facility provides a focus for research collaboration and training in northern Australia. The Facility will enhance strong collaboration between organisations committed to increasing understanding of unique northern environments, and will include the Arafura Timor Research Facility, a Major National Research Facility. The Facility will contribute to studies of conservation biology, natural resource management, environmental and marine science and resource development in the tropical north. It will help develop knowledge bases, innovative approaches to environmental management and sustainable development and high levels of research and research training for regional development.Read moreRead less
Diversity out of a hybrid zone: the interplay of reinforcement and sexual selection in the formation of new species. How are there so many different species? Understanding how new species arise is a fundamental question because it explains current biodiversity and reveals the processes that will continue to give rise to new species in the future. An integral part of any animal species is who they choose to mate with, but how mate choice evolves to create new species remains poorly understood. He ....Diversity out of a hybrid zone: the interplay of reinforcement and sexual selection in the formation of new species. How are there so many different species? Understanding how new species arise is a fundamental question because it explains current biodiversity and reveals the processes that will continue to give rise to new species in the future. An integral part of any animal species is who they choose to mate with, but how mate choice evolves to create new species remains poorly understood. Here I will be studying the processes that affect the evolution of mate choice in an Australian rainforest frog hybrid zone. This system is uniquely suitable for providing internationally important insights into the evolutionary processes that form new species.Read moreRead less
Force from lipids: the role of the lipid bilayer in mechanosensory transduction. The proposed research will significantly contribute to a better understanding of the wide range of physiological processes underlying mechanosensory transduction in living cells. The direct benefit for Australian science consists of: (i) strengthening international links with leading overseas laboratories, and (ii) accessing the state-of-the-art expertise not available in Australia. The acquired knowledge will aid i ....Force from lipids: the role of the lipid bilayer in mechanosensory transduction. The proposed research will significantly contribute to a better understanding of the wide range of physiological processes underlying mechanosensory transduction in living cells. The direct benefit for Australian science consists of: (i) strengthening international links with leading overseas laboratories, and (ii) accessing the state-of-the-art expertise not available in Australia. The acquired knowledge will aid in developing and designing artificial tactile sensors inspired by their biological models studied in this project. Long-term, the project is expected to make an original contribution towards developing new technologies and novel medical applications, both of which promise to be of great national benefit.Read moreRead less
The role of muscle and tendon mechanics in human muscle damage. This project aims to examine what sort of forceful stretch is required to cause exercise induced muscle damage (EIMD) in humans and how muscles adapt to limit future damage. Specifically, the project aims to examine how the elastic properties of tendons might reduce muscle damage by buffering stretch in muscle fibres. Using cutting-edge ultrasound imaging technology, human muscle strain in different regions of muscle will be examine ....The role of muscle and tendon mechanics in human muscle damage. This project aims to examine what sort of forceful stretch is required to cause exercise induced muscle damage (EIMD) in humans and how muscles adapt to limit future damage. Specifically, the project aims to examine how the elastic properties of tendons might reduce muscle damage by buffering stretch in muscle fibres. Using cutting-edge ultrasound imaging technology, human muscle strain in different regions of muscle will be examined to quantify the temporal relationship between muscle power absorption and EIMD. The importance of muscle and tendon mechanical properties in buffering the muscle from potential damage will be gauged. This could be a critical mechanism for preventing EIMD in exercising humans.Read moreRead less
E. coli as an indicator of faecal contamination in the Australian context. The goal of this research is to improve our ability to use Escherichia coli as an indicator of water quality by determining the extent to which non-faecal sources of E. coli contribute to coliform counts and to develop a method to differentiate non-faecal E. coli from those that are faecal derived.
Gene Patents in Australia: Options for Reform. Controversies over the upsurge in gene patenting, access to pharmaceuticals, biopiracy, and ownership of genetic resources, lead many to question whether patent law is appropriate for biotechnology. Do patents thwart access to beneficial technologies such as drugs, research tools and new crops, while hampering policy options for health care and agriculture? This project addresses the urgent need for a comprehensive study of the impact of biotech pat ....Gene Patents in Australia: Options for Reform. Controversies over the upsurge in gene patenting, access to pharmaceuticals, biopiracy, and ownership of genetic resources, lead many to question whether patent law is appropriate for biotechnology. Do patents thwart access to beneficial technologies such as drugs, research tools and new crops, while hampering policy options for health care and agriculture? This project addresses the urgent need for a comprehensive study of the impact of biotech patenting, critically reviewing overseas developments, setting biotechnology in the broader policy context of intellectual property law, and empirically analysing patterns rather than relying on the anecdotal and piecemeal studies that dominate this area.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354683
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Ocean Discovery Network. The ODN will focus research on Australia's vast marine jurisdiction by:
1. Providing a forum for developing coordinated marine research enterprises in the National Research Priority areas of biodiversity, exploitation of resources, seaway security and climate.
2. Developing innovative international research and providing a mechanism for involvement in international science programs
3. Advancing research capabilities between national and international ocean scientist ....Ocean Discovery Network. The ODN will focus research on Australia's vast marine jurisdiction by:
1. Providing a forum for developing coordinated marine research enterprises in the National Research Priority areas of biodiversity, exploitation of resources, seaway security and climate.
2. Developing innovative international research and providing a mechanism for involvement in international science programs
3. Advancing research capabilities between national and international ocean scientists with web-based data-exchange services and links to global databases
4. Facilitating the transfer of research skills to young investigators
5. Maximising multidisciplinary use of Australian ocean science capacity, particularly the National Facility Research Vessel and the RSV Aurora Australis
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Unravelling the molecular diversity and evolution of centipede venoms. The project intends to improve understanding of venom evolution in centipedes. Venoms have emerged as a rich source of pharmacological tools with potential for development into therapeutics and bioinsecticides. However, venoms-based discovery has been limited by the narrow taxonomical range of animals studied, with many groups of venomous animals overlooked. One such group is centipedes, whose venoms contain diverse toxins th ....Unravelling the molecular diversity and evolution of centipede venoms. The project intends to improve understanding of venom evolution in centipedes. Venoms have emerged as a rich source of pharmacological tools with potential for development into therapeutics and bioinsecticides. However, venoms-based discovery has been limited by the narrow taxonomical range of animals studied, with many groups of venomous animals overlooked. One such group is centipedes, whose venoms contain diverse toxins that differ between taxa. This project aims to provide an insight into centipede venom evolution, and how it might be constrained by venom-gland morphology. This study seeks to contribute to our understanding of protein evolution and direct biodiscovery efforts around centipede venom.Read moreRead less