Evolutionary history and impact of adeno-associated viruses in Australia. Recently accrued evidence identifies Australia as an ideal closed-model system in which to elucidate the evolutionary history of a group of non-pathogenic viruses, known as adeno-associated viruses (AAVs). This project aims to trace back the evolutionary history of AAVs for tens of millions of years via molecular fossil imprints left behind by ancient viral invasions of Australian marsupial genomes. Concurrently, the poten ....Evolutionary history and impact of adeno-associated viruses in Australia. Recently accrued evidence identifies Australia as an ideal closed-model system in which to elucidate the evolutionary history of a group of non-pathogenic viruses, known as adeno-associated viruses (AAVs). This project aims to trace back the evolutionary history of AAVs for tens of millions of years via molecular fossil imprints left behind by ancient viral invasions of Australian marsupial genomes. Concurrently, the potential impact that these viral invasions had on the evolutionary development of their ancestral hosts will be investigated. This could facilitate previously unattainable insights into both AAV and marsupial evolution, with broader implications relevant to the advancement of the fields of virology and mammalian evolution.Read moreRead less
Synthetic phenazines for enhanced biogas production from renewable and non-renewable resources. Methane (biogas) has a large role to play in meeting the energy needs of the human race globally whilst reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Microbial communities are responsible for biogas production from non-renewable (coal) and renewable (food waste) resources. This project seeks to: increase biogas yields by redirecting electron flow towards biogas producing microbes using electrochemically active p ....Synthetic phenazines for enhanced biogas production from renewable and non-renewable resources. Methane (biogas) has a large role to play in meeting the energy needs of the human race globally whilst reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Microbial communities are responsible for biogas production from non-renewable (coal) and renewable (food waste) resources. This project seeks to: increase biogas yields by redirecting electron flow towards biogas producing microbes using electrochemically active phenazines; understand the molecular mechanism by which phenazines increase biogas yields; and, assess the environmental consequence of phenazine application to coal seam gas production and anaerobic digestion of food waste. Phenazines are likely to emerge as a safe and cost-effective technology for improved biogas generation.Read moreRead less
Contact Networks, Immunity, and Evolution in Competing Cancer Epidemics. The project aims to evaluate evolutionary interactions between two transmissible cancer epidemics affecting Tasmanian devils and quantify their feedback on infection risk and epidemic behaviour. Using contact tracing and a phylogenetic framework we aim to quantify how tumour lineages evolve with each generation of infection and their effects on susceptibility to infection and disease progression. We expect to reveal the hos ....Contact Networks, Immunity, and Evolution in Competing Cancer Epidemics. The project aims to evaluate evolutionary interactions between two transmissible cancer epidemics affecting Tasmanian devils and quantify their feedback on infection risk and epidemic behaviour. Using contact tracing and a phylogenetic framework we aim to quantify how tumour lineages evolve with each generation of infection and their effects on susceptibility to infection and disease progression. We expect to reveal the host immuno-genetic basis underpinning cancer suppression and the adaptive capacity of populations in response to infectious diseases. This should significantly improve our ability to understand and manage this and other epidemic outbreaks in wildlife, as well as advancing our knowledge in cancer ecology and evolution.Read moreRead less