One coordinate carbon and boron: Universal progenitor ligands. Compounds with bonds between metals and carbon (organometallic chemistry) underpin innumerable important industrial processes from fine chemicals to bulk agrochemical and polymer synthesis. Yet the simplest example, a single atom of carbon bound to a metal has only recently been discovered and is poorly understood. Australia's fledgling boron fine chemicals industry similarly benefits from metal-based processes. However, compounds wi ....One coordinate carbon and boron: Universal progenitor ligands. Compounds with bonds between metals and carbon (organometallic chemistry) underpin innumerable important industrial processes from fine chemicals to bulk agrochemical and polymer synthesis. Yet the simplest example, a single atom of carbon bound to a metal has only recently been discovered and is poorly understood. Australia's fledgling boron fine chemicals industry similarly benefits from metal-based processes. However, compounds with a single boron atom bound to a metal remain unknown. This proposal addresses metal-carbon and metal-boron chemistry from the most basic perspective, that of a single atom of boron or carbon, including the development of novel synthetic approaches and skills for the characterisation of such curious species.Read moreRead less
First Principles Design of Second-Generation Protein Stains. Proteomics is an emerging technology which has the potential to revolutionize modern biology and medicine. Extremely sensitive protein stains are a key proteomics technology, and in conjunction with gel electrophoresis, they facilitate the rapid and quantitative detection of all polypeptides in a cell. However, the tools of proteomics must rapidly advance (cheaper, greater sensitivity, more reliable, safer to handle) before the techn ....First Principles Design of Second-Generation Protein Stains. Proteomics is an emerging technology which has the potential to revolutionize modern biology and medicine. Extremely sensitive protein stains are a key proteomics technology, and in conjunction with gel electrophoresis, they facilitate the rapid and quantitative detection of all polypeptides in a cell. However, the tools of proteomics must rapidly advance (cheaper, greater sensitivity, more reliable, safer to handle) before the technology can mature to the stage where its full potential is realized. We will enable the evolution of proteomics by devising second generation fluorescent protein stains, using the environmentally-friendly natural product, epicocconone, as our design platform.Read moreRead less
Persistent Triplet Carbenes. Viable or Not? Triplet carbenes have significant potential real world applications, such as in modern electronics. However, they are highly reactive (lifetimes typically < 1 day), and this has stymied their development. Can I design so called persistent triplet-carbenes, which have significant lifetimes? I will try to using computer chemistry. In doing so, I will provide synthetic chemists with 'high-value' targets for preparation, hence saving tax dollars and minimi ....Persistent Triplet Carbenes. Viable or Not? Triplet carbenes have significant potential real world applications, such as in modern electronics. However, they are highly reactive (lifetimes typically < 1 day), and this has stymied their development. Can I design so called persistent triplet-carbenes, which have significant lifetimes? I will try to using computer chemistry. In doing so, I will provide synthetic chemists with 'high-value' targets for preparation, hence saving tax dollars and minimizing creation of environmentally damaging waste. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775725
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$465,000.00
Summary
Molecular separation and characterisation - A facility for advanced mass spectroscopy and chromatography. Characterising molecular composition is a basic need for the progress of many sciences. It is used to examine traditional and modern medicinal chemistry, bio-active peptides, molecular modulation of chemical properties, markers of disease and system status, and can also be used to elucidate molecular mechanisms and interactions in a system. This can only be achieved through precise measureme ....Molecular separation and characterisation - A facility for advanced mass spectroscopy and chromatography. Characterising molecular composition is a basic need for the progress of many sciences. It is used to examine traditional and modern medicinal chemistry, bio-active peptides, molecular modulation of chemical properties, markers of disease and system status, and can also be used to elucidate molecular mechanisms and interactions in a system. This can only be achieved through precise measurement using the frontier technologies described in this grant. This proposal ensures international competitiveness on a broad front, and supports highest level research training and bio/chemical/medical research in several priority research areas. Read moreRead less
Bimolecular chemistry at very low temperatures. Many chemical reactions involve short-lived and highly reactive intermediates that cannot be observed under ordinary reaction conditions. Hence, much of this chemistry is shrouded in mystery. This project aims to develop the ability to observe and monitor such reactions directly using a combination of spectroscopies at very low temperatures, where the molecules are more stable and reactions slower. These studies will give quantitative information ....Bimolecular chemistry at very low temperatures. Many chemical reactions involve short-lived and highly reactive intermediates that cannot be observed under ordinary reaction conditions. Hence, much of this chemistry is shrouded in mystery. This project aims to develop the ability to observe and monitor such reactions directly using a combination of spectroscopies at very low temperatures, where the molecules are more stable and reactions slower. These studies will give quantitative information on the nature of the reactive intermediates themselves, the nature of the products formed, and the reaction dynamics, and they are of fundamental importance for an understanding of chemical reactivity generally. The methodology developed will be applicable to the investigation of a wide range of processes.Read moreRead less
New mechanisms and methods in carbene and nitrene chemistry. Carbenes and nitrenes are highly reactive intermediates of theoretical and mechanistic significance and synthetic versatility in organic chemistry. In spite of high reactivity, selective and high-yielding reactions can be performed, leading to products that may be difficult or impossible to synthesise by other methods. They have practical applications in photo-affinity labelling of biomolecules, and photolithography. This project will ....New mechanisms and methods in carbene and nitrene chemistry. Carbenes and nitrenes are highly reactive intermediates of theoretical and mechanistic significance and synthetic versatility in organic chemistry. In spite of high reactivity, selective and high-yielding reactions can be performed, leading to products that may be difficult or impossible to synthesise by other methods. They have practical applications in photo-affinity labelling of biomolecules, and photolithography. This project will contribute fundamental knowledge of the nature and reactions of these species by using direct spectroscopic observation. We are proposing the occurrence of novel types of reactions and the formation of several new reactive intermediates as well as a technique for the stabilization of reactive intermediates by incorporation into macrocyclic frameworks.Read moreRead less
Nanosized peptide nucleic acid - metal complex hybrids as catalysts for the cleavage of phosphate ester bonds in biological molecules. The information from Human Genome Project is being used to generate molecules with a variety of therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The capability to design, synthesise and manipulate functional molecules that mimic biological processes will underpin many emerging applications. In this project, macrocyclic metal complexes that catalyse the cleavage of phosph ....Nanosized peptide nucleic acid - metal complex hybrids as catalysts for the cleavage of phosphate ester bonds in biological molecules. The information from Human Genome Project is being used to generate molecules with a variety of therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The capability to design, synthesise and manipulate functional molecules that mimic biological processes will underpin many emerging applications. In this project, macrocyclic metal complexes that catalyse the cleavage of phosphate ester bonds in biological molecules will be developed. Active complexes will be incorporated into nanosized peptide nucleic acid (PNA) - metal complex hybrids and applied as artificial enzymes in the sequence specific cleavage of RNA and DNA. Novel applications of these ?artificial enzymes? in biotechnology are anticipated.Read moreRead less
Natural Product-derived Proteomics Probes for Specific Detection of Protein Kinase C Activities. Better health care depends on how well diseases are understood and how accurately disease analysis and diagnosis can be carried out. This is not only important to disease treatment but also prevention. This project will first generate new compounds that could have improved therapeutic value in cancer treatment. In addition, these compounds will be further engineered to provide a new technology of ....Natural Product-derived Proteomics Probes for Specific Detection of Protein Kinase C Activities. Better health care depends on how well diseases are understood and how accurately disease analysis and diagnosis can be carried out. This is not only important to disease treatment but also prevention. This project will first generate new compounds that could have improved therapeutic value in cancer treatment. In addition, these compounds will be further engineered to provide a new technology of tracing the molecular signature of diseases such as cancer for early detection and better preventative care and treatment. This will create new economic advantage and contributes to the transformation of Australian health care industry.Read moreRead less
The Design and Development of the Next Generation Anti-HIV Drugs. This medicinal chemistry project will develop new computer-aided modelling techniques for drug design and development and will then apply them to the design of new therapeutics for the treatment of HIV-1/AIDS. Once developed, these new techniques can also be applied to other disease targets including various cancers, where specific proteins have been identified as causative. This research will also contribute to the education of y ....The Design and Development of the Next Generation Anti-HIV Drugs. This medicinal chemistry project will develop new computer-aided modelling techniques for drug design and development and will then apply them to the design of new therapeutics for the treatment of HIV-1/AIDS. Once developed, these new techniques can also be applied to other disease targets including various cancers, where specific proteins have been identified as causative. This research will also contribute to the education of young scientists, training them in cutting-edge research skills.Read moreRead less
Disrupting Chemical Communication in Bacteria: A Novel and Effective Antimicrobial Strategy. Due to increased application of antibiotics for disease control, many pathogenic bacteria have developed resistance to existing antimicrobials. The infections associated with the resistant bacteria incur a high cost in terms of human health, well being and health care costs. Thus, there is a clear need to develop new antimicrobials that have a novel mechanism of action. The technology proposed here has ....Disrupting Chemical Communication in Bacteria: A Novel and Effective Antimicrobial Strategy. Due to increased application of antibiotics for disease control, many pathogenic bacteria have developed resistance to existing antimicrobials. The infections associated with the resistant bacteria incur a high cost in terms of human health, well being and health care costs. Thus, there is a clear need to develop new antimicrobials that have a novel mechanism of action. The technology proposed here has the potential to deliver enormous health and social welfare benefits to the Australian population as well as commercial benefits to Australian industry, through provision of new, locally produced technologies for the control of bacterial virulence.Read moreRead less