Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE210100148
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,350,000.00
Summary
Advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Technologies for Southeast Queensland. This project aims to establish an advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance capability and capacity at two of Queenslands' leading research intensive universities. The project expects to enhance the scope and productivity of hundreds of research projects spanning natural products, synthetic, medicinal, materials and environmental science. Expected outcomes include smarter science, more productive collaborations and superior res ....Advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Technologies for Southeast Queensland. This project aims to establish an advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance capability and capacity at two of Queenslands' leading research intensive universities. The project expects to enhance the scope and productivity of hundreds of research projects spanning natural products, synthetic, medicinal, materials and environmental science. Expected outcomes include smarter science, more productive collaborations and superior research training, leading to innovative solutions to challenging problems that confront science and society. This investment should provide significant benefits in the form of new knowledge across multiple disciplines, informing the design of future medicines, agrochemicals, materials and other products.
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Enzyme-Mediated Machining of Chelators to Bind and Recover Valuable Metals. Metals are critical components of electronic devices and electrical products. Rapid disposal cycles create a major problem in managing e-waste metals and identifies an opportunity in the circular economy for recovery and re-use. Organic compounds that bind metal ions (chelators) are useful but could be improved to select a target metal from a mixture. This project aims to dissect a method used by bacteria to biosynthesiz ....Enzyme-Mediated Machining of Chelators to Bind and Recover Valuable Metals. Metals are critical components of electronic devices and electrical products. Rapid disposal cycles create a major problem in managing e-waste metals and identifies an opportunity in the circular economy for recovery and re-use. Organic compounds that bind metal ions (chelators) are useful but could be improved to select a target metal from a mixture. This project aims to dissect a method used by bacteria to biosynthesize chelators and hijack this to bioengineer new classes of chelators. Outcomes include new chelators and advanced knowledge of metal selectivity, with potential environmental and economic benefits arising from recovery of valuable metals. The project will benefit chemical biology research training for real-world applications.Read moreRead less
Understanding the Chemical Processes Involved in the Metabolism of Peptide Hormones. Peptide hormones regulate normal physiological activity in humans, and their over-production causes diseases such as cancer. The aims of this project are: to delineate the chemical processes through which these hormones are produced; to develop inhibitors of enzymes involved in hormone production, and agonists and antagonists of receptors through which the hormones act; and to study the ability of the inhibitors ....Understanding the Chemical Processes Involved in the Metabolism of Peptide Hormones. Peptide hormones regulate normal physiological activity in humans, and their over-production causes diseases such as cancer. The aims of this project are: to delineate the chemical processes through which these hormones are produced; to develop inhibitors of enzymes involved in hormone production, and agonists and antagonists of receptors through which the hormones act; and to study the ability of the inhibitors, agonists and antagonists to override and bypass the chemical control mechanisms through which hormone levels are usually maintained at homeostasis. The research is expected to lead to a better fundamental understanding of hormone metabolism, and to underpin the basis for the development of new disease therapies.Read moreRead less
New Protocols for the Chemical Synthesis of Biologically Relevant Systems. Enzyme- and metal-catalysed processes will be developed and exploited for the purpose of establishing concise syntheses of biologically active and otherwise inaccessible natural products and their analogues. The range of structures to be targeted is structurally diverse and these have the potential to act as agrochemicals and/or as therapeutic agents for the treatment of a range of disease states in mammals including bact ....New Protocols for the Chemical Synthesis of Biologically Relevant Systems. Enzyme- and metal-catalysed processes will be developed and exploited for the purpose of establishing concise syntheses of biologically active and otherwise inaccessible natural products and their analogues. The range of structures to be targeted is structurally diverse and these have the potential to act as agrochemicals and/or as therapeutic agents for the treatment of a range of disease states in mammals including bacterial and viral infections, neuro-degenerative conditions and impaired cognitive function. Anti-angiogenic compounds that control otherwise unregulated cellular growth may also arise from these studies. The generation of new, homochiral metabolites for use in chemoenzymatic synthesis should also emerge from this project.Read moreRead less
Harnessing strain for chemical synthesis: The cyclopropane angle. This project aims to develop new reaction pathways of cyclopropanes, the smallest and most strained monocyclic ring systems, but which are also stable and easily prepared. Cyclopropanes have unique capacities to serve as highly effective building blocks in the synthesis of a wide range of otherwise difficult to access and biologically active molecular frameworks. This project will use cyclopropanes to rapidly assemble biologically ....Harnessing strain for chemical synthesis: The cyclopropane angle. This project aims to develop new reaction pathways of cyclopropanes, the smallest and most strained monocyclic ring systems, but which are also stable and easily prepared. Cyclopropanes have unique capacities to serve as highly effective building blocks in the synthesis of a wide range of otherwise difficult to access and biologically active molecular frameworks. This project will use cyclopropanes to rapidly assemble biologically active systems, especially pharmaceutically or agrochemically valuable natural products and relevant analogues.Read moreRead less
Enabling Methodologies for the Synthesis of Biologically Active Compounds. This project seeks to establish flexible methods of chemical synthesis for creating new molecular scaffolds capable of achieving selective enzyme inhibition. The approach aims to exploit the vast and biologically-programmed structural diversity associated with natural products. Unique, small molecule organic compounds will be obtained that reveal details of the operation of key enzymes in bacterial and mammalian systems. ....Enabling Methodologies for the Synthesis of Biologically Active Compounds. This project seeks to establish flexible methods of chemical synthesis for creating new molecular scaffolds capable of achieving selective enzyme inhibition. The approach aims to exploit the vast and biologically-programmed structural diversity associated with natural products. Unique, small molecule organic compounds will be obtained that reveal details of the operation of key enzymes in bacterial and mammalian systems. Such new knowledge would allow for the design of highly selective therapeutic agents relevant to the treatment of a range of diseases including bacterial infections, diabetes and cancer. The high-end scientific training and privileged forms of matter arising from this work would provide major benefit to the biotech sector.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100213
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$840,000.00
Summary
Multinuclear 700 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer for advanced molecular analysis. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is the most important analytical tool in chemistry. A new 700 MHz NMR spectrometer is to replace three outdated NMR spectrometers at the NMR Facility to enable new multinuclear experiments, while serving the analytical needs of over 20 research groups in chemical and biological research.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170101438
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
Application of boronate ester-appended scaffolds in drug-discovery. This project aims to improve carbohydrate synthesis. Glycochemistry is an increasingly important chemical science that combines organic synthesis with biology. This project will develop methodologies that incorporate boronate ester residues onto selected carbons of monosaccharides and transform them to obtain hitherto inaccessible scaffolds for drug discovery. This strategy can be used in the controlled assembly of other biologi ....Application of boronate ester-appended scaffolds in drug-discovery. This project aims to improve carbohydrate synthesis. Glycochemistry is an increasingly important chemical science that combines organic synthesis with biology. This project will develop methodologies that incorporate boronate ester residues onto selected carbons of monosaccharides and transform them to obtain hitherto inaccessible scaffolds for drug discovery. This strategy can be used in the controlled assembly of other biologically important compounds, including azacycles, oxacycles and inositols. The methods for the controlled diversification of carbohydrates are expected to be broadly applicable to scientific endeavours ranging from glycobiology to medicine. Successful execution will provide new drug-discovery tools and ensure Australia secures a competitive position in this rapidly expanding discipline.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100015
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$405,000.00
Summary
Global positioning system for small molecules: accelerating lead discovery. This project aims to establish a tool to accelerate lead generation from very small molecules. This will shift the paradigm in the identification of small molecules that can serve as lead compounds for the development of specific probes or drugs. This project offers a new strategy to rapidly generate lead compounds from a library of compound fragments. The new approach is expected to facilitate identification and develop ....Global positioning system for small molecules: accelerating lead discovery. This project aims to establish a tool to accelerate lead generation from very small molecules. This will shift the paradigm in the identification of small molecules that can serve as lead compounds for the development of specific probes or drugs. This project offers a new strategy to rapidly generate lead compounds from a library of compound fragments. The new approach is expected to facilitate identification and development of new lead molecules, drawing on advances made in the field of fragment-based lead discovery, which is increasingly used in the pharmaceutical industries. The tools developed can also be applied for imaging of biological processes. By developing new technologies, the project should deliver intellectual property with potential for commercialisation.Read moreRead less
Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Australian Sponge Metabolites. The development of concise and flexible syntheses of Australian marine natural products and analogues of ecological/therapeutic significance will emerge. Such activities will lead to the identification and evaluation of molecular entities of value in managing marine environments and help to enhance chemical synthesis capacity in Australia.