Black Death Genomics And The Evolution Of Pathogen Virulence
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$525,412.00
Summary
The Black Death was one of the most lethal plagues of antiquity and changed the course of human history. We will reconstruct and analyse the evolution of its causative agent – the bacterium Yersinia pestis – sampled from human skeletal remains dating back to the Black Death and beyond. We will determine the mutations that changed the virulence of plague epidemics through time, enabling a unique insight into the most dramatic example of pathogen emergence that has ever been available for study.
Using Metagenomics To Determine The Causative Agent(s) Of Tick-Borne Disease In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$639,428.00
Summary
Tick-borne disease has emerged as a topical and controversial public health problem in Australia. We will employ state-of-the-art techniques in metagenomics to determine what microbial species (bacteria, viruses and eukaryotes) circulate in Australian ticks and whether these or different microbes are also present in humans diagnosed with tick-borne disease. The data generated will provide key information on whether tick-borne disease has a microbiological cause and, if so, the microbes involved.
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL110100044
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,001,626.00
Summary
Origin, evolution and roles of cardinal genomic features underpinning animal multicellular complexity. As the first genome project from our oceans, the sea sponge Amphimedon heralds a new era of marine science for Australia. Using post-genomic approaches, this project will show how studying marine organisms can produce the most fundamental insights into not only multicellular life but also into human diseases and cancer that originally evolved from our oceans.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101117
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$327,000.00
Summary
The functional impact of new genes acquired through retrotransposition. Novel copies of genes often arise through retrotransposition of processed messenger RNAs. Many thousands of gene copies have arisen over evolutionary time and some of these have retained functionality while diverging from the parental gene leading to new paralogs under different regulatory regimes. Through analysis of whole-genome sequence data, we are now able to identify very recent gene copies that are not present in the ....The functional impact of new genes acquired through retrotransposition. Novel copies of genes often arise through retrotransposition of processed messenger RNAs. Many thousands of gene copies have arisen over evolutionary time and some of these have retained functionality while diverging from the parental gene leading to new paralogs under different regulatory regimes. Through analysis of whole-genome sequence data, we are now able to identify very recent gene copies that are not present in the reference genomes for various species, giving us the opportunity to explore the effects of new copies on the regulation of the original gene and the surrounding genomic environment into which the new copy is inserted. This project aims to address these important open questions through computational and biochemical approaches.Read moreRead less
Using venoms to map critical and evolutionary conserved vulnerabilities. We have developed and applied new functional genomic approaches to study venom evolution. Using CRISPR screening, we find that unrelated venoms act on cells by exploiting the same vulnerabilities. By functionally mapping these vulnerabilities for all venom classes, we can begin to develop universal venom antidotes. Conversely, much of what we know about venom mechanisms comes from a small percentage of the biodiversity with ....Using venoms to map critical and evolutionary conserved vulnerabilities. We have developed and applied new functional genomic approaches to study venom evolution. Using CRISPR screening, we find that unrelated venoms act on cells by exploiting the same vulnerabilities. By functionally mapping these vulnerabilities for all venom classes, we can begin to develop universal venom antidotes. Conversely, much of what we know about venom mechanisms comes from a small percentage of the biodiversity within a venom, and we have developed genomic tools to study the venom “dark matter”. This work will lead to the full molecular characterisation of venom biodiversity, and new venom components will be useful for research or as novel medicines.Read moreRead less
Cellular determinants of retrotransposition. This project aims to understand the processes that control retrotransposition in a genome. Transposable elements make up more than 50% of human genomes. The accumulation of retrotransposons through millions of years of evolution has shaped the genomes of all eukaryotic organisms, including humans. Researchers have elucidated mechanisms the host uses to defend the genome against insertional mutagenesis by retrotransposons, but the cellular machinery an ....Cellular determinants of retrotransposition. This project aims to understand the processes that control retrotransposition in a genome. Transposable elements make up more than 50% of human genomes. The accumulation of retrotransposons through millions of years of evolution has shaped the genomes of all eukaryotic organisms, including humans. Researchers have elucidated mechanisms the host uses to defend the genome against insertional mutagenesis by retrotransposons, but the cellular machinery and genomic environments needed for retrotransposition are undefined. This project aims to use models to uncover the mechanisms that control retrotransposition. This is expected to reveal more about human origins.Read moreRead less
Chronic pain will affect most of us at one point in our life, and there is a need for new drugs to manage this condition. The goal of this project is to use a combined state-of-the-art genetics approaches in fruit flies, mice, rats, and humans, to identify and validate new genes that contribute to chronic pain, with the clear long term possibility to develop new strategic therapies to treat chronic pain disease.
The Role Chromatin Remodeling Factors In Epigenetic Regulation Of Cardiac Arrhythmia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$854,135.00
Summary
Cardiovascular diseases kill an Australian every 11 minutes. Arrhythmias are of particular alarm since they can lead to significantly higher risk of serious strokes, heart failure, and overall mortality. We combine fruit fly genetics with next generation human genomics approaches to find and functionally validate new genes and mutations regulating arrhythmia in fruit flies and atrial fibrillation in humans, and this work can rapidly identify new avenues to pursue therapeutic intervention
Evolutionary Genomics Approaches For Studying Acquisition Of Drug Resistance In Tumours
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$313,390.00
Summary
Chemotherapy often fails because some of the cells in tumour evolve resistance to the drugs the patient is given, causing relapse. We study how a tumour’s unstable genome and high rate of mutation drives its evolution by observing tumour cells in the laboratory as they evolve resistance to drugs and the genetic differences between resistant and sensitive cells. This work will help develop therapeutic strategies to prevent tumours from evolving resistance to chemotherapy.