Immobilised Lipid Chromatography for Membrane Protein Isolation and Analysis. Current techniques for membrane protein are inadequate for the emerging proteomic challenge, in which approximately 40% of proteins are predicted to be membrane associated. The aim of this proposal is to develop a new approach to purify membrane proteins using our recently-developed immobilised membrane chromatography materials. The present proposal will provide a new high-resolution separation technique that allows is ....Immobilised Lipid Chromatography for Membrane Protein Isolation and Analysis. Current techniques for membrane protein are inadequate for the emerging proteomic challenge, in which approximately 40% of proteins are predicted to be membrane associated. The aim of this proposal is to develop a new approach to purify membrane proteins using our recently-developed immobilised membrane chromatography materials. The present proposal will provide a new high-resolution separation technique that allows isolation and on-line mass analysis of complex mixtures of membrane proteins for subsequent proteomic analysis, high-throughput screening or structural studies and could form the basis for further development of new commercial tools for membrane protein analysis.Read moreRead less
Biological Role of Contraction-Induced Heat Shock Protein Expression. It is well known that mammalian skeletal muscle increases its expression of a group of highly conserved proteins, the heat shock proteins (HSP) in response to repeated contraction. However, the biological role of this expression is unclear. The aim of this project is to determine the biological role of contraction-induced HSP expression. We expect to show that HSP synthesis in response to exercise has three major roles; 1) to ....Biological Role of Contraction-Induced Heat Shock Protein Expression. It is well known that mammalian skeletal muscle increases its expression of a group of highly conserved proteins, the heat shock proteins (HSP) in response to repeated contraction. However, the biological role of this expression is unclear. The aim of this project is to determine the biological role of contraction-induced HSP expression. We expect to show that HSP synthesis in response to exercise has three major roles; 1) to act to repair damaged proteins in recovery from muscle injury 2) to act as a "molecular motor" to translocate proteins from one region of a muscle cell to another and 3) to be released into the circulation in order to act as a central signal to activate immune cells. Such a project will be significant because it will allow for a fundamental understanding as to why these proteins are produced in response to exercise. We expect to enhance our understanding of fundamental cell biology.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775725
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$465,000.00
Summary
Molecular separation and characterisation - A facility for advanced mass spectroscopy and chromatography. Characterising molecular composition is a basic need for the progress of many sciences. It is used to examine traditional and modern medicinal chemistry, bio-active peptides, molecular modulation of chemical properties, markers of disease and system status, and can also be used to elucidate molecular mechanisms and interactions in a system. This can only be achieved through precise measureme ....Molecular separation and characterisation - A facility for advanced mass spectroscopy and chromatography. Characterising molecular composition is a basic need for the progress of many sciences. It is used to examine traditional and modern medicinal chemistry, bio-active peptides, molecular modulation of chemical properties, markers of disease and system status, and can also be used to elucidate molecular mechanisms and interactions in a system. This can only be achieved through precise measurement using the frontier technologies described in this grant. This proposal ensures international competitiveness on a broad front, and supports highest level research training and bio/chemical/medical research in several priority research areas. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0561224
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$267,767.00
Summary
14CHRONOS (Chronologies from High-ResolutiON Organic Separations): a centre for radiocarbon dating of specific compounds for the environmental and archaeological sciences. Accurate timekeeping is central to the environmental and archaeological sciences. Radiocarbon dating is the leading geochronological technique for events of the past 50,000 years, but the issue for sample contamination remains a major source of concern. Avoidance of contaminants can be achieved through the identification of sp ....14CHRONOS (Chronologies from High-ResolutiON Organic Separations): a centre for radiocarbon dating of specific compounds for the environmental and archaeological sciences. Accurate timekeeping is central to the environmental and archaeological sciences. Radiocarbon dating is the leading geochronological technique for events of the past 50,000 years, but the issue for sample contamination remains a major source of concern. Avoidance of contaminants can be achieved through the identification of specific biomolecular compounds that unambiguously formed part of the original sample, and the isolation of these biomolecules for radiocarbon dating using accelerator mass spectrometry. Here we request funds to establish Australia's first compound-specific radiocarbon dating facility, to obtain ages of high accuracy for key studies of climate and landscape change, evolutionary biology and archaeology.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882682
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$100,000.00
Summary
The Australasian Pollen and Spore Atlas. The results generated in this project will enhance Australian research capabilities across multiple disciplines by providing access to key knowledge of pollen and spores in our region. A unified approach to the archiving, presentation and accessibility to existing and evolving databases will provide a considerably improved context for identification and knowledge pooling of any given pollen or spore type. This will create a nexus for novel interactions be ....The Australasian Pollen and Spore Atlas. The results generated in this project will enhance Australian research capabilities across multiple disciplines by providing access to key knowledge of pollen and spores in our region. A unified approach to the archiving, presentation and accessibility to existing and evolving databases will provide a considerably improved context for identification and knowledge pooling of any given pollen or spore type. This will create a nexus for novel interactions between researchers and end users of these data from within and beyond Australia's borders.Read moreRead less
The desire for knowledge: Neural mechanisms of information-seeking. This project aims to determine the mechanisms that drive individuals to seek out information, and to characterise the neural processes that underlie how that information is valued. The project tests the idea that information is represented in the brain as a form of reward. The results are expected to contribute significant mechanistic insights at the level of brain and behaviour on the nature of information value. This is likely ....The desire for knowledge: Neural mechanisms of information-seeking. This project aims to determine the mechanisms that drive individuals to seek out information, and to characterise the neural processes that underlie how that information is valued. The project tests the idea that information is represented in the brain as a form of reward. The results are expected to contribute significant mechanistic insights at the level of brain and behaviour on the nature of information value. This is likely to have wide-ranging implications across multiple domains of human endeavour, including education, work-place efficiency, policy development, and consumer behaviour.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100099
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$389,575.00
Summary
The importance of glia in the development of healthy blood vessels in the eye. The formation of healthy blood vessels in the eye is critical for vision. An important peptide in blood vessel formation throughout the body, including the eye, is Angiotensin II. Specific retinal cells named astrocytes and microglia are suggested to be involved in vessel formation. However, the way these cells control this formation is unknown. Using innovative techniques, this project will investigate how retinal as ....The importance of glia in the development of healthy blood vessels in the eye. The formation of healthy blood vessels in the eye is critical for vision. An important peptide in blood vessel formation throughout the body, including the eye, is Angiotensin II. Specific retinal cells named astrocytes and microglia are suggested to be involved in vessel formation. However, the way these cells control this formation is unknown. Using innovative techniques, this project will investigate how retinal astrocytes and microglia control glial-vascular communication and blood vessel formation via Angiotensin II. The information gained from this proposal is critical to our understanding of both normal retinal development and blood vessel maintenance in both infants and those of older ages.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220101508
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$447,000.00
Summary
A Brain-Behaviour Model of Decision-Making Under Distraction. People make thousands of decisions each day, such as judging whether it is safe to cross the street at a busy intersection. This project aims to investigate how decision-making is impacted when a person is temporarily distracted, for example when receiving a text message alert from one’s phone. By combining recordings of brain activity with cutting-edge mathematical modelling techniques, this project expects to develop a novel theoret ....A Brain-Behaviour Model of Decision-Making Under Distraction. People make thousands of decisions each day, such as judging whether it is safe to cross the street at a busy intersection. This project aims to investigate how decision-making is impacted when a person is temporarily distracted, for example when receiving a text message alert from one’s phone. By combining recordings of brain activity with cutting-edge mathematical modelling techniques, this project expects to develop a novel theoretical framework that captures the effects of distraction on brain networks that underpin human decision-making performance. This knowledge should be highly beneficial for developing informed policies that reduce effects of distraction and preserve decision-making capacity in safety critical situations.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100854
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$356,761.00
Summary
An evidence-based approach to integrate evolutionary theory in conservation. This project aims to integrate evolutionary theory into conservation science to ensure management promotes the long-term resilience of biodiversity. The management of evolutionary risks and benefits is routinely left out of decision tools that identify optimal management strategies. By developing tools that integrate evolutionary theory into key conservation problems, this project is expected to significantly advance co ....An evidence-based approach to integrate evolutionary theory in conservation. This project aims to integrate evolutionary theory into conservation science to ensure management promotes the long-term resilience of biodiversity. The management of evolutionary risks and benefits is routinely left out of decision tools that identify optimal management strategies. By developing tools that integrate evolutionary theory into key conservation problems, this project is expected to significantly advance conservation science. It should provide managers with essential tools to support the persistence of biodiversity and thus long-term success of biodiversity conservation.Read moreRead less
Reconstructing landscapes for biodiversity: From predictive modelling to future scenarios. Many landscapes around the world have been effectively denuded of natural vegetation, causing precipitous declines in native biodiversity. Mitigation of such effects in the near/medium-term future requires substantial ecological advice. We will employ our skills developed in modelling distributions of species across landscapes based on terrain, soils and climate to assess alternative landscape-reconstructi ....Reconstructing landscapes for biodiversity: From predictive modelling to future scenarios. Many landscapes around the world have been effectively denuded of natural vegetation, causing precipitous declines in native biodiversity. Mitigation of such effects in the near/medium-term future requires substantial ecological advice. We will employ our skills developed in modelling distributions of species across landscapes based on terrain, soils and climate to assess alternative landscape-reconstruction scenarios. This links use of existing data sets for initial modelling, a validation phase for testing model reliability and for refining models, and a subsequent GIS-based modelling phase in which alternative options for reconstructing landscapes are evaluated for their effectiveness in sustaining landscape-scale native biodiversity.Read moreRead less