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Micro-electrofluidic platforms for monitoring 3D human biological models. The ability to study living cells and human biological models (cell cultures) delivers greater understanding of basic biological function and response to applied (bio)chemical stimuli. Creating the physical environments to sustain biological models, and mimic natural conditions and fluidic pathways, is immensely challenging, yet essential to deliver meaningful observational data. This project will deliver this capability t ....Micro-electrofluidic platforms for monitoring 3D human biological models. The ability to study living cells and human biological models (cell cultures) delivers greater understanding of basic biological function and response to applied (bio)chemical stimuli. Creating the physical environments to sustain biological models, and mimic natural conditions and fluidic pathways, is immensely challenging, yet essential to deliver meaningful observational data. This project will deliver this capability through the convergence of expertise and innovation in analytical chemistry, materials science and cellular biology, ultilising the latest technology and understanding of 3D micro/electrofluidics, to enable the study and stimulation of advanced biological models, sustained within precisely controlled 3D micro-environments.Read moreRead less
Creating new stochastic models to understand the evolution of gene families. This project aims to extend stochastic modelling techniques in order to develop mathematically rigorous and biologically relevant models for the evolution of gene families. The project expects to model evolutionary processes such as gene retention, duplication and loss, and the generation of new gene functions. The duplication and subsequent re-purposing of genes is thought to be a key mechanism for generating evolution ....Creating new stochastic models to understand the evolution of gene families. This project aims to extend stochastic modelling techniques in order to develop mathematically rigorous and biologically relevant models for the evolution of gene families. The project expects to model evolutionary processes such as gene retention, duplication and loss, and the generation of new gene functions. The duplication and subsequent re-purposing of genes is thought to be a key mechanism for generating evolutionary novelty. By applying these models to genome data, the project expects to be able to quantify the importance of these different evolutionary mechanisms. The project will strengthen collaborative links between researchers in stochastic modelling and molecular evolutionary biology.Read moreRead less
Understanding the mechanisms underpinning complex sociality. This project aims to investigate the mechanisms underlying the formation of complex social systems in vertebrates. Our understanding of these mechanisms is strongly biased towards a few model systems. We have identified a novel Australian model system with a wide range of sociality for this purpose. This project expects to generate new knowledge on how the social environment interacts with the brain during social organisation. Expected ....Understanding the mechanisms underpinning complex sociality. This project aims to investigate the mechanisms underlying the formation of complex social systems in vertebrates. Our understanding of these mechanisms is strongly biased towards a few model systems. We have identified a novel Australian model system with a wide range of sociality for this purpose. This project expects to generate new knowledge on how the social environment interacts with the brain during social organisation. Expected outcomes include the refinement of social theory and capacity building via international collaboration and postgraduate training. This work will provide significant benefits by increasing our understanding of how the brain and social environment interact to moderate aggression and enhance social associations.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100201
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$460,806.00
Summary
Learning how we learn: linking inhibitory brain circuits to motor learning. Understanding the relationship between brain activity and human behaviour is a fundamental question in neuroscience. This project aims to contribute to this question by using cutting-edge brain stimulation techniques to demonstrate causal relationships between inhibitory brain circuit activity and motor learning. This project expects to generate fundamental knowledge about the relationship between the brain and behaviour ....Learning how we learn: linking inhibitory brain circuits to motor learning. Understanding the relationship between brain activity and human behaviour is a fundamental question in neuroscience. This project aims to contribute to this question by using cutting-edge brain stimulation techniques to demonstrate causal relationships between inhibitory brain circuit activity and motor learning. This project expects to generate fundamental knowledge about the relationship between the brain and behaviours. Eventually, this may contribute to the development of optimised training protocols in healthy populations such as school children, recreational and elite athletes, medical and military personnel, and ageing adults, as well as the development of brain stimulation interventions to improve motor learning.Read moreRead less
Changes in the ocean's biological pump: innovative models and diagnostics. This Project aims to quantify how the ocean’s biological pump, which exports newly formed organic matter into the ocean interior, responds to environmental change. The biological pump is a key control on the global carbon and oxygen cycles, and hence on the viability of marine life. New, efficient numerical models will be developed and analysed with highly innovative mathematical methods. Expected outcomes are optimised .... Changes in the ocean's biological pump: innovative models and diagnostics. This Project aims to quantify how the ocean’s biological pump, which exports newly formed organic matter into the ocean interior, responds to environmental change. The biological pump is a key control on the global carbon and oxygen cycles, and hence on the viability of marine life. New, efficient numerical models will be developed and analysed with highly innovative mathematical methods. Expected outcomes are optimised predictive models and a new understanding of the possible future evolutions of the ocean carbon cycle, acidification, and oxygenation. This should provide significant benefits such as predictions of future ocean health, identification of processes that are sensitive to change, and strategies for marine resource management.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE240100080
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$500,000.00
Summary
Acquisition of an advanced Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorter for Tasmania. Tasmania has immediate need for contemporary flow cytometry infrastructure to maintain world-class research for local and global benefit. This project aims to establish next generation, single cell sorting capability to study the impact of ageing and environmental stressors on human, animal and plant biology. Outcomes of this project include: 1) multi-disciplinary expansion across the areas of neuroscience, ecology, evol ....Acquisition of an advanced Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorter for Tasmania. Tasmania has immediate need for contemporary flow cytometry infrastructure to maintain world-class research for local and global benefit. This project aims to establish next generation, single cell sorting capability to study the impact of ageing and environmental stressors on human, animal and plant biology. Outcomes of this project include: 1) multi-disciplinary expansion across the areas of neuroscience, ecology, evolutionary biology, oceanography, epi/genomics and immunology, 2) ability to develop innovative assays and vaccines, and 3) increase the scale of national and international collaborations. This project will provide direct benefit through our contribution of new knowledge, commercial uptake and impact on policy.Read moreRead less
Polymer Inclusion Membranes for Electrokinetic Sampling and Separation. This proposal aims to understand the chemical and physical properties governing the transport of ions into and within advanced extracting polymeric materials, known as polymer inclusion membranes, under the influence of an applied voltage. These membranes are dry-to-touch and represent a new and potentially powerful analytical platform for environmental, medical and industry sample preparation. By understanding the transport ....Polymer Inclusion Membranes for Electrokinetic Sampling and Separation. This proposal aims to understand the chemical and physical properties governing the transport of ions into and within advanced extracting polymeric materials, known as polymer inclusion membranes, under the influence of an applied voltage. These membranes are dry-to-touch and represent a new and potentially powerful analytical platform for environmental, medical and industry sample preparation. By understanding the transport mechanism, new membranes will be developed, capable of purifying and concentrating diverse targets chemicals from liquid and solid samples. These processes can take place during sample transportation to a centralised laboratory thus simplifying and streamlining analysis upon arrival to decrease drastically its costs.Read moreRead less
The Dark-side of the Milky Way. Astronomers have long sought to determine the 3-dimensional structure of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, with limited success owing to its immense size and obscuration by dust at optical wavelengths. We know more about structure of tens of thousands of other galaxies than we do about the structure of the Milky Way on the far-side of the Galactic Centre. This program will use Australian infrastructure to make the most accurate distance measurements to date of the far-si ....The Dark-side of the Milky Way. Astronomers have long sought to determine the 3-dimensional structure of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, with limited success owing to its immense size and obscuration by dust at optical wavelengths. We know more about structure of tens of thousands of other galaxies than we do about the structure of the Milky Way on the far-side of the Galactic Centre. This program will use Australian infrastructure to make the most accurate distance measurements to date of the far-side of the Milky Way visible from the Southern hemisphere, completing the 3-dimensional picture of our Galaxy. These results will be leveraged to yield accurate distances, providing fundamental information on the stellar masses, luminosities, and ages.Read moreRead less
Eruption and disruption: how Earth’s deep interior and surface communicate. Massive volcanic eruptions are a fundamental part of the Earth System, responsible for globally disruptive events, from airspace disturbance, to extinction of the dinosaurs. This project will reveal relationships between hot, deep sources of volcanic material, and the tectonic processes at the Earth's surface. Expected outcomes of this project include assembling an unprecedented set of new observations from underwater vo ....Eruption and disruption: how Earth’s deep interior and surface communicate. Massive volcanic eruptions are a fundamental part of the Earth System, responsible for globally disruptive events, from airspace disturbance, to extinction of the dinosaurs. This project will reveal relationships between hot, deep sources of volcanic material, and the tectonic processes at the Earth's surface. Expected outcomes of this project include assembling an unprecedented set of new observations from underwater volcanoes offshore Eastern Australia, and the development of innovative geodynamic models of how the deep Earth interacts with the surface to form these volcanoes. This will provide significant benefits by advancing our understanding of the deep Earth, and its impact on Earth’s surface, natural hazards, and mineral systems.Read moreRead less
Turning back the clock on brain cell aging. This proposal aims to determine the role of fundamental epigenetic mechanisms in the process of aging and whether modulation of the epi-genome underpins an improvement in cognitive function. It combines the fields of epigenetics, neurosciences and mathematics to delineate the dynamics of DNA methylation and histone modification marking on the transcriptome during normal, healthy aging. The outcomes will provide significant new knowledge of the variable ....Turning back the clock on brain cell aging. This proposal aims to determine the role of fundamental epigenetic mechanisms in the process of aging and whether modulation of the epi-genome underpins an improvement in cognitive function. It combines the fields of epigenetics, neurosciences and mathematics to delineate the dynamics of DNA methylation and histone modification marking on the transcriptome during normal, healthy aging. The outcomes will provide significant new knowledge of the variable cognitive decline that occurs in healthy aging and why some populations age less successfully than others do. Better understanding of the impact of environmental change on the biology of aging has potential community benefits.Read moreRead less