Detection and viability of waterborne pathogens using a gut-on-chip. This project aims to resolve a significant problem for water utilities. Microbial pathogens Cryptosporidium, norovirus and adenovirus are the main public health concern for drinking water in developed nations. Water monitoring is limited by the lack of fast, reliable detection methods and viability assays for these pathogens. This project will use a novel gut-on-a-chip to develop for the first time rapid infectivity assays for ....Detection and viability of waterborne pathogens using a gut-on-chip. This project aims to resolve a significant problem for water utilities. Microbial pathogens Cryptosporidium, norovirus and adenovirus are the main public health concern for drinking water in developed nations. Water monitoring is limited by the lack of fast, reliable detection methods and viability assays for these pathogens. This project will use a novel gut-on-a-chip to develop for the first time rapid infectivity assays for Cryptosporidium, norovirus and adenovirus. Significant benefits include improved diagnostics and water disinfection assays, improved water treatment and reduced costs with global impact.Read moreRead less
Buffering the ecosystem impact of invasive cane toads. This project aims to address the devastating ecological problems caused by invasive species, by developing a novel approach that does not rely upon eradicating the invader through training vulnerable native predators not to eat toxic cane toads. Expected outcomes of this project include building a broad coalition of conservation-focused groups, from private land-owners and local businesses through to Indigenous groups and government and non- ....Buffering the ecosystem impact of invasive cane toads. This project aims to address the devastating ecological problems caused by invasive species, by developing a novel approach that does not rely upon eradicating the invader through training vulnerable native predators not to eat toxic cane toads. Expected outcomes of this project include building a broad coalition of conservation-focused groups, from private land-owners and local businesses through to Indigenous groups and government and non-government agencies across the entire Kimberley region. It will also result in the evaluation of methods for deployment of taste-aversion at a landscape scale. This should provide significant benefits by conserving vulnerable fauna and building a powerful network within a region of high biodiversity in tropical Australia.Read moreRead less
New anti-parasitic drugs for a global veterinary market. This project aims to establish an advanced, industry-linked pipeline for the development of new drugs against resilient infectious agents (parasites) that cause serious diseases in billions of animals worldwide. The research expects to discover new ways of killing parasites that survive in their host animal, despite being under severe attack by the host immune system. The resultant shift in fundamental understanding will lead to innovative ....New anti-parasitic drugs for a global veterinary market. This project aims to establish an advanced, industry-linked pipeline for the development of new drugs against resilient infectious agents (parasites) that cause serious diseases in billions of animals worldwide. The research expects to discover new ways of killing parasites that survive in their host animal, despite being under severe attack by the host immune system. The resultant shift in fundamental understanding will lead to innovative technologies or products to ameliorate the burden of parasites in livestock animals. Expected socioeconomic benefits include commercial products for end-users and lifting Australia’s scientific knowledge base, reputation in biotechnology, livestock production and investment in translational research.Read moreRead less
Understanding glycopolymer interactions with the extracellular matrix. This project aims to advance knowledge of the biochemical and biophysical structure of the endothelial glycocalyx, a dynamic cell surface extracellular matrix rich in proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans. It will be the first to explore how charged glycopolymers interact with this dynamic interface with the goal to develop a model of the glycocalyx lifecycle. This project is expected to enable the transfer of skills, knowledg ....Understanding glycopolymer interactions with the extracellular matrix. This project aims to advance knowledge of the biochemical and biophysical structure of the endothelial glycocalyx, a dynamic cell surface extracellular matrix rich in proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans. It will be the first to explore how charged glycopolymers interact with this dynamic interface with the goal to develop a model of the glycocalyx lifecycle. This project is expected to enable the transfer of skills, knowledge and ideas as well as advanced research and industrial training for young scientists. Knowledge derived from this project is expected to enable future innovation in molecules with tailored interactions with the glycocalyx with significant benefits for researchers, manufacturers and end users. Read moreRead less
Eco-friendly pesticides for crop protection. The aims of the project are to develop robust methods for measuring bioactive pesticidal molecules in butterfly pea cultivars, characterise their modes of action, determine the exposure and persistence of these molecules in field runoff and waterways and, in the longer term, develop butterfly pea cultivars with optimised bioactivity and safety. The major outcome of the project is the generation of new knowledge that will contribute to the development ....Eco-friendly pesticides for crop protection. The aims of the project are to develop robust methods for measuring bioactive pesticidal molecules in butterfly pea cultivars, characterise their modes of action, determine the exposure and persistence of these molecules in field runoff and waterways and, in the longer term, develop butterfly pea cultivars with optimised bioactivity and safety. The major outcome of the project is the generation of new knowledge that will contribute to the development of novel antifungal and insecticidal agents. This outcome is significant as there is a huge need for new pesticidal agents that exhibit wide safety margins, reduce problems associated with resistance to existing treatments, and that are safe for the environment.Read moreRead less
Does plasma membrane perception of 2,4-D influence auxin resistance? This project aims to investigate the role of the cell membrane in synthetic auxin herbicide resistance by analysing the functions and interaction partners of candidate resistance proteins. It is expected that this project will generate new knowledge about the very early response of plants to auxin and the difference between susceptible and resistant weeds in perceiving auxin herbicides. Expected outcomes of this project include ....Does plasma membrane perception of 2,4-D influence auxin resistance? This project aims to investigate the role of the cell membrane in synthetic auxin herbicide resistance by analysing the functions and interaction partners of candidate resistance proteins. It is expected that this project will generate new knowledge about the very early response of plants to auxin and the difference between susceptible and resistant weeds in perceiving auxin herbicides. Expected outcomes of this project include the identification of potential herbicide synergists and a greater understanding of how weeds develop resistance to auxin herbicides. This should benefit Australian grain growers by providing more effective weed control options and lessening the amount of unnecessarily-applied herbicide in the environment.Read moreRead less
Plant cyclotides as novel sustainable tools for crop protection . This project between the University of Queensland and Syngenta, a top-tier agricultural biotech company, aims at developing new crop protection technologies based on peptides. Insecticides are essential to meet the 60% increase in food production goal set by the UN but long-term exposure to traditional insecticides can harm beneficial pollinating insect populations. Expected outcomes include an exciting new insecticide technology ....Plant cyclotides as novel sustainable tools for crop protection . This project between the University of Queensland and Syngenta, a top-tier agricultural biotech company, aims at developing new crop protection technologies based on peptides. Insecticides are essential to meet the 60% increase in food production goal set by the UN but long-term exposure to traditional insecticides can harm beneficial pollinating insect populations. Expected outcomes include an exciting new insecticide technology based on natural plant defense peptides, the cyclotides, which has potential to revolutionise crop protection, leading to safer products for the environment. Benefits from the technology include a reduction in toxic insecticide residues, precision targetted applications and agrichemicals that degrade without trace.Read moreRead less
Using cane toads to eradicate cane toads. This project aims to develop effective ways to reduce the devastating ecological impact of cane toads, by exploiting the cannibalistic behaviour of tadpoles. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of invasion biology and amphibian development utilising recent discoveries about cannibalism. Expected outcomes of this project include a powerful new method to reduce or eliminate recruitment of juvenile toads from natural waterbodies. Bene ....Using cane toads to eradicate cane toads. This project aims to develop effective ways to reduce the devastating ecological impact of cane toads, by exploiting the cannibalistic behaviour of tadpoles. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of invasion biology and amphibian development utilising recent discoveries about cannibalism. Expected outcomes of this project include a powerful new method to reduce or eliminate recruitment of juvenile toads from natural waterbodies. Benefits of this project include conservation of native wildlife that are threatened by the cane toad invasion across much of tropical and subtropical Australia.Read moreRead less
Rethinking and revitalising herbicides to counter resistance. Weeds and increasingly herbicide resistant weeds are the major yield penalty for agriculture. This project aims to develop innovative ways to overcome resistance. This project expects to (i) make herbicides work more efficiently, (ii) reveal a new mode of action for an under-used herbicide and (iii) assign breakdown pathways to herbicides. Expected outcomes of this project are to (i) to find rare, but truly synergistic herbicide combi ....Rethinking and revitalising herbicides to counter resistance. Weeds and increasingly herbicide resistant weeds are the major yield penalty for agriculture. This project aims to develop innovative ways to overcome resistance. This project expects to (i) make herbicides work more efficiently, (ii) reveal a new mode of action for an under-used herbicide and (iii) assign breakdown pathways to herbicides. Expected outcomes of this project are to (i) to find rare, but truly synergistic herbicide combinations; (ii) reveal a herbicide against which weeds outside of Japan have not evolved resistance to; and (iii) establish how best to make breakdown blockers. A benefit of using existing herbicides is the approaches are close to market, so with partner Nexgen Plants, its outcomes can be commercialised.Read moreRead less
The Fluid-Particle Mechanics of a Synthetic Jet-based Dry Powder Inhaler. This project aims to untangle the fundamental principles that govern the fluid mechanics and particulate interactions in a novel concept chip-based micro-zero-net-mass-flux (micro-ZNMF) jet-assisted dry powder inhaler (DPI). Respiratory diseases affect 6.2 million Australians. The treatment of these diseases is hampered by the poor efficiency of current delivery systems, with conventional DPI devices exhibiting sub-optimum ....The Fluid-Particle Mechanics of a Synthetic Jet-based Dry Powder Inhaler. This project aims to untangle the fundamental principles that govern the fluid mechanics and particulate interactions in a novel concept chip-based micro-zero-net-mass-flux (micro-ZNMF) jet-assisted dry powder inhaler (DPI). Respiratory diseases affect 6.2 million Australians. The treatment of these diseases is hampered by the poor efficiency of current delivery systems, with conventional DPI devices exhibiting sub-optimum performance, delivering typically less than 20% of the loaded dose to the target site, the lungs. The new fundamental knowledge resulting from this research will enable the engineering of a high-efficiency groundbreaking DPI, with the potential to be fully adaptive user-specific benefiting millions of Australians. Read moreRead less