Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100477
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$335,000.00
Summary
Network modelling nationally important emerging infectious diseases. The project aims to develop decision-support tools for emerging infectious disease outbreaks that build on recent advances in gene sequencing and predictive modelling. Infectious disease transmission depends on the proximity and attributes of infectious and susceptible animals, evolution of the host-pathogen relationship and environmental influences. Recent changes in these have led to a series of major outbreaks with impacts o ....Network modelling nationally important emerging infectious diseases. The project aims to develop decision-support tools for emerging infectious disease outbreaks that build on recent advances in gene sequencing and predictive modelling. Infectious disease transmission depends on the proximity and attributes of infectious and susceptible animals, evolution of the host-pathogen relationship and environmental influences. Recent changes in these have led to a series of major outbreaks with impacts on animal health, productivity and trade. New decision-support tools are required to combine genetic sequences with epidemiological data early in large outbreaks. The intended outcome of the project is that the models developed may enable appropriate and timely intervention and reduce impacts in future outbreaks.Read moreRead less
Genetic Basis of Variable Expression of Glycan Xeno-Autoantigens by Cattle. Meat and dairy products from cattle contain sugar structures (glycans) that are not made by humans. These structures can be recognised by the immune system and lead to allergic reactions, inflammation and potentially cancer. These non-human structures are called xeno-autoantigens or XAs. We have discovered individual cattle that do not produce one of these XAs. We will study the gene required to make XA in the XA-free ca ....Genetic Basis of Variable Expression of Glycan Xeno-Autoantigens by Cattle. Meat and dairy products from cattle contain sugar structures (glycans) that are not made by humans. These structures can be recognised by the immune system and lead to allergic reactions, inflammation and potentially cancer. These non-human structures are called xeno-autoantigens or XAs. We have discovered individual cattle that do not produce one of these XAs. We will study the gene required to make XA in the XA-free cattle to find the underlying mutation. The same approach will be used to look for natural XA-free individuals in other food species. This knowledge may enable us to create a test to facilitate the natural breeding of non-GMO, XA-free livestock to benefit Australian primary producers and provide safer food for consumers.Read moreRead less
Carbon nanotube based electrodes for rapid, dry electro-physiological measurements. Optimised electrical sensors with nanotechnology coatings will be developed for a device that farmers can use to pregnancy test their herd without the need for a vet. This will lead to greater improved management of beef and dairy cattle pregnancies and has been estimated to be worth over $100 million per year to the Australian beef industry.
Improving the Sustainability of Australian Livestock Production Systems. The sustainability of livestock production systems must urgently be improved. This Future Fellowship builds upon Dr Zamira Gibb's portfolio of high-impact research to deliver extension and adoption activities which will improve the outcomes of cattle and horse selective breeding programs; allowing the dissemination of low-methane genetics to remote Northern Australian cattle breeding regions, reducing wastage of breeding ho ....Improving the Sustainability of Australian Livestock Production Systems. The sustainability of livestock production systems must urgently be improved. This Future Fellowship builds upon Dr Zamira Gibb's portfolio of high-impact research to deliver extension and adoption activities which will improve the outcomes of cattle and horse selective breeding programs; allowing the dissemination of low-methane genetics to remote Northern Australian cattle breeding regions, reducing wastage of breeding horses and dairy cattle, and improving foal heath and offspring longevity. This project will address the environmental, ethical, and economic concerns which threaten the sustainability of these culturally significant livestock industries which are the cornerstone of everyday life in regional communities. Read moreRead less
Optimisation of a novel hybrid vaccine for liver fluke disease in cattle. Optimisation of a novel hybrid vaccine for liver fluke disease in cattle. This project aims to optimise the formulation of novel fluke vaccine antigens by constructing combination hybrid recombinant antigens and using a protein adjuvant to improve immunogenicity, and test new antigens expressed in young flukes as vaccines and evaluate their ability to synergise with hybrid vaccines. Fasciola (fluke) infections cause seriou ....Optimisation of a novel hybrid vaccine for liver fluke disease in cattle. Optimisation of a novel hybrid vaccine for liver fluke disease in cattle. This project aims to optimise the formulation of novel fluke vaccine antigens by constructing combination hybrid recombinant antigens and using a protein adjuvant to improve immunogenicity, and test new antigens expressed in young flukes as vaccines and evaluate their ability to synergise with hybrid vaccines. Fasciola (fluke) infections cause serious economic losses to livestock production and fluke drug resistance threatens control, so new therapies such as a vaccine are needed. These vaccines should be evaluated in cattle trials. The major outcome plan is validation of hybrid antigens for commercial vaccine development for fluke control in cattle, leading to more sustainable beef and milk production in Australia.Read moreRead less
Proteomic and genetic analysis of subfertile bull spermatozoa. This project aims to identify protein changes on spermatozoa that are highly correlated with the fertility status of bulls. Bull fertility has approached an all-time low as breeding practice has focused predominately on milk production and beef tenderness. This project aims to understand the genetic causes that underpin bull and cattle infertility, and investigate better methods to predict the fertility status of bulls. This project ....Proteomic and genetic analysis of subfertile bull spermatozoa. This project aims to identify protein changes on spermatozoa that are highly correlated with the fertility status of bulls. Bull fertility has approached an all-time low as breeding practice has focused predominately on milk production and beef tenderness. This project aims to understand the genetic causes that underpin bull and cattle infertility, and investigate better methods to predict the fertility status of bulls. This project expects to contribute to better clinical management of cattle. This information can then be used for the development of a better diagnostic assay for both the dairy and beef industry.Read moreRead less
Improving dairy cow fertility: targeting exosome-responsive cell pathways. . This project aims to assist the dairy industry to achieve its goal of increasing the six-week in-calf pregnancy rate in dairy cows by at least 10 per cent within five years via the identification of circulating exosomal biomarkers of improved fertility that will be used to develop superior breeding stock to deliver higher industry productivity. The impact of novel biomarkers will permit the Australian and New Zealand da ....Improving dairy cow fertility: targeting exosome-responsive cell pathways. . This project aims to assist the dairy industry to achieve its goal of increasing the six-week in-calf pregnancy rate in dairy cows by at least 10 per cent within five years via the identification of circulating exosomal biomarkers of improved fertility that will be used to develop superior breeding stock to deliver higher industry productivity. The impact of novel biomarkers will permit the Australian and New Zealand dairy industries to meet their targets and provide economic benefit to the respective industries, whilst ensuring availability of low cost milk to Australian citizens.Read moreRead less
Epigenetic and biomarker approaches to improving dairy cow fertility. The dairy industry will not deliver sustainable higher productivity unless the reproductive performance of dairy cows is significantly improved. This expected outcome will be achieved via the identification of epigenetic and protein biomarkers of improved fertility that will be used to develop superior breeding stock. Caruncular and intercaruncular tissues and blood have been obtained from both fertile (New Zealand Holstein-Fr ....Epigenetic and biomarker approaches to improving dairy cow fertility. The dairy industry will not deliver sustainable higher productivity unless the reproductive performance of dairy cows is significantly improved. This expected outcome will be achieved via the identification of epigenetic and protein biomarkers of improved fertility that will be used to develop superior breeding stock. Caruncular and intercaruncular tissues and blood have been obtained from both fertile (New Zealand Holstein-Friesian) and sub-fertile (North American Holstein-Friesian) cows within pasture-based dairying systems that include seasonal calving and subclinical uterine inflammation (associated with poor reproductive performance). Determinations will be conducted using deep parallel (next generation) sequencing and mass spectrometry.Read moreRead less
Development of a novel vaccine targeting parasite tegument proteins for liver fluke disease in livestock. Liver fluke parasites cause serious economic losses for livestock producers in South-East Australia, but drug resistance threatens parasite control and economic productivity in rural communities. This project will use novel technologies to identify lead vaccine candidates for improved fluke control to sustain agricultural productivity.
Identification of causal variants for complex traits. The aim of this project is to identify causal variants for complex traits in cattle and humans. Although most important traits in agriculture, medicine and evolution are complex traits, very few of the genetic variants affecting these traits are known and this undermines our understanding of how genetic variants affect a trait and practical uses of this knowledge. Huge datasets of individuals with genome sequence and phenotypes and new statis ....Identification of causal variants for complex traits. The aim of this project is to identify causal variants for complex traits in cattle and humans. Although most important traits in agriculture, medicine and evolution are complex traits, very few of the genetic variants affecting these traits are known and this undermines our understanding of how genetic variants affect a trait and practical uses of this knowledge. Huge datasets of individuals with genome sequence and phenotypes and new statistical methods provide the opportunity to close this gap. The outcome will be identification of many genomic variants causing variation in complex traits. This will benefit scientific understanding of complex traits and the ability to predict traits for individuals from their genome sequence.Read moreRead less