Analysing the protective role of platelets during malaria infection. Platelets protect the host during malarial infection. This project aims to study how platelets kill the malaria parasite by investigating the role of host molecules and their potential as novel antimalarial agents. The role of platelets in the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria syndrome will also be investigated.
Protecting Australia’s food future: shared responsibility for biosecurity. This project aims to investigate whether Australia’s ‘shared responsibility’ approach to biosecurity is capable of facing the growing threat from exotic pests and diseases. Through the analysis of policy documents and the use of semi-structured interviews, this project intends to contribute to a deeper understanding of the inter- and intra-organisational characteristics that influence implementation of biosecurity. Expect ....Protecting Australia’s food future: shared responsibility for biosecurity. This project aims to investigate whether Australia’s ‘shared responsibility’ approach to biosecurity is capable of facing the growing threat from exotic pests and diseases. Through the analysis of policy documents and the use of semi-structured interviews, this project intends to contribute to a deeper understanding of the inter- and intra-organisational characteristics that influence implementation of biosecurity. Expected outcomes include crucial insights into the capacity of a shared responsibility approach to protect agri-food production against biological threats, and the forms of institutional change that may be needed to enhance responsiveness to those threats. This in turn will benefit Australia's biosecurity system.Read moreRead less
Investigating the genetic basis for heterogeneous susceptibility of Tasmanian devils to a novel infectious cancer. This project will use genetics and modelling to reveal why Tasmanian devils in northwest Tasmania are not dying from facial tumour disease, a new, unusual infectious cancer threatening this iconic carnivore with extinction. This project will predict extinction risk, develop management options, and provide a new template for managing emerging wildlife diseases.
Investigating the molecular function of alpha-Haemoglobin stabilising protein. The research described in this proposal will provide new insights into haemoglobin regulation and redox chemistry in erythrocytes. Deregulation of these processes gives rise to a number of debilitating diseases, including varieties of anaemia and thalassaemia-in Australia it is estimated that 3% of the population could be carriers of b-thalassaemia mutations. Given the contribution of free aHb to the pathology of b-th ....Investigating the molecular function of alpha-Haemoglobin stabilising protein. The research described in this proposal will provide new insights into haemoglobin regulation and redox chemistry in erythrocytes. Deregulation of these processes gives rise to a number of debilitating diseases, including varieties of anaemia and thalassaemia-in Australia it is estimated that 3% of the population could be carriers of b-thalassaemia mutations. Given the contribution of free aHb to the pathology of b-thalassaemia, understanding the specific aHb-binding factor, AHSP is a goal of national significance. In the long term, manipulation of AHSP function through gene therapy may have a direct role in the treatment of thalassaemia.Read moreRead less