BIOCATALYSTS MINED FROM CYTOCHROME P450 LIBRARIES: AN INNOVATIVE TOOL FOR ACCELERATING DRUG DEVELOPMENT. The cytochrome P450s (P450s) are a family of enzymes that are perhaps the most versatile biological catalysts known. DNA shuffling is an emerging technique that takes the genes encoding families of enzymes and creates libraries of catalysts with both improved and novel properties. We will obtain proof of concept that shuffled P450 libraries can be screened and optimized for use as biocatalys ....BIOCATALYSTS MINED FROM CYTOCHROME P450 LIBRARIES: AN INNOVATIVE TOOL FOR ACCELERATING DRUG DEVELOPMENT. The cytochrome P450s (P450s) are a family of enzymes that are perhaps the most versatile biological catalysts known. DNA shuffling is an emerging technique that takes the genes encoding families of enzymes and creates libraries of catalysts with both improved and novel properties. We will obtain proof of concept that shuffled P450 libraries can be screened and optimized for use as biocatalysts in drug development. The methodologies developed here will overcome two critical bottlenecks in current drug development: the optimisation and metabolic profiling of new drug candidates. This will yield important benefits in accelerating the optimisation and safety testing of drugs under development.Read moreRead less
Clean fuels for the future: Scale up and optimisation of microalgal oil production and biodiesel synthesis. The development of renewable carbon-neutral fuels is an urgent challenge facing our society. This project aims to develop an innovative system for biodiesel production from local Australian algae species. If cultivated under the right conditions, microalgae are very efficient near-continuous producers of biodiesel and are likely the only renewable source of fuel that could match our curren ....Clean fuels for the future: Scale up and optimisation of microalgal oil production and biodiesel synthesis. The development of renewable carbon-neutral fuels is an urgent challenge facing our society. This project aims to develop an innovative system for biodiesel production from local Australian algae species. If cultivated under the right conditions, microalgae are very efficient near-continuous producers of biodiesel and are likely the only renewable source of fuel that could match our current and future demand without competing for arable land and food production. Such systems couple the national/community benefits of energy generation, carbon-capture, biodiesel production and the clean-up of wastewater. Successful outcomes from this project will bring this innovative technology closer to commercial reality. Read moreRead less
Second generation biofuels: developing environmentally friendly high-efficiency microalgae for biofuel production. The development of CO2-neutral (biodiesel) and CO2-free (hydrogen) fuels is an urgent challenge facing our society to combat climate change and protect against oil price shocks. Successful outcomes from this project will bring this innovative technology closer to commercial reality. The solar-powered microalgal systems being developed, offer a number of national/community benefits ....Second generation biofuels: developing environmentally friendly high-efficiency microalgae for biofuel production. The development of CO2-neutral (biodiesel) and CO2-free (hydrogen) fuels is an urgent challenge facing our society to combat climate change and protect against oil price shocks. Successful outcomes from this project will bring this innovative technology closer to commercial reality. The solar-powered microalgal systems being developed, offer a number of national/community benefits including
1. A high-efficiency frontier-technology for clean fuel production for the Australian and international market
2. A new process to desalinate water
3. Frontier technology to sequester atmospheric CO2
4. Frontier technologies for wealth generation in drought- or salinity-affected and naturally arid regionsRead moreRead less
Targeted bioengineering and systems biology for solar powered hydrogen production in green algal cells. The development of clean fuels to combat climate change and protect against oil price shocks, is an urgent challenge facing our society. Fuels make up ~67% of the energy market, yet most low-CO2 emissions technologies (e.g. nuclear and clean-coal-technology) target the electricity market. In contrast the Solar Bio-H2 process uses algal photobioreactors to drive solar-powered H2 fuel production ....Targeted bioengineering and systems biology for solar powered hydrogen production in green algal cells. The development of clean fuels to combat climate change and protect against oil price shocks, is an urgent challenge facing our society. Fuels make up ~67% of the energy market, yet most low-CO2 emissions technologies (e.g. nuclear and clean-coal-technology) target the electricity market. In contrast the Solar Bio-H2 process uses algal photobioreactors to drive solar-powered H2 fuel production from water (ultimately sea water, facilitating desalination). This project aims to improve the efficiency of the process towards economical levels. The Solar Bio-H2 process reduces water requirements for biofuel production. Locating bioreactors on non-arable land also eliminates competition between biofuel and food production.Read moreRead less
Evolving enzymes to harness the clean energy reserves of nature. We want to improve enzymes that are used by nature to harness huge amounts of energy - the energy present in glucose, one of the most abundant materials in the biosphere. The enzymes will be evolved to efficiently produce biological power in a practically useable form rather than for the growth of the organisms from which they originated. We will use this energy to drive the synthesis of chemicals of practical value, truly green ch ....Evolving enzymes to harness the clean energy reserves of nature. We want to improve enzymes that are used by nature to harness huge amounts of energy - the energy present in glucose, one of the most abundant materials in the biosphere. The enzymes will be evolved to efficiently produce biological power in a practically useable form rather than for the growth of the organisms from which they originated. We will use this energy to drive the synthesis of chemicals of practical value, truly green chemistry. We also seek to answer questions such as: how do proteins evolve, how do enzymes work and how can biochemical pathways be optimised for industrial processes? This information will be of fundamental benefit for the use of enzymes in green chemistry, providing cleaner ways to produce important chemicals. Read moreRead less
Metabolic engineering of sugarcane: production of a biodegradable bioplastic as a test-case. The aim of this project is to produce a commercially valuable bioplastic called PHB in transgenic sugarcane. This bioplastic has similar properties to petrochemically produced polypropylene, but is fully biodegradable. PHB has been produced in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana at commercially viable levels. The expected outcome of high-level production of PHB in sugarcane would have significant ben ....Metabolic engineering of sugarcane: production of a biodegradable bioplastic as a test-case. The aim of this project is to produce a commercially valuable bioplastic called PHB in transgenic sugarcane. This bioplastic has similar properties to petrochemically produced polypropylene, but is fully biodegradable. PHB has been produced in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana at commercially viable levels. The expected outcome of high-level production of PHB in sugarcane would have significant benefits to the Australian sugar industry, the rural economy, and the Australian environment.Read moreRead less
Understanding and avoiding transgene silencing in sugarcane. Sugarcane is one of the world's major crops for food (sugar) and fuel (ethanol, electricity co-generation). It is one of the most appealing target crops for metabolic engineering aimed at renewable biomaterials and biofuels. Australia has invested strongly to achieve scientific leadership in gene technologies in our major export crops including sugarcane. Field tests show that development of methods to avoid unstable expression or 'sil ....Understanding and avoiding transgene silencing in sugarcane. Sugarcane is one of the world's major crops for food (sugar) and fuel (ethanol, electricity co-generation). It is one of the most appealing target crops for metabolic engineering aimed at renewable biomaterials and biofuels. Australia has invested strongly to achieve scientific leadership in gene technologies in our major export crops including sugarcane. Field tests show that development of methods to avoid unstable expression or 'silencing' of introduced genes is now a critical requirement for practical application. The current project emerges from industry recognition of the need to understand and avoid transgene silencing. The methods developed using sugarcane are expected to have rapid applicability for wider benefits in agriculture.Read moreRead less